Discovery BoxActs 4:21 
Context4:21 After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising 1 God for what had happened.
Acts 4:32
Context4:32 The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, 2 and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. 3
Acts 7:35
Context7:35 This same 4 Moses they had rejected, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and judge?’ 5 God sent as both ruler and deliverer 6 through the hand of the angel 7 who appeared to him in the bush.
Acts 10:33
Context10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. 8 So now we are all here in the presence of God 9 to listen 10 to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” 11
Acts 11:26
Context11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. 12 So 13 for a whole year Barnabas and Saul 14 met with the church and taught a significant number of people. 15 Now it was in Antioch 16 that the disciples were first called Christians. 17
Acts 16:15
Context16:15 After she and her household were baptized, she urged us, 18 “If 19 you consider me to be a believer in the Lord, 20 come and stay in my house.” And she persuaded 21 us.
Acts 21:26
Context21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, 22 and after he had purified himself 23 along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice 24 of the completion of the days of purification, 25 when 26 the sacrifice would be offered for each 27 of them.
Acts 23:6
Context23:6 Then when Paul noticed 28 that part of them were Sadducees 29 and the others Pharisees, 30 he shouted out in the council, 31 “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection 32 of the dead!”
Acts 23:11
Context23:11 The following night the Lord 33 stood near 34 Paul 35 and said, “Have courage, 36 for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, 37 so you must also testify in Rome.” 38
Acts 24:25
Context24:25 While Paul 39 was discussing 40 righteousness, self-control, 41 and the coming judgment, Felix 42 became 43 frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, 44 I will send for you.”
Acts 25:16
Context25:16 I answered them 45 that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone 46 before the accused had met his accusers face to face 47 and had been given 48 an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. 49
Acts 26:7
Context26:7 a promise 50 that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God 51 night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, 52 Your Majesty! 53
Acts 26:14
Context26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 54 ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself 55 by kicking against the goads.’ 56
1 tn Or “glorifying.”
2 tn Grk “soul.”
3 tn Grk “but all things were to them in common.”
sn Everything was held in common. The remark is not a reflection of political philosophy, but of the extent of their spontaneous commitment to one another. Such a response does not have the function of a command, but is reflective of an attitude that Luke commends as evidence of their identification with one another.
4 sn This same. The reference to “this one” occurs five times in this speech. It is the way the other speeches in Acts refer to Jesus (e.g., Acts 2:23).
5 sn A quotation from Exod 2:14 (see Acts 7:27). God saw Moses very differently than the people of the nation did. The reference to a ruler and a judge suggests that Stephen set up a comparison between Moses and Jesus, but he never finished his speech to make the point. The reader of Acts, however, knowing the other sermons in the book, recognizes that the rejection of Jesus is the counterpoint.
6 tn Or “liberator.” The meaning “liberator” for λυτρωτήν (lutrwthn) is given in L&N 37.129: “a person who liberates or releases others.”
7 tn Or simply “through the angel.” Here the “hand” could be understood as a figure for the person or the power of the angel himself. The remark about the angel appearing fits the first century Jewish view that God appears to no one (John 1:14-18; Gal 3:19; Deut 33:2 LXX).
8 tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).
9 tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.
10 tn Or “to hear everything.”
11 tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.
12 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
13 tn Grk “So it happened that” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
14 tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
16 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
17 sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.
18 tn Grk “urged us, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
19 tn This is a first class condition in Greek, with the statement presented as real or true for the sake of the argument.
20 tn Or “faithful to the Lord.” BDAG 821 s.v. πίστος 2 states concerning this verse, “Of one who confesses the Christian faith believing or a believer in the Lord, in Christ, in God πιστ. τῷ κυρίῳ Ac 16:15.” L&N 11.17 has “one who is included among the faithful followers of Christ – ‘believer, Christian, follower.’”
21 tn Although BDAG 759 s.v. παραβιάζομαι has “urge strongly, prevail upon,” in contemporary English “persuade” is a more frequently used synonym for “prevail upon.”
22 tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”
23 tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.
24 tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
25 sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.
26 tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.
27 tn Grk “for each one.”
28 tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”
29 sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.
30 sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.
31 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
32 tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.
33 sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.
34 tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
35 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
36 tn Or “Do not be afraid.”
37 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
38 sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).
map For location see JP4 A1.
39 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 tn Or “speaking about.”
41 tn Grk “and self-control.” This καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
sn The topic of self-control was appropriate in view of the personal history of both Felix and Drusilla (see the note on “Drusilla” in the previous verse), and might well account for Felix’s anxiety.
42 sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.
43 tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
44 tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”
45 tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.
sn “I answered them.” In the answer that follows, Festus is portrayed in a more positive light, being sensitive to justice and Roman law.
46 tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).
47 tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”
48 tn Grk “and receives.”
49 tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”
50 tn Grk “to which [promise] our twelve tribes…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun (the promise in v. 6) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
51 tn Or “earnestly worship.” The object of this service, God, is omitted but implied: BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω states, “Without the dat. of the one to whom service is given: ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα κ. ἡμέραν λ. serve (God) earnestly night and day Ac 26:7.” Although clear from the context in Greek, “God” must be supplied as the recipient of the service for the modern English reader.
52 tn Grk “I am being accused by the Jews.” The passive construction was simplified by converting it to an active one in the translation.
53 tn Grk “O King!”
54 tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.
55 tn Grk “It is hard for you.”
56 tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.
sn Sayings which contain the imagery used here (kicking against the goads) were also found in Greek writings; see Pindar, Pythians 2.94-96; Euripides, Bacchae 795.
