Acts 7:26
Context7:26 The next day Moses 1 saw two men 2 fighting, and tried to make peace between 3 them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why are you hurting one another?’
Acts 8:3
Context8:3 But Saul was trying to destroy 4 the church; entering one house after another, he dragged off 5 both men and women and put them in prison. 6
Acts 17:7
Context17:7 and 7 Jason has welcomed them as guests! They 8 are all acting against Caesar’s 9 decrees, saying there is another king named 10 Jesus!” 11
Acts 19:32
Context19:32 So then some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had met together. 12
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Grk “saw them”; the context makes clear that two individuals were involved (v. 27).
3 tn Or “tried to reconcile” (BDAG 964-65 s.v. συναλλάσσω).
4 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.
5 tn The participle σύρων (surwn) has been translated as an finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6 tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3.”
7 tn Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.
8 tn Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
9 tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
10 tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
11 sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.
12 tn Or “had assembled.”