Discovery BoxActs 14:15 
Context14:15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures 1 just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn 2 from these worthless 3 things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, 4 the sea, and everything that is in them.
Acts 19:26
Context19:26 And you see and hear that this Paul has persuaded 5 and turned away 6 a large crowd, 7 not only in Ephesus 8 but in practically all of the province of Asia, 9 by saying 10 that gods made by hands are not gods at all. 11
1 tn Grk “with the same kinds of feelings,” L&N 25.32. BDAG 706 s.v. ὁμοιοπαθής translates the phrase “with the same nature τινί as someone.” In the immediate context, the contrast is between human and divine nature, and the point is that Paul and Barnabas are mere mortals, not gods.
2 tn Grk “in order that you should turn,” with ἐπιστρέφειν (epistrefein) as an infinitive of purpose, but this is somewhat awkward contemporary English. To translate the infinitive construction “proclaim the good news, that you should turn,” which is much smoother English, could give the impression that the infinitive clause is actually the content of the good news, which it is not. The somewhat less formal “to get you to turn” would work, but might convey to some readers manipulativeness on the part of the apostles. Thus “proclaim the good news, so that you should turn,” is used, to convey that the purpose of the proclamation of good news is the response by the hearers. The emphasis here is like 1 Thess 1:9-10.
3 tn Or “useless,” “futile.” The reference is to idols and idolatry, worshiping the creation over the Creator (Rom 1:18-32). See also 1 Kgs 16:2, 13, 26; 2 Kgs 17:15; Jer 2:5; 8:19; 3 Macc 6:11.
4 tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
5 tn Grk “persuading.” The participle πείσας (peisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6 tn Or “misled.”
7 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.a has “of pers. ὄχλος a large crowd…Ac 11:24, 26; 19:26.”
8 map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.
9 tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 22.
10 tn The participle λέγων (legwn) has been regarded as indicating instrumentality.
11 tn The words “at all” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
sn Gods made by hands are not gods at all. Paul preached against paganism’s idolatry. Here is a one-line summary of a speech like that in Acts 17:22-31.
