Yesaya 8:4
Konteks8:4 for before the child knows how to cry out, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of Damascus and the plunder of Samaria 1 will be carried off by the king of Assyria.” 2
Yesaya 17:1-3
Konteks17:1 Here is a message about Damascus:
“Look, Damascus is no longer a city,
it is a heap of ruins!
17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. 3
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace. 4
17:3 Fortified cities will disappear from Ephraim,
and Damascus will lose its kingdom. 5
The survivors in Syria
will end up like the splendor of the Israelites,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
Yesaya 17:2
Konteks17:2 The cities of Aroer are abandoned. 6
They will be used for herds,
which will lie down there in peace. 7
Kisah Para Rasul 17:5-23
Konteks17:5 But the Jews became jealous, 8 and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, 9 they formed a mob 10 and set the city in an uproar. 11 They attacked Jason’s house, 12 trying to find Paul and Silas 13 to bring them out to the assembly. 14 17:6 When they did not find them, they dragged 15 Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, 16 screaming, “These people who have stirred up trouble 17 throughout the world 18 have come here too, 17:7 and 19 Jason has welcomed them as guests! They 20 are all acting against Caesar’s 21 decrees, saying there is another king named 22 Jesus!” 23 17:8 They caused confusion among 24 the crowd and the city officials 25 who heard these things. 17:9 After 26 the city officials 27 had received bail 28 from Jason and the others, they released them.
17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea 29 at once, during the night. When they arrived, 30 they went to the Jewish synagogue. 31 17:11 These Jews 32 were more open-minded 33 than those in Thessalonica, 34 for they eagerly 35 received 36 the message, examining 37 the scriptures carefully every day 38 to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few 39 prominent 40 Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica 41 heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God 42 in Berea, 43 they came there too, inciting 44 and disturbing 45 the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast 46 at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 47 17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, 48 and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. 49
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, 50 his spirit was greatly upset 51 because he saw 52 the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing 53 the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles 54 in the synagogue, 55 and in the marketplace every day 56 those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean 57 and Stoic 58 philosophers were conversing 59 with him, and some were asking, 60 “What does this foolish babbler 61 want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” 62 (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 63 17:19 So they took Paul and 64 brought him to the Areopagus, 65 saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things 66 to our ears, so we want to know what they 67 mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time 68 in nothing else than telling 69 or listening to something new.) 70
17:22 So Paul stood 71 before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious 72 in all respects. 73 17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, 74 I even found an altar with this inscription: 75 ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, 76 this I proclaim to you.
Ezra 4:2
Konteks4:2 they came to Zerubbabel and the leaders 77 and said to them, “Let us help you build, 78 for like you we seek your God and we have been sacrificing to him 79 from the time 80 of King Esarhaddon 81 of Assyria, who brought us here.” 82
[8:4] 1 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[8:4] 2 sn The child’s name foreshadows what will happen to Judah’s enemies; when their defeat takes place, the child will be a reminder that God predicted the event and brought it to pass. As such the child will be a reminder of God’s protective presence with his people.
[17:2] 3 tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.
[17:2] 4 tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”
[17:3] 5 tn Heb “and kingship from Damascus”; cf. NASB “And sovereignty from Damascus.”
[17:2] 6 tn Three cities are known by this name in the OT: (1) an Aroer located near the Arnon, (2) an Aroer in Ammon, and (3) an Aroer of Judah. (See BDB 792-93 s.v. עֲרֹעֵר, and HALOT 883 s.v. II עֲרוֹעֵר.) There is no mention of an Aroer in Syrian territory. For this reason some want to emend the text here to עֲזֻבוֹת עָרַיהָ עֲדֵי עַד (’azuvot ’arayha ’adey ’ad, “her cities are permanently abandoned”). However, Aroer near the Arnon was taken by Israel and later conquered by the Syrians. (See Josh 12:2; 13:9, 16; Judg 11:26; 2 Kgs 10:33). This oracle pertains to Israel as well as Syria (note v. 3), so it is possible that this is a reference to Israelite and/or Syrian losses in Transjordan.
[17:2] 7 tn Heb “and they lie down and there is no one scaring [them].”
[17:5] 8 tn Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts (5:17; 7:9; 13:45).
[17:5] 9 tn Literally ἀγοραῖος (agoraio") refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “rabble.” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”
[17:5] 10 tn On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon, see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω.
[17:5] 11 tn BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “set the city in an uproar, start a riot in the city” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν (eqoruboun) in this verse.
[17:5] 12 sn The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.
[17:5] 13 tn Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:5] 14 tn BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ. Ac 17:5.”
[17:6] 15 tn See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19).
[17:6] 16 tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).
[17:6] 17 tn Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “disturb, trouble, upset,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.
[17:6] 18 tn Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b).
[17:6] sn Throughout the world. Note how some of those present had knowledge of what had happened elsewhere. Word about Paul and his companions and their message was spreading.
[17:7] 19 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.
[17:7] 20 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.
[17:7] 21 tn Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[17:7] 22 tn The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.
[17:7] 23 sn Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition (Luke 23:2). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.
[17:8] 24 tn Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.
[17:8] 25 tn L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης (politarch") as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”
[17:9] 26 tn Grk “And after.” 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.
[17:9] 27 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:9] 28 tn That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.
[17:10] 29 sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica.
[17:10] map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.
[17:10] 30 tn Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (οἵτινες, Joitine") has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι (paragenomenoi) has been taken temporally.
[17:10] 31 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
[17:11] 32 tn Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:11] 33 tn Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.
[17:11] 34 sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).
[17:11] map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.
[17:11] 35 tn Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”
[17:11] 36 tn Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.
[17:11] 37 tn This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.
[17:11] 38 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
[17:12] 39 tn Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).
[17:13] 41 sn Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).
[17:13] 42 tn Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[17:13] 43 sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.
[17:13] 44 tn BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “incite” for σαλεύοντες (saleuonte") in Acts 17:13.
[17:13] sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.
[17:13] 45 tn Or “stirring up” (BDAG 990-91 s.v. ταράσσω 2). The point is the agitation of the crowds.
[17:14] 46 tn Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ({ew" epi thn qalassan) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).
[17:14] 47 tn Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:15] 48 map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.
[17:15] 49 sn They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2, which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.
[17:16] 50 map For location see JP1 C2; JP2 C2; JP3 C2; JP4 C2.
[17:16] 51 tn Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.”
[17:16] sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.
[17:16] 52 tn Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος (qewrounto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.
[17:17] 53 tn Although the word διελέξατο (dielexato; from διαλέγομαι, dialegomai) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21.
[17:17] 54 tn Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for the category called God-fearers, Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4.
[17:17] 55 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
[17:17] 56 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase in this verse.
[17:18] 57 sn An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300
[17:18] 58 sn A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270
[17:18] 59 tn BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “converse, confer” here.
[17:18] 61 tn Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος (spermologo") is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος: “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”
[17:18] 62 tn The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων (daimoniwn, “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.
[17:18] 63 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
[17:19] 64 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:19] 65 tn Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22.
[17:19] sn The Areopagus has been traditionally understood as reference to a rocky hill near the Acropolis in Athens, although this place may well have been located in the marketplace at the foot of the hill (L&N 93.412; BDAG 129 s.v. ῎Αρειος πάγος). This term does not refer so much to the place, however, as to the advisory council of Athens known as the Areopagus, which dealt with ethical, cultural, and religious matters, including the supervision of education and controlling the many visiting lecturers. Thus it could be translated the council of the Areopagus. See also the term in v. 22.
[17:20] 66 tn BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα (xenizonta) as “astonishing things Ac 17:20.”
[17:20] 67 tn Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.
[17:21] 68 tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.
[17:21] 69 tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”
[17:21] 70 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.
[17:22] 71 tn Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες (zhlwsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[17:22] 72 tn The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους (deisidaimonesterou") is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.
[17:22] 73 tn BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα (kata panta) as “in all respects.”
[17:23] 74 tn Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα (sebasmata).
[17:23] 75 tn Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).
[17:23] 76 tn BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23.” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.
[4:2] 77 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.” So also in v. 3.
[4:2] 78 tn Heb “Let us build with you.”
[4:2] 79 tc The translation reads with the Qere, a Qumran
[4:2] 81 sn Esarhaddon was king of Assyria ca. 681-669
[4:2] 82 sn The Assyrian policy had been to resettle Samaria with peoples from other areas (cf. 2 Kgs 17:24-34). These immigrants acknowledged Yahweh as well as other deities in some cases. The Jews who returned from the Exile regarded them with suspicion and were not hospitable to their offer of help in rebuilding the temple.
