Discovery BoxActs 21:39-40 
Context21:39 Paul answered, 1 “I am a Jew 2 from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. 3 Please 4 allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer 5 had given him permission, 6 Paul stood 7 on the steps and gestured 8 to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, 9 he addressed 10 them in Aramaic, 11
1 tn Grk “said.”
2 tn Grk “a Jewish man.”
3 tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).
4 tn Grk “I beg you.”
5 tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
7 tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
8 tn Or “motioned.”
9 tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”
10 tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”
11 tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
