Discovery BoxActs 2:24 
Context2:24 But God raised him up, 1 having released 2 him from the pains 3 of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. 4
Acts 9:25
Context9:25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening 5 in the wall by lowering him in a basket. 6
Acts 13:29
Context13:29 When they had accomplished 7 everything that was written 8 about him, they took him down 9 from the cross 10 and placed him 11 in a tomb.
Acts 24:8
Context24:8 When you examine 12 him yourself, you will be able to learn from him 13 about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” 14
Acts 25:3
Context25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, 15 they urged Festus 16 to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush 17 to kill him along the way.
1 tn Grk “Whom God raised up.”
2 tn Or “having freed.”
3 sn The term translated pains is frequently used to describe pains associated with giving birth (see Rev 12:2). So there is irony here in the mixed metaphor.
4 tn Or “for him to be held by it” (in either case, “it” refers to death’s power).
5 tn The opening in the wall is not specifically mentioned here, but the parallel account in 2 Cor 11:33 mentions a “window” or “opening” (θυρίς, quris) in the city wall through which Paul was lowered. One alternative to introducing mention of the opening is to translate Acts 9:25 “they let him down over the wall,” as suggested in L&N 7.61. This option is not employed by many translations, however, because for the English reader it creates an (apparent) contradiction between Acts 9:25 and 2 Cor 11:33. In reality the account here is simply more general, omitting the detail about the window.
6 tn On the term for “basket” used here, see BDAG 940 s.v. σπυρίς.
7 tn Or “carried out.”
8 sn That is, everything that was written in OT scripture.
9 tn Grk “taking him down from the cross, they placed him.” The participle καθελόντες (kaqelonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10 tn Grk “tree,” but frequently figurative for a cross. The allusion is to Deut 21:23. See Acts 5:30; 10:39.
11 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
12 tn Or “question.”
13 tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.
14 tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.
15 tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.
16 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.
17 sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.
