⁴ sn Lud may have been the ancestor of the Ludbu, who lived near the Tigris River.

⁴ sn Madai was the ancestor of the Medes, who lived east of Assyria.

² tn Heb “will be gathered”; this is a truncated form of the usual expression “gathered to his ancestors,” found in v. 24. The phrase “to his ancestors” is supplied in the translation here.

¹ tn Heb “from the day your ancestors…until this very day.” However, “day” here is idiomatic for “the present time.”

¹ sn Note how contemporary Israel is again identified with her early ancestors. See the study note on 2:2.

¹ tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.

² tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.

² tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.

² tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tn Heb “he said to give to your ancestors.” The pronoun has been used in the translation instead for stylistic reasons.

¹ sn Nahshon was an ancestor of Boaz and David, and therefore of Christ (Luke 3:32-33).

² sn The name Almodad combines the Arabic article al with modad (“friend”). Almodad was the ancestor of a South Arabian people.

⁸ sn Tiras was the ancestor of the Thracians, some of whom possibly became the Pelasgian pirates of the Aegean.

¹ sn The Greek form of the name Japheth, Iapetos, is used in Greek tradition for the ancestor of the Greeks.

¹ sn The point of the phrase still in his ancestor’s loins is that Levi was as yet unborn, still in his ancestor Abraham’s body. Thus Levi participated in Abraham’s action when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek.

¹ sn The expression God of our ancestors is a description of the God of Israel. The God of promise was at work again.

⁷ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (huparchōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

³ sn Before our ancestors. Stephen has backtracked here to point out how faithful God had been before the constant move to idolatry just noted.

⁶ sn The twelve patriarchs refers to the twelve sons of Jacob, the famous ancestors of the Jewish race (see Gen 35:23-26).

³ tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.