Discovery BoxActs 11:5 
Context11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, 1 an object something like a large sheet descending, 2 being let down from heaven 3 by its four corners, and it came to me.
Acts 12:10
Context12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, 4 they came to the iron 5 gate leading into the city. It 6 opened for them by itself, 7 and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, 8 when at once the angel left him.
Acts 21:20
Context21:20 When they heard this, they praised 9 God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews 10 there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers 11 of the law. 12
1 tn This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined (BDAG 718 s.v. ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.
2 tn Or “coming down.”
3 tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
4 tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
5 sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
6 tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
7 tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).
8 tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).
9 tn Or “glorified.”
10 tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”
sn How many thousands of Jews. See Acts 2-5 for the accounts of their conversion, esp. 2:41 and 4:4. Estimates of the total number of Jews living in Jerusalem at the time range from 20,000 to 50,000.
11 tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”
12 sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).
