Discovery BoxActs 8:13 
Context8:13 Even Simon himself believed, and after he was baptized, he stayed close to 1 Philip constantly, and when he saw the signs and great miracles that were occurring, he was amazed. 2
Acts 12:19
Context12:19 When Herod 3 had searched 4 for him and did not find him, he questioned 5 the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. 6 Then 7 Herod 8 went down from Judea to Caesarea 9 and stayed there.
Acts 14:3
Context14:3 So they stayed there 10 for a considerable time, speaking out courageously for the Lord, who testified 11 to the message 12 of his grace, granting miraculous signs 13 and wonders to be performed through their hands.
Acts 20:3
Context20:3 where he stayed 14 for three months. Because the Jews had made 15 a plot 16 against him as he was intending 17 to sail 18 for Syria, he decided 19 to return through Macedonia. 20
Acts 22:29
Context22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away 21 from him, and the commanding officer 22 was frightened when he realized that Paul 23 was 24 a Roman citizen 25 and that he had had him tied up. 26
Acts 25:6
Context25:6 After Festus 27 had stayed 28 not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, 29 and the next day he sat 30 on the judgment seat 31 and ordered Paul to be brought.
1 tn Or “he kept close company with.”
2 sn He was amazed. Now Simon, the one who amazed others, is himself amazed, showing the superiority of Philip’s connection to God. Christ is better than anything the culture has to offer.
3 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
4 tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).
5 tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrina") here because a possible translation offered by BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω for this verse is “examined,” which could be understood to mean Herod inspected the guards rather than questioned them. The translation used by the NIV, “cross-examined,” also avoids this possible misunderstanding.
6 tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apacqhnai) in this verse is given by BDAG 95 s.v. ἀπάγω 2.c. Although an explicit reference to execution is lacking here, it is what would usually occur in such a case (Acts 16:27; 27:42; Code of Justinian 9.4.4). “Led away to torture” is a less likely option (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10, 96, 8).
7 tn Grk “and,” but the sequence of events is better expressed in English by “then.” A new sentence is begun in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek, which exceeds normal English sentence length.
8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Since Herod has been the subject of the preceding material, and the circumstances of his death are the subject of the following verses (20-23), it is best to understand Herod as the subject here. This is especially true since according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352], Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in
sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great), who died at Caesarea in
9 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.
10 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
11 sn The Lord testified to the message by granting the signs described in the following clause.
12 tn Grk “word.”
13 tn Here the context indicates the miraculous nature of the signs mentioned.
14 tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”
15 tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”
16 sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).
17 tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”
18 tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.
19 tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”
20 sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.
21 tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.
22 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.
23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.
25 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.
26 sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.
27 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.
29 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.
30 tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
31 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.
