Discovery BoxActs 14:8-11 
Context14:8 In 1 Lystra 2 sat a man who could not use his feet, 3 lame from birth, 4 who had never walked. 14:9 This man was listening to Paul as he was speaking. When Paul 5 stared 6 intently at him and saw he had faith to be healed, 14:10 he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” 7 And the man 8 leaped up and began walking. 9 14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted 10 in the Lycaonian language, 11 “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12
1 tn Grk “And in.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
2 sn Lystra was a city in Lycaonia about 18 mi (30 km) south of Iconium.
map For location see JP1 E2; JP2 E2; JP3 E2.
3 tn Grk “powerless in his feet,” meaning he was unable to use his feet to walk.
4 tn Grk “lame from his mother’s womb” (an idiom).
sn The description lame from birth makes clear how serious the condition was, and how real it was. This event is very similar to Acts 3:1-10, except here the lame man’s faith is clear from the start.
5 tn Grk “speaking, who.” The relative pronoun has been replaced by the noun “Paul,” and a new sentence begun in the translation because an English relative clause would be very awkward here.
6 tn Or “looked.”
7 tn BDAG 722 s.v. ὀρθός 1.a has “stand upright on your feet.”
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 tn This verb is imperfect tense in contrast to the previous verb, which is aorist. It has been translated ingressively, since the start of a sequence is in view here.
10 tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).
11 tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
12 tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (Jomoiwqente") as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (qeoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.”
sn The gods have come down to us in human form. Greek culture spoke of “divine men.” In this region there was a story of Zeus and Hermes visiting the area (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.611-725). The locals failed to acknowledge them, so judgment followed. The present crowd was determined not to make the mistake a second time.
