Discovery BoxActs 5:37 
Context5:37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, 1 and incited people to follow him in revolt. 2 He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered.
Acts 6:1
Context6:1 Now in those 3 days, when the disciples were growing in number, 4 a complaint arose on the part of the Greek-speaking Jews 5 against the native Hebraic Jews, 6 because their widows 7 were being overlooked 8 in the daily distribution of food. 9
Acts 7:8
Context7:8 Then God 10 gave Abraham 11 the covenant 12 of circumcision, and so he became the father of Isaac and circumcised him when he was eight days old, 13 and Isaac became the father of 14 Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. 15
Acts 10:30
Context10:30 Cornelius 16 replied, 17 “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, 18 I was praying in my house, and suddenly 19 a man in shining clothing stood before me
Acts 15:36
Context15:36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return 20 and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord 21 to see how they are doing.” 22
Acts 18:18
Context18:18 Paul, after staying 23 many more days in Corinth, 24 said farewell to 25 the brothers and sailed away to Syria accompanied by 26 Priscilla and Aquila. 27 He 28 had his hair cut off 29 at Cenchrea 30 because he had made a vow. 31
Acts 21:27
Context21:27 When the seven days were almost over, 32 the Jews from the province of Asia 33 who had seen him in the temple area 34 stirred up the whole crowd 35 and seized 36 him,
Acts 25:6
Context25:6 After Festus 37 had stayed 38 not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, 39 and the next day he sat 40 on the judgment seat 41 and ordered Paul to be brought.
Acts 25:14
Context25:14 While 42 they were staying there many days, Festus 43 explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, 44 saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix.
Acts 27:7
Context27:7 We sailed slowly 45 for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. 46 Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, 47 we sailed under the lee 48 of Crete off Salmone. 49
Acts 28:7
Context28:7 Now in the region around that place 50 were fields belonging to the chief official 51 of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably as guests for three days.
1 tn Or “registration.”
2 tn The verb ἀφίστημι (afisthmi) as a transitive means “cause to revolt” as used in Josephus, Ant. 8.7.5 (8.198), 20.5.2 (20.102); see BDAG 157 s.v. 1.
3 tn Grk “these.” The translation uses “those” for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Grk “were multiplying.”
5 tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.
sn The Greek-speaking Jews were the Hellenists, Jews who to a greater or lesser extent had adopted Greek thought, customs, and lifestyle, as well as the Greek language. The city of Alexandria in Egypt was a focal point for them, but they were scattered throughout the Roman Empire.
6 tn Grk “against the Hebrews,” but as with “Hellenists” this needs further explanation for the modern reader.
7 sn The care of widows is a major biblical theme: Deut 10:18; 16:11, 14; 24:17, 19-21; 26:12-13; 27:19; Isa 1:17-23; Jer 7:6; Mal 3:5.
8 tn Or “neglected.”
9 tn Grk “in the daily serving.”
sn The daily distribution of food. The early church saw it as a responsibility to meet the basic needs of people in their group.
10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Abraham) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 sn God gave…the covenant. Note how the covenant of promise came before Abraham’s entry into the land and before the building of the temple.
13 tn Grk “circumcised him on the eighth day,” but many modern readers will not understand that this procedure was done on the eighth day after birth. The temporal clause “when he was eight days old” conveys this idea more clearly. See Gen 17:11-12.
14 tn The words “became the father of” are not in the Greek text due to an ellipsis, but must be supplied for the English translation. The ellipsis picks up the verb from the previous clause describing how Abraham fathered Isaac.
15 sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).
16 tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.
17 tn Grk “said.”
18 tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.
19 tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.
20 tn Grk “Returning let us visit.” The participle ἐπιστρέψαντες (epistreyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
21 tn See the note on the phrase “word of the Lord” in v. 35.
22 tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.b has “how they are” for this phrase.
23 tn The participle προσμείνας (prosmeina") is taken temporally.
24 map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.
25 tn Or “Corinth, took leave of.” Grk “saying farewell to”; the participle ἀποταξάμενος (apotaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
26 tn Grk “Syria, and with him.”
27 sn See the note on Aquila in 18:2.
28 tn Or “Aquila, who.” The relationship of the participle κειράμενος (keirameno") is difficult to determine. Traditionally it is taken to refer to Paul, meaning that Paul had his hair cut off because of the vow. However, due to the proximity of the noun ᾿Ακύλας (Akula") and the reversal of the normal order (Aquila and Priscilla, Acts 17:34), the participle is taken as adjectival referring to Aquila by H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, n. 11. The later references to Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 21:23) do not resolve the problem, because the cutting of Paul’s own hair, while it may be implied, is not specifically mentioned in connection with the completion of the vows made by the other four.
29 tn The word “off” is supplied in the translation to indicate that this was not a normal haircut, but the shaving of the head connected with taking the vow (see Acts 21:24).
30 tn That is, “before he sailed from Cenchrea.”
sn Cenchrea was one of the seaports for the city of Corinth, on the eastern side of the Isthmus of Corinth, on the Aegean Sea. It was 7 mi (11 km) east of Corinth.
31 sn He had made a vow. It is debated whether this vow is a private vow of thanksgiving or the Nazirite vow, because it is not clear whether the Nazirite vow could be taken outside Jerusalem. Some have cited the Mishnah (m. Nazir 3:6, 5:4) to argue that the shaving of the hair can occur outside Jerusalem, and Josephus, J. W. 2.15.1 (2.313) is sometimes suggested as a parallel, but these references are not clear. H. Greeven, TDNT 2:777, is certain that this refers to the Nazirite vow. Regardless, it is clear that Paul reflected his pious dependence on God.
32 tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”
33 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
sn Note how there is a sense of Paul being pursued from a distance. These Jews may well have been from Ephesus, since they recognized Trophimus the Ephesian (v. 29).
34 tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.
35 tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”
36 tn Grk “and laid hands on.”
37 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
38 tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.
39 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.
40 tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
41 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.
42 tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”
43 sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.
44 tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”
45 tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
46 sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.
47 tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”
48 tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”
49 sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.
50 tn BDAG 798 s.v. περί 2.a.γ states, “of nearby places…τὰ περὶ τὸν τὸπον the region around the place Ac 28:7.” The presence of ἐκεῖνον (ekeinon) results in the translation “that place.”
51 tn That is, the chief Roman official. Several inscriptions have confirmed the use of πρῶτος (prwtos) as an administrative title used on the island of Malta for the highest Roman official. See further BDAG 852 s.v. Πόπλιος.
