Discovery BoxActs 28:24-28 
Context28:24 Some were convinced 1 by what he said, 2 but others refused 3 to believe. 28:25 So they began to leave, 4 unable to agree among themselves, after Paul made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors 5 through the prophet Isaiah 28:26 when he said,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, 6 but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking, 7 but will never perceive.
28:27 For the heart of this people has become dull, 8
and their ears are hard of hearing, 9
and they have closed their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, 10 and I would heal them.”’ 11
28:28 “Therefore be advised 12 that this salvation from God 13 has been sent to the Gentiles; 14 they 15 will listen!”
1 tn Or “persuaded.”
2 tn Grk “by the things spoken.”
3 sn Some were convinced…but others refused to believe. Once again the gospel caused division among Jews, as in earlier chapters of Acts (13:46; 18:6).
4 tn The imperfect verb ἀπελύοντο (apeluonto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
5 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
6 tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).
7 tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).
8 tn Or “insensitive.”
sn The heart of this people has become dull. The charge from Isaiah is like Stephen’s against the Jews of Jerusalem (Acts 7:51-53). They were a hard-hearted and disobedient people.
9 tn Grk “they hear heavily with their ears” (an idiom for slow comprehension).
10 sn Note how the failure to respond to the message of the gospel is seen as a failure to turn.
11 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10.
12 tn Grk “Therefore let it be known to you.”
13 tn Or “of God.”
14 sn The term Gentiles is in emphatic position in the Greek text of this clause. Once again there is the pattern: Jewish rejection of the gospel leads to an emphasis on Gentile inclusion (Acts 13:44-47).
15 tn Grk “they also.”
