Discovery BoxActs 5:34 
Context5:34 But a Pharisee 1 whose name was Gamaliel, 2 a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up 3 in the council 4 and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.
Acts 7:44
Context7:44 Our ancestors 5 had the tabernacle 6 of testimony in the wilderness, 7 just as God 8 who spoke to Moses ordered him 9 to make it according to the design he had seen.
Acts 18:2
Context18:2 There he 10 found 11 a Jew named Aquila, 12 a native of Pontus, 13 who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius 14 had ordered all the Jews to depart from 15 Rome. 16 Paul approached 17 them,
Acts 21:33-34
Context21:33 Then the commanding officer 18 came up and arrested 19 him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; 20 he 21 then asked who he was and what 22 he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, 23 and when the commanding officer 24 was unable 25 to find out the truth 26 because of the disturbance, 27 he ordered Paul 28 to be brought into the barracks. 29
Acts 23:10
Context23:10 When the argument became 30 so great the commanding officer 31 feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, 32 he ordered the detachment 33 to go down, take him away from them by force, 34 and bring him into the barracks. 35
Acts 25:6
Context25:6 After Festus 36 had stayed 37 not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, 38 and the next day he sat 39 on the judgment seat 40 and ordered Paul to be brought.
Acts 25:17
Context25:17 So after they came back here with me, 41 I did not postpone the case, 42 but the next day I sat 43 on the judgment seat 44 and ordered the man to be brought.
Acts 25:21
Context25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, 45 I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” 46
Acts 27:43
Context27:43 But the centurion, 47 wanting to save Paul’s life, 48 prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, 49
Acts 22:24
Context22:24 the commanding officer 50 ordered Paul 51 to be brought back into the barracks. 52 He told them 53 to interrogate Paul 54 by beating him with a lash 55 so that he could find out the reason the crowd 56 was shouting at Paul 57 in this way.
Acts 22:30
Context22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer 58 wanted to know the true reason 59 Paul 60 was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council 61 to assemble. He then brought 62 Paul down and had him stand before them.
1 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
2 sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
3 tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
4 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
5 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
6 tn Or “tent.”
sn The tabernacle was the tent used to house the ark of the covenant before the construction of Solomon’s temple. This is where God was believed to reside, yet the people were still unfaithful.
7 tn Or “desert.”
8 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 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.
10 tn Grk “And he.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
11 tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
12 sn On Aquila and his wife Priscilla see also Acts 18:18, 26; Rom 16:3-4; 1 Cor 16:19; 2 Tim 4:19. In the NT “Priscilla” and “Prisca” are the same person. This author uses the full name Priscilla, while Paul uses the diminutive form Prisca.
13 sn Pontus was a region in the northeastern part of Asia Minor. It was a Roman province.
14 sn Claudius refers to the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from
15 tn Or “to leave.”
16 map For location see JP4 A1.
17 tn Or “went to.”
18 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.
19 tn Grk “seized.”
20 tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).
21 tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.
22 tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”
23 tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”
24 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”
26 tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).
27 tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).
28 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
30 tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).
31 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
32 tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.
33 tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.
34 tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”
35 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
36 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
37 tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.
38 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.
map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
39 tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
40 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bhma 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.
41 tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”
42 tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
43 tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
44 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” 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.
45 tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).” It was a translation into Greek of the Latin “Augustus.”
46 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
47 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
48 tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”
sn Thanks to the centurion who wanted to save Paul’s life, Paul was once more rescued from a potential human threat.
49 tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”
50 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
51 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
52 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
53 tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.
54 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
55 sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.
56 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
57 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
59 tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”
60 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
62 tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.
