Kisah Para Rasul 9:19-30

9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.

For several days ¹  he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, ²  saying, “This man is the Son of God.” ³  9:21 All ⁴  who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not ⁵  the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging ⁶  those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners ⁷  to the chief priests?” 9:22 But Saul became more and more capable, ⁸  and was causing consternation ⁹  among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ¹⁰  that Jesus ¹¹  is the Christ. ¹² 

Saul’s Escape from Damascus

9:23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted ¹³  together to kill him, 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. ¹⁴  They were also watching ¹⁵  the city gates ¹⁶  day and night so that they could kill him. 9:25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening ¹⁷  in the wall by lowering him in a basket. ¹⁸ 

Saul Returns to Jerusalem

9:26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, ¹⁹  he attempted to associate ²⁰  with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe ²¹  that he was a disciple. 9:27 But Barnabas took ²²  Saul, ²³  brought ²⁴  him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that ²⁵  the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly ²⁶  in the name of Jesus. 9:28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them ²⁷  in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 9:29 He was speaking and debating ²⁸  with the Greek-speaking Jews, ²⁹  but they were trying to kill him. 9:30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea ³⁰  and sent him away to Tarsus.

Kisah Para Rasul 11:22-30

11:22 A report ³¹  about them came to the attention ³²  of the church in Jerusalem, ³³  and they sent Barnabas ³⁴  to Antioch. ³⁵  11:23 When ³⁶  he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true ³⁷  to the Lord with devoted hearts, ³⁸  11:24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people ³⁹  were brought to the Lord. 11:25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. ⁴⁰  So ⁴¹  for a whole year Barnabas and Saul ⁴²  met with the church and taught a significant number of people. ⁴³  Now it was in Antioch ⁴⁴  that the disciples were first called Christians. ⁴⁵ 

Famine Relief for Judea

11:27 At that time ⁴⁶  some ⁴⁷  prophets ⁴⁸  came down ⁴⁹  from Jerusalem ⁵⁰  to Antioch. ⁵¹  11:28 One of them, named Agabus, got up ⁵²  and predicted ⁵³  by the Spirit that a severe ⁵⁴  famine ⁵⁵  was about to come over the whole inhabited world. ⁵⁶  (This ⁵⁷  took place during the reign of Claudius.) ⁵⁸  11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, ⁵⁹  decided ⁶⁰  to send relief ⁶¹  to the brothers living in Judea. 11:30 They did so, ⁶²  sending their financial aid ⁶³  to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

Kisah Para Rasul 12:25--13:3

12:25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to ⁶⁴  Jerusalem ⁶⁵  when they had completed ⁶⁶  their mission, ⁶⁷  bringing along with them John Mark. ⁶⁸ 

The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: ⁶⁹  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, ⁷⁰  Lucius the Cyrenian, ⁷¹  Manaen (a close friend of Herod ⁷²  the tetrarch ⁷³  from childhood ⁷⁴ ) and Saul. 13:2 While they were serving ⁷⁵  the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart ⁷⁶  for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 13:3 Then, after they had fasted ⁷⁷  and ⁷⁸  prayed and placed their hands ⁷⁹  on them, they sent them off.

[9:19]  ¹ tn Grk “It happened that for several days.” 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.

[9:20]  ² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:20]  ³ tn The ὅτι (Joti) is understood to introduce direct (“This man is the Son of God”) rather than indirect discourse (“that this man is the Son of God”) because the pronoun οὗτος (Jouto") combined with the present tense verb ἐστιν (estin) suggests the contents of what was proclaimed are a direct (albeit summarized) quotation.

[9:20]  sn This is the only use of the title Son of God in Acts. The book prefers to allow a variety of descriptions to present Jesus.

[9:21]  ⁴ tn Grk “And all.” 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.

[9:21]  ⁵ tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouc) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.

[9:21]  ⁶ tn Normally, “destroying,” but compare 4 Macc 4:23; 11:4 and MM 529 s.v. πορθέω for examples from Koine papyri. See also BDAG 853 s.v. πορθέω.

[9:21]  ⁷ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:22]  ⁸ tn Grk “was becoming stronger,” but this could be understood in a physical sense, while the text refers to Saul’s growing ability to demonstrate to fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. The translation “to become capable” for ἐνδυναμόω (endunamow) is given in L&N 74.7, with this specific verse as an example.

[9:22]  ⁹ tn Or “was confounding.” For the translation “to cause consternation” for συγχέω (suncew) see L&N 25.221.

[9:22]  ¹⁰ tn Or “by showing for certain.”

[9:22]  ¹¹ tn Grk “that this one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:22]  ¹² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Note again the variation in the titles used.

[9:22]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[9:23]  ¹³ sn Fitting the pattern emphasized earlier with Stephen and his speech in Acts 7, some Jews plotted to kill God’s messenger (cf. Luke 11:53-54).

[9:24]  ¹⁴ tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.

[9:24]  ¹⁵ tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).

[9:24]  ¹⁶ tn The word πύλη (pulh) may refer to a house door or gate, or to the large gates used in a palace, temple, or city wall. Here the context clearly indicates a reference to the latter, so the translation “city gates” is used.

[9:25]  ¹⁷ tn The opening in the wall is not specifically mentioned here, but the parallel account in 2 Cor 11:33 mentions a “window” or “opening” (θυρίς, quris) in the city wall through which Paul was lowered. One alternative to introducing mention of the opening is to translate Acts 9:25 “they let him down over the wall,” as suggested in L&N 7.61. This option is not employed by many translations, however, because for the English reader it creates an (apparent) contradiction between Acts 9:25 and 2 Cor 11:33. In reality the account here is simply more general, omitting the detail about the window.

[9:25]  ¹⁸ tn On the term for “basket” used here, see BDAG 940 s.v. σπυρίς.

[9:26]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:26]  ²⁰ tn Or “join.”

[9:26]  ²¹ tn The participle πιστεύοντες (pisteuonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[9:27]  ²² tn Grk “taking Saul, brought him.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:27]  ²³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ²⁵ tn Grk “and that,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ²⁶ tn On this verb which is used 7 times in Acts, see BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1. See also v. 28.

[9:28]  ²⁷ tn Grk “he was with them going in and going out in Jerusalem.” The expression “going in and going out” is probably best taken as an idiom for association without hindrance. Some modern translations (NASB, NIV) translate the phrase “moving about freely in Jerusalem,” although the NRSV retains the literal “he went in and out among them in Jerusalem.”

[9:29]  ²⁸ tn Or “arguing.” BDAG 954 s.v. συζητέω 2 gives “dispute, debate, argue…τινί ‘w. someone’” for συνεζήτει (sunezhtei).

[9:29]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[9:30]  ³⁰ 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.

[9:30]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:22]  ³¹ tn Grk “Word.”

[11:22]  ³² tn Grk “was heard in the ears,” an idiom. L&N 24.67 states that the idiom means “to hear in secret” (which it certainly does in Matt 10:27), but secrecy does not seem to be part of the context here, and there is no particular reason to suggest the report was made in secret.

[11:22]  ³³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:22]  ³⁴ tc ‡ Most mss read the infinitive “to travel” after “Barnabas.” διελθεῖν (dielqein) is found before ἕως (Jews) in D E Ψ 33 Ï and some versional mss. It is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B 81 1739 pc and some versional mss. Although the infinitive with ἕως fits Lukan style, it has the appearance of a scribal clarification. The infinitive has the earmarks of a Western expansion on the text and thus is unlikely to be original. NA²⁷ has the infinitive in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[11:22]  ³⁵ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19. Again the Jerusalem church exercised an oversight role.

[11:23]  ³⁶ tn Grk “Antioch, who when.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:23]  ³⁷ tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσμένω 1.a.β has “remain true to the Lord” for προσμένειν (prosmenein) in this verse.

[11:23]  sn He…encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord. The call to faithfulness is frequent in Acts (2:40; 14:22; 15:32; 16:39; 20:1-2).

[11:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “with purpose of heart”; BDAG 869 s.v. πρόθεσις 2.a translates this phrase “purpose of heart, i.e. devotion” here.

[11:24]  ³⁹ tn Grk “a significant crowd.”

[11:26]  ⁴⁰ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:26]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “So it happened that” 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.

[11:26]  ⁴² tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:26]  ⁴³ tn Grk “a significant crowd.”

[11:26]  ⁴⁴ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:26]  ⁴⁵ sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.

[11:27]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “In these days,” but the dative generally indicates a specific time.

[11:27]  ⁴⁷ tn The word “some” is not in the Greek text, but is usually used in English when an unspecified number is mentioned.

[11:27]  ⁴⁸ sn Prophets are mentioned only here and in 13:1 and 21:10 in Acts.

[11:27]  ⁴⁹ sn Came down from Jerusalem. Antioch in Syria lies due north of Jerusalem. In Western languages it is common to speak of north as “up” and south as “down,” but the NT maintains the Hebrew idiom which speaks of any direction away from Jerusalem as down (since Mount Zion was thought of in terms of altitude).

[11:27]  ⁵⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:27]  ⁵¹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:27]  map For location see JP1 F2; JP2 F2; JP3 F2; JP4 F2

[11:28]  ⁵² tn Grk “getting up, predicted.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:28]  ⁵³ tn Or “made clear”; Grk “indicated beforehand” (BDAG 920 s.v. σημαίνω 2).

[11:28]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “great.”

[11:28]  ⁵⁵ sn This famine is one of the firmly fixed dates in Acts. It took place from a.d. 45-48. The events described in chap. 11 of Acts occurred during the early part of that period.

[11:28]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “whole Roman Empire.” While the word οἰκουμένη (oikoumenh) does occasionally refer specifically to the Roman Empire, BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουνένη 2 does not list this passage (only Acts 24:5 and 17:6).

[11:28]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “world, which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the demonstrative pronoun “this” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:28]  ⁵⁸ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Claudius was the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54.

[11:29]  ⁵⁹ tn So BDAG 410 s.v. εὐπορέω.

[11:29]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “determined,” “resolved.”

[11:29]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “to send [something] for a ministry,” but today it is common to speak of sending relief for victims of natural disasters.

[11:29]  sn The financial relief reflects the oneness of the church, meeting the needs of another (even racially distinct) community. Jerusalem, having ministered to them, now received ministry back. A later collection from Greece is noted in Rom 15:25-27, but it reflects the same spirit as this gift.

[11:30]  ⁶² tn Grk “Judea, which they did.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:30]  ⁶³ tn The words “their financial aid” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:25]  ⁶⁴ tc There are a number of variants at this point in the text: εἰς (eis, “to”) in א B Ï sa^ms sy^hmg; ἀπό (apo, “from”) in D E Ψ 36 323 453 614 1175 al; ἐξ (ex, “from”) in Ì⁷⁴ A 33 945 1739 al; ἐξ ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν (ex Ierousalhm ei" Antioceian, “from Jerusalem to Antioch”) in {a few later manuscripts and part of the Itala}. A decision on this problem is very difficult, but for several reasons εἰς can be preferred. It is the most difficult reading by far in light of the context, since Paul and Barnabas were going to Jerusalem in 11:30. It is found in better witnesses, א and B being very strong evidence. The other readings, ἐξ and ἀπό, are different from εἰς yet bear essentially the same meaning as each other; this seems to suggest that scribes had problems with εἰς and tried to choose an acceptable revision. If εἰς is the earliest reading, ἀπό may be a clarification of ἐξ, and ἐξ could have arisen through confusion of letters. Or ἐξ and ἀπό could both have independently arisen from εἰς as a more acceptable preposition. Despite such arguments, however, the case for εἰς is not airtight: either ἐξ or ἀπό could be preferred on other lines of reasoning. The reading ἐξ enjoys the earliest support, and εἰς could have arisen through the same confusion of letters mentioned above. The immediate and wider context seems to mitigate against εἰς as the original reading: The aorist participle πληρώσαντες (plhrwsante", “when they had completed”) seems to signal the end of the mission to Jerusalem with the famine relief, so it would make sense in the context for the team to be coming from Jerusalem (to Antioch) rather than to Jerusalem, and 13:1 certainly presents the scene at Antioch. The later addition εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν after ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ in some mss seems to be a clarification in light of 13:1 (notice that some of the mss that read ἐξ add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [945 1739], and some that read ἀπό also add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [E 323 1175]). Thus, the idea of spatial separation from Jerusalem is strongly implied by the context. This problem is so difficult that some scholars resort to conjectural emendation to determine the original reading. All in all, the reading εἰς should be preferred as original, recognizing that there is a good measure of uncertainty with this solution. For additional discussion, see TCGNT 350-52.

[12:25]  ⁶⁵ sn That is, from Jerusalem to Antioch (see Acts 11:29-30).

[12:25]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:25]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “fulfilled.”

[12:25]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “ministry” or “service.”

[12:25]  ⁶⁸ tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

[13:1]  ⁶⁹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

[13:1]  map For location see JP1 F2; JP2 F2; JP3 F2; JP4 F2.

[13:1]  ⁷⁰ sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”

[13:1]  ⁷¹ sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.

[13:1]  ⁷² sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39, who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who is mentioned a number of times in the gospels.

[13:1]  ⁷³ tn Or “the governor.”

[13:1]  sn A tetrarch was a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, who ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod tetrarch of Galilee is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage.

[13:1]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”

[13:2]  ⁷⁵ tn This term is frequently used in the LXX of the service performed by priests and Levites in the tabernacle (Exod 28:35, 43; 29:30; 30:20; 35:19; 39:26; Num 1:50; 3:6, 31) and the temple (2 Chr 31:2; 35:3; Joel 1:9, 13; 2:17, and many more examples). According to BDAG 591 s.v. λειτουργέω 1.b it is used “of other expression of religious devotion.” Since the previous verse described the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, it is probable that the term here describes two of them (Barnabas and Saul) as they were serving in that capacity. Since they were not in Jerusalem where the temple was located, general religious service is referred to here.

[13:2]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “Appoint.”

[13:3]  ⁷⁷ tn The three aorist participles νηστεύσαντες (nhsteusante"), προσευξάμενοι (proseuxamenoi), and ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") are translated as temporal participles. Although they could indicate contemporaneous time when used with an aorist main verb, logically here they are antecedent. On fasting and prayer, see Matt 6:5, 16; Luke 2:37; 5:33; Acts 14:23.

[13:3]  ⁷⁸ tn Normally English style, which uses a coordinating conjunction between only the last two elements of a series of three or more, would call for omission of “and” here. However, since the terms “fasting and prayer” are something of a unit, often linked together, the conjunction has been retained here.

[13:3]  ⁷⁹ sn The placing of hands on Barnabas and Saul (traditionally known as “the laying on of hands”) refers to an act picturing the commission of God and the church for the task at hand.