Kisah Para Rasul 4:5-22

4:5 On the next day, ¹  their rulers, elders, and experts in the law ²  came together ³  in Jerusalem. ⁴  4:6 Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and others who were members of the high priest’s family. ⁵  4:7 After ⁶  making Peter and John ⁷  stand in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power or by what name ⁸  did you do this?” 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁹  replied, ¹⁰  “Rulers of the people and elders, ¹¹  4:9 if ¹²  we are being examined ¹³  today for a good deed ¹⁴  done to a sick man – by what means this man was healed ¹⁵  – 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ ¹⁶  the Nazarene whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, this man stands before you healthy. 4:11 This Jesus ¹⁷  is the stone that was rejected by you, ¹⁸  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ¹⁹  4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among people ²⁰  by which we must ²¹  be saved.”

4:13 When they saw the boldness ²²  of Peter and John, and discovered ²³  that they were uneducated ²⁴  and ordinary ²⁵  men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus. 4:14 And because they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say against this. ²⁶  4:15 But when they had ordered them to go outside the council, ²⁷  they began to confer with one another, 4:16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For it is plain ²⁸  to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable miraculous sign ²⁹  has come about through them, ³⁰  and we cannot deny it. 4:17 But to keep this matter from spreading any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more ³¹  to anyone in this name.” 4:18 And they called them in and ordered ³²  them not to speak or teach at all in the name ³³  of Jesus. 4:19 But Peter and John replied, ³⁴  “Whether it is right before God to obey ³⁵  you rather than God, you decide, 4:20 for it is impossible ³⁶  for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.” 4:21 After threatening them further, they released them, for they could not find how to punish them on account of the people, because they were all praising ³⁷  God for what had happened. 4:22 For the man, on whom this miraculous sign ³⁸  of healing had been performed, ³⁹  was over forty years old.

Kisah Para Rasul 5:17-42

Further Trouble for the Apostles

5:17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees ⁴⁰ ), ⁴¹  and they were filled with jealousy. ⁴²  5:18 They ⁴³  laid hands on ⁴⁴  the apostles and put them in a public jail. 5:19 But during the night an angel of the Lord ⁴⁵  opened ⁴⁶  the doors of the prison, ⁴⁷  led them out, ⁴⁸  and said, 5:20 “Go and stand in the temple courts ⁴⁹  and proclaim ⁵⁰  to the people all the words of this life.” 5:21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts ⁵¹  at daybreak and began teaching. ⁵² 

Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin ⁵³  – that is, the whole high council ⁵⁴  of the Israelites ⁵⁵  – and sent to the jail to have the apostles ⁵⁶  brought before them. ⁵⁷  5:22 But the officers ⁵⁸  who came for them ⁵⁹  did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ⁶⁰  5:23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, ⁶¹  we found no one inside.” 5:24 Now when the commander ⁶²  of the temple guard ⁶³  and the chief priests heard this report, ⁶⁴  they were greatly puzzled concerning it, ⁶⁵  wondering what this could ⁶⁶  be. 5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts ⁶⁷  and teaching ⁶⁸  the people!” 5:26 Then the commander ⁶⁹  of the temple guard ⁷⁰  went with the officers ⁷¹  and brought the apostles ⁷²  without the use of force ⁷³  (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people). ⁷⁴ 

5:27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, ⁷⁵  and the high priest questioned ⁷⁶  them, 5:28 saying, “We gave ⁷⁷  you strict orders ⁷⁸  not to teach in this name. ⁷⁹  Look, ⁸⁰  you have filled Jerusalem ⁸¹  with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood ⁸²  on us!” 5:29 But Peter and the apostles replied, ⁸³  “We must obey ⁸⁴  God rather than people. ⁸⁵  5:30 The God of our forefathers ⁸⁶  raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. ⁸⁷  5:31 God exalted him ⁸⁸  to his right hand as Leader ⁸⁹  and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ⁹⁰  5:32 And we are witnesses of these events, ⁹¹  and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey ⁹²  him.”

5:33 Now when they heard this, they became furious ⁹³  and wanted to execute them. ⁹⁴  5:34 But a Pharisee ⁹⁵  whose name was Gamaliel, ⁹⁶  a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up ⁹⁷  in the council ⁹⁸  and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 5:35 Then he said to the council, ⁹⁹  “Men of Israel, ¹⁰⁰  pay close attention to ¹⁰¹  what you are about to do to these men. 5:36 For some time ago ¹⁰²  Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. He ¹⁰³  was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it. ¹⁰⁴  5:37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census, ¹⁰⁵  and incited people to follow him in revolt. ¹⁰⁶  He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered. 5:38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, ¹⁰⁷  it will come to nothing, ¹⁰⁸  5:39 but if ¹⁰⁹  it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found ¹¹⁰  fighting against God.” He convinced them, ¹¹¹  5:40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. ¹¹²  Then ¹¹³  they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 5:41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy ¹¹⁴  to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. ¹¹⁵  5:42 And every day both in the temple courts ¹¹⁶  and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news ¹¹⁷  that Jesus was the Christ. ¹¹⁸ 

Kisah Para Rasul 18:5-11

18:5 Now when Silas and Timothy arrived ¹¹⁹  from Macedonia, ¹²⁰  Paul became wholly absorbed with proclaiming ¹²¹  the word, testifying ¹²²  to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ¹²³  18:6 When they opposed him ¹²⁴  and reviled him, ¹²⁵  he protested by shaking out his clothes ¹²⁶  and said to them, “Your blood ¹²⁷  be on your own heads! I am guiltless! ¹²⁸  From now on I will go to the Gentiles!” 18:7 Then Paul ¹²⁹  left ¹³⁰  the synagogue ¹³¹  and went to the house of a person named Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God, ¹³²  whose house was next door to the synagogue. 18:8 Crispus, the president of the synagogue, ¹³³  believed in the Lord together with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard about it ¹³⁴  believed and were baptized. 18:9 The Lord said to Paul by a vision ¹³⁵  in the night, ¹³⁶  “Do not be afraid, ¹³⁷  but speak and do not be silent, 18:10 because I am with you, and no one will assault ¹³⁸  you to harm ¹³⁹  you, because I have many people in this city.” 18:11 So he stayed there ¹⁴⁰  a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ¹⁴¹ 

[4:5]  ¹ tn Grk “It happened that on the next day.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[4:5]  ² tn Or “and scribes.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[4:5]  sn Experts in the law would have been mostly like the Pharisees in approach. Thus various sects of Judaism were coming together against Jesus.

[4:5]  ³ tn Or “law assembled,” “law met together.”

[4:5]  ⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[4:6]  ⁵ sn The high priest’s family. This family controlled the high priesthood as far back as a.d. 6. Annas, Caiaphas, and Alexander were all high priests at one time (though Alexander held that office after this event).

[4:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “And after.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new sentence is begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 7.

[4:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “making them”; the referents (Peter and John) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:7]  ⁸ sn By what name. The issue of the “name” comes up again here. This question, meaning “by whose authority,” surfaces an old dispute (see Luke 20:1-8). Who speaks for God about the ancient faith?

[4:8]  ⁹ sn Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11-12 (1 Pet 3:15).

[4:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “Spirit, said to them.”

[4:8]  ¹¹ tc The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (tou Israhl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (Ì⁷⁴ א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.

[4:9]  ¹² tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.

[4:9]  ¹³ tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.

[4:9]  ¹⁴ tn Or “for an act of kindness.”

[4:9]  ¹⁵ tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.

[4:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

[4:11]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

[4:12]  ²⁰ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[4:12]  ²¹ sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.

[4:13]  ²² tn Or “courage.”

[4:13]  ²³ tn Or “and found out.”

[4:13]  ²⁴ sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.

[4:13]  ²⁵ tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.

[4:14]  ²⁶ tn Or “nothing to say in opposition.”

[4:15]  ²⁷ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[4:16]  ²⁸ tn Or “evident.”

[4:16]  ²⁹ tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. It is clear that the healing of the lame man was a miracle, but for the Sanhedrin it was the value of the miraculous healing as a sign that concerned them because it gave attestation to the message of Peter and John. The sign “speaks” as Peter claimed in 3:11-16.

[4:16]  ³⁰ tn Or “has been done by them.”

[4:17]  ³¹ tn Or “speak no longer.”

[4:18]  ³² tn Or “commanded.”

[4:18]  ³³ sn In the name of Jesus. Once again, the “name” reflects the person. The person of Jesus and his authority is the “troubling” topic that, as far as the Jewish leadership is concerned, needs controlling.

[4:19]  ³⁴ tn Grk “answered and said to them.”

[4:19]  ³⁵ tn Grk “hear,” but the idea of “hear and obey” or simply “obey” is frequently contained in the Greek verb ἀκούω (akouw; see L&N 36.14).

[4:20]  ³⁶ tn Grk “for we are not able not to speak about what we have seen and heard,” but the double negative, which cancels out in English, is emphatic in Greek. The force is captured somewhat by the English translation “it is impossible for us not to speak…” although this is slightly awkward.

[4:21]  ³⁷ tn Or “glorifying.”

[4:22]  ³⁸ tn Here σημεῖον (shmeion) has been translated as “miraculous sign” rather than simply “sign” or “miracle” since both components appear to be present in the context. See also the note on this word in v. 16.

[4:22]  ³⁹ tn Or “had been done.”

[5:17]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[5:17]  ⁴¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[5:17]  ⁴² sn Filled with jealousy. In Acts, the term “jealousy” (ζήλος, zhlos) occurs only here and in Acts 13:45. It is a key term in Judaism for religiously motivated rage (1 Macc 2:24; 1QH 14:13-15; m. Sanhedrin 9:5). It was a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.

[5:18]  ⁴³ tn Grk “jealousy, and they.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but a new sentence has been started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[5:18]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “they arrested.”

[5:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[5:19]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “opening the doors of the prison.” The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Greek φυλακῆς (fulakh"), a different word from the one in v. 18 (τήρησις, thrhsi", “jail”).

[5:19]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “brought them out.” Grk “and leading them out, said.” The participle ἐξαγαγών (exagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:19]  sn Led them out. The action by God served to vindicate the apostles. It showed that whatever court the Jewish leaders represented, they did not represent God.

[5:20]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:20]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “speak.”

[5:21]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.

[5:21]  ⁵² tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[5:21]  ⁵³ tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:21]  ⁵⁴ tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.

[5:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “sons of Israel.”

[5:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ⁵⁷ tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ⁵⁸ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).

[5:22]  ⁵⁹ tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[5:22]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:23]  ⁶¹ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[5:24]  ⁶² tn Or “captain.”

[5:24]  ⁶³ tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:24]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “heard these words.”

[5:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.

[5:24]  ⁶⁶ tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.

[5:25]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:25]  ⁶⁸ sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.

[5:26]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “captain.”

[5:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.

[5:26]  ⁷¹ tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (Juphreth") generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.

[5:26]  ⁷² tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:26]  ⁷³ tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.

[5:26]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.

[5:27]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:27]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”

[5:28]  ⁷⁷ tc ‡ The majority of mss, including a few important witnesses (א² D E [Ψ] 1739 Ï sy sa), have the negative particle οὐ (ou) here, effectively turning the high priest’s words into a question: “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?” But the earliest and most important mss, along with some others (Ì⁷⁴ א* A B 1175 lat bo), lack the particle, making this a strong statement rather than a question. Scribes may have been tempted to omit the particle to strengthen the contrast between official Judaism and the new faith, but the fact that v. 27 introduces the quotation with ἐπηρώτησεν (ephrwthsen, “he questioned”) may well have prompted scribes to add οὐ to convert the rebuke into a question. Further, that excellent witnesses affirm the shorter reading is sufficient ground for accepting it as most probably authentic. NA²⁷ includes the particle in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[5:28]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).

[5:28]  ⁷⁹ sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.

[5:28]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[5:28]  ⁸¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:28]  ⁸² sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”

[5:29]  ⁸³ tn Grk “apostles answered and said.”

[5:29]  ⁸⁴ sn Obey. See 4:19. This response has Jewish roots (Dan 3:16-18; 2 Macc 7:2; Josephus, Ant. 17.6.3 [17.159].

[5:29]  ⁸⁵ tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[5:30]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”

[5:30]  ⁸⁷ tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the first century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.

[5:31]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “This one God exalted” (emphatic).

[5:31]  ⁸⁹ tn Or “Founder” (of a movement).

[5:31]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”

[5:32]  ⁹¹ tn Or “things.” They are preaching these things even to the hostile leadership.

[5:32]  ⁹² sn Those who obey. The implication, of course, is that the leadership is disobeying God.

[5:33]  ⁹³ sn The only other use of this verb for anger (furious) is Acts 7:54 after Stephen’s speech.

[5:33]  ⁹⁴ sn Wanted to execute them. The charge would surely be capital insubordination (Exod 22:28).

[5:34]  ⁹⁵ sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.

[5:34]  ⁹⁶ sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.

[5:34]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:34]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[5:35]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “said to them”; the referent (the council) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:35]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is highly unlikely that this is a generic usage, since Gamaliel was addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high council, which would have been exclusively male.

[5:35]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “men, be careful.”

[5:36]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “For before these days.”

[5:36]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point.

[5:36]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “and they came to nothing.” Gamaliel’s argument is that these two insurrectionists were taken care of by natural events.

[5:37]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “registration.”

[5:37]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The verb ἀφίστημι (afisthmi) as a transitive means “cause to revolt” as used in Josephus, Ant. 8.7.5 (8.198), 20.5.2 (20.102); see BDAG 157 s.v. 1.

[5:38]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[5:38]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “it will be put to an end.”

[5:39]  ¹⁰⁹ tn This is expressed in a first class condition, in contrast to the condition in v. 38b, which is third class. As such, v. 39 is rhetorically presented as the more likely option.

[5:39]  ¹¹⁰ tn According to L&N 39.32, the verb εὑρεθῆτε (Jeureqhte, an aorist passive subjunctive) may also be translated “find yourselves” – “lest you find yourselves fighting against God.” The Jewish leader Gamaliel is shown contemplating the other possible alternative about what is occurring.

[5:39]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “They were convinced by him.” This passive construction was converted to an active one (“He convinced them”) in keeping with contemporary English style. The phrase “He convinced them” is traditionally placed in Acts 5:40 by most English translations; the standard Greek critical text (represented by NA²⁷ and UBS⁴) places it at the end of v. 39.

[5:40]  ¹¹² sn Had them beaten. The punishment was the “forty lashes minus one,” see also Acts 22:19; 2 Cor 11:24; Mark 13:9. The apostles had disobeyed the religious authorities and took their punishment for their “disobedience” (Deut 25:2-3; m. Makkot 3:10-14). In Acts 4:18 they were warned. Now they are beaten. The hostility is rising as the narrative unfolds.

[5:40]  ¹¹³ tn The word “Then” is supplied as the beginning of a new sentence in the translation. The construction in Greek has so many clauses (most of them made up of participles) that a continuous English sentence would be very awkward.

[5:41]  ¹¹⁴ sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).

[5:41]  ¹¹⁵ sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).

[5:42]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper and has been translated accordingly.

[5:42]  ¹¹⁷ tn Grk “teaching and evangelizing.” They were still obeying God, not men (see 4:18-20; 5:29).

[5:42]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[5:42]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[18:5]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “came down.”

[18:5]  ¹²⁰ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[18:5]  ¹²¹ tn BDAG 971 s.v. συνέχω 6 states, “συνείχετο τῷ λόγῳ (Paul) was wholly absorbed in preaching Ac 18:5…in contrast to the activity cited in vs. 3.” The imperfect συνείχετο (suneiceto) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“became wholly absorbed…”), stressing the change in Paul’s activity once Silas and Timothy arrived. At this point Paul apparently began to work less and preach more.

[18:5]  ¹²² tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “testify of, bear witness to solemnly (orig. under oath)…W. acc. and inf. foll. Ac 18:5.”

[18:5]  ¹²³ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[18:5]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[18:6]  ¹²⁴ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[18:6]  ¹²⁵ tn The participle βλασφημούντων (blasfhmountwn) has been taken temporally. The direct object (“him”) is implied rather than expressed and could be impersonal (“it,” referring to what Paul was saying rather than Paul himself), but the verb occurs more often in contexts involving defamation or slander against personal beings (not always God). For a very similar context to this one, compare Acts 13:45. The translation “blaspheme” is not used because in contemporary English its meaning is more narrowly defined and normally refers to blasphemy against God (not what Paul’s opponents were doing here). What they were doing was more like slander or defamation of character.

[18:6]  ¹²⁶ tn Grk “shaking out his clothes, he said to them.” L&N 16:8 translates Acts 18:6 “when they opposed him and said evil things about him, he protested by shaking the dust from his clothes.” The addition of the verb “protested by” in the translation is necessary to clarify for the modern reader that this is a symbolic action. It is similar but not identical to the phrase in Acts 13:51, where the dust from the feet is shaken off. The participle ἐκτιναξάμενος (ektinaxameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:6]  sn He protested by shaking out his clothes. A symbolic action of protest, similar but not identical to the practice of shaking the dust off one’s feet (see Acts 13:51). The two symbolic actions are related, however, since what is shaken off here is the dust raised by the feet and settling in the clothes. The meaning is, “I am done with you! You are accountable to God.”

[18:6]  ¹²⁷ sn Your blood be on your own heads! By invoking this epithet Paul declared himself not responsible for their actions in rejecting Jesus whom Paul preached (cf. Ezek 33:4; 3:6-21; Matt 23:35; 27:25).

[18:6]  ¹²⁸ tn Or “innocent.” BDAG 489 s.v. καθαρός 3.a has “guiltless Ac 18:6.”

[18:7]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ¹³⁰ tn Grk “Then leaving from there he went.” The participle μεταβάς (metabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[18:7]  ¹³¹ tn Grk “from there”; the referent (the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:7]  ¹³² tn Grk “a worshiper of God.” The clarifying phrase “a Gentile” has been supplied for clarity, and is indicated by the context, since Paul had parted company with the Jews in the previous verse. The participle σεβομένου (sebomenou) 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.

[18:7]  sn Here yet another Gentile is presented as responsive to Paul’s message in Acts.

[18:8]  ¹³³ tn That is, “the official in charge of the synagogue”; ἀρχισυνάγωγος (arcisunagwgo") refers to the “leader/president of a synagogue” (so BDAG 139 s.v. and L&N 53.93).

[18:8]  ¹³⁴ tn Or “who heard him,” or “who heard Paul.” The ambiguity here results from the tendency of Greek to omit direct objects, which must be supplied from the context. The problem is that no less than three different ones may be supplied here: (1) “him,” referring to Crispus, but this is not likely because there is no indication in the context that Crispus began to speak out about the Lord; this is certainly possible and even likely, but more than the text here affirms; (2) “Paul,” who had been speaking in the synagogue and presumably, now that he had moved to Titius Justus’ house, continued speaking to the Gentiles; or (3) “about it,” that is, the Corinthians who heard about Crispus’ conversion became believers. In the immediate context this last is most probable, since the two incidents are juxtaposed. Other, less obvious direct objects could also be supplied, such as “heard the word of God,” “heard the word of the Lord,” etc., but none of these are obvious in the immediate context.

[18:9]  ¹³⁵ sn Frequently in Acts such a vision will tell the reader where events are headed. See Acts 10:9-16 and 16:9-10 for other accounts of visions.

[18:9]  ¹³⁶ tn BDAG 682 s.v. νύξ 1.c has “W. prep. ἐν ν. at night, in the night…Ac 18:9.”

[18:9]  ¹³⁷ tn The present imperative here (with negation) is used (as it normally is) of a general condition (BDF §335).

[18:10]  ¹³⁸ tn BDAG 384 s.v. ἐπιτίθημι 2 has “to set upon, attack, lay a hand on” here, but “assault” is a contemporary English equivalent very close to the meaning of the original.

[18:10]  ¹³⁹ tn Or “injure.”

[18:11]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[18:11]  ¹⁴¹ tn See BDAG 326-27 s.v. ἐν 1.d. However, it is also possible that ἐν (en) followed by the dative here stands for the ordinary dative (“to them”).