Discovery BoxActs 5:25 
Context5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts 1 and teaching 2 the people!”
Acts 8:3
Context8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy 3 the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off 4 both men and women and put them in prison. 5
Acts 12:21
Context12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod 6 put on his royal robes, 7 sat down on the judgment seat, 8 and made a speech 9 to them.
Acts 13:13
Context13:13 Then Paul and his companions put out to sea 10 from Paphos 11 and came to Perga 12 in Pamphylia, 13 but John 14 left them and returned to Jerusalem. 15
Acts 20:10
Context20:10 But Paul went down, 16 threw himself 17 on the young man, 18 put his arms around him, 19 and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” 20
Acts 28:11
Context28:11 After three months we put out to sea 21 in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island and had the “Heavenly Twins” 22 as its figurehead. 23
1 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
2 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
3 tn Or “began to harm [the church] severely.” If the nuance of this verb is “destroy,” then the imperfect verb ἐλυμαίνετο (elumaineto) is best translated as a conative imperfect as in the translation above. If instead the verb is taken to mean “injure severely” (as L&N 20.24), it should be translated in context as an ingressive imperfect (“began to harm the church severely”). Either option does not significantly alter the overall meaning, since it is clear from the stated actions of Saul in the second half of the verse that he intended to destroy or ravage the church.
4 tn The participle σύρων (surwn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
5 tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”
6 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
7 tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.
8 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.
sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.
9 tn Or “delivered a public address.”
10 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
11 sn Paphos was a city on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. See Acts 13:6.
12 sn Perga was a city in Pamphylia near the southern coast of Asia Minor. The journey from Paphos to Perga is about 105 mi (175 km).
13 sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor.
14 sn That is, John Mark.
15 sn Returned to Jerusalem. John Mark had originally accompanied them from Jerusalem (see Acts 12:25). John Mark’s decision to leave became an issue later for Barnabas and Paul (Acts 15:36-39).
map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
16 tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
17 tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”
18 tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.
20 tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).
21 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”
22 tn Or “the ‘Twin Gods’”; Grk “the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the pagan deities Castor and Pollux).
sn That had the ‘Heavenly Twins’ as its figurehead. The twin brothers Castor and Pollux, known collectively as the Dioscuri or ‘Heavenly Twins,’ were the twin sons of Zeus and Leda according to Greek mythology. The Alexandrian ship on which Paul and his companions sailed from Malta had a carved emblem or figurehead of these figures, and they would have been the patron deities of the vessel. Castor and Pollux were the “gods of navigation.” To see their stars was considered a good omen (Epictetus, Discourses 2.18.29; Lucian of Samosata, The Ship 9).
23 tn Or “as its emblem.”
