Discovery BoxActs 28:15-16 
Context28:15 The brothers from there, 1 when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius 2 and Three Taverns 3 to meet us. When he saw them, 4 Paul thanked God and took courage. 28:16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live 5 by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
Acts 28:30-31
Context28:30 Paul 6 lived 7 there two whole years in his own rented quarters 8 and welcomed 9 all who came to him, 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ 10 with complete boldness 11 and without restriction. 12
1 sn Mention of Christian brothers from there (Rome) shows that God’s message had already spread as far as Italy and the capital of the empire.
2 sn The Forum of Appius was a small traveler’s stop on the Appian Way about 43 mi (71 km) south of Rome (BDAG 125 s.v. ᾿Αππίου φόρον). It was described by Horace as “crammed with boatmen and stingy tavernkeepers” (Satires 1.5.3).
3 sn Three Taverns was a stop on the Appian Way 33 mi (55 km) south of Rome.
4 tn Grk “whom, when he saw [them], Paul.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.
5 tn Or “to stay.”
sn Allowed to live by himself. Paul continued to have a generous prison arrangement (cf. Acts 27:3).
6 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Or “stayed.”
8 tn Or perhaps, “two whole years at his own expense.” BDAG 654 s.v. μίσθωμα states, “the customary act. mng. ‘contract price, rent’…is not found in our lit. (Ac) and the pass. what is rented, a rented house is a mng. not found outside it (even Ammonius Gramm. [100 ad] p. 93 Valck. knows nothing of it. Hence the transl. at his own expense [NRSV] merits attention) ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι in his own rented lodgings Ac 28:30 (for the idea cp. Jos., Ant. 18, 235).”
9 tn Or “and received.”
10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
11 tn Or “openness.”
12 sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.
