Kisah Para Rasul 9:2-25

9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ¹  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ²  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ³  to Jerusalem. ⁴  9:3 As he was going along, approaching ⁵  Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed ⁶  around him. 9:4 He ⁷  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, ⁸  why are you persecuting me?” ⁹  9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up ¹⁰  and enter the city and you will be told ¹¹  what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men ¹²  who were traveling with him stood there speechless, ¹³  because they heard the voice but saw no one.) ¹⁴  9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, ¹⁵  he could see nothing. ¹⁶  Leading him by the hand, his companions ¹⁷  brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For ¹⁸  three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. ¹⁹ 

9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The ²⁰  Lord ²¹  said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, ²²  Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ ²³  and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision ²⁴  a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, ²⁵  “Lord, I have heard from many people ²⁶  about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison ²⁷  all who call on your name!” ²⁸  9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument ²⁹  to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ³⁰  9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ³¹  9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed ³²  his hands on Saul ³³  and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, ³⁴  has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ³⁵  9:18 Immediately ³⁶  something like scales ³⁷  fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He ³⁸  got up and was baptized, 9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.

For several days ³⁹  he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, ⁴⁰  saying, “This man is the Son of God.” ⁴¹  9:21 All ⁴²  who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not ⁴³  the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging ⁴⁴  those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners ⁴⁵  to the chief priests?” 9:22 But Saul became more and more capable, ⁴⁶  and was causing consternation ⁴⁷  among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ⁴⁸  that Jesus ⁴⁹  is the Christ. ⁵⁰ 

Saul’s Escape from Damascus

9:23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted ⁵¹  together to kill him, 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. ⁵²  They were also watching ⁵³  the city gates ⁵⁴  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 ⁵⁵  in the wall by lowering him in a basket. ⁵⁶ 

Kisah Para Rasul 22:5-16

22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ⁵⁷  can testify about me. From them ⁵⁸  I also received ⁵⁹  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ⁶⁰  to make arrests there and bring ⁶¹  the prisoners ⁶²  to Jerusalem ⁶³  to be punished. 22:6 As ⁶⁴  I was en route and near Damascus, ⁶⁵  about noon a very bright ⁶⁶  light from heaven ⁶⁷  suddenly flashed ⁶⁸  around me. 22:7 Then I ⁶⁹  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand ⁷⁰  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ⁷¹  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ⁷²  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ⁷³  that you have been designated ⁷⁴  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ⁷⁵  the brilliance ⁷⁶  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ⁷⁷  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ⁷⁸  a devout man according to the law, ⁷⁹  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ⁸⁰  22:13 came ⁸¹  to me and stood beside me ⁸²  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ⁸³  And at that very moment ⁸⁴  I looked up and saw him. ⁸⁵  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ⁸⁶  has already chosen ⁸⁷  you to know his will, to see ⁸⁸  the Righteous One, ⁸⁹  and to hear a command ⁹⁰  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ⁹¹  to all people ⁹²  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ⁹³  Get up, ⁹⁴  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ⁹⁵  calling on his name.’ ⁹⁶ 

Kisah Para Rasul 26:12-20

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ⁹⁷  as I was going ⁹⁸  to Damascus with authority and complete power ⁹⁹  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ¹⁰⁰  I saw a light from heaven, ¹⁰¹  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ¹⁰²  me and those traveling with me. 26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ¹⁰³  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ¹⁰⁴  by kicking against the goads.’ ¹⁰⁵  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ¹⁰⁶  ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 26:16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance ¹⁰⁷  as a servant and witness ¹⁰⁸  to the things ¹⁰⁹  you have seen ¹¹⁰  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ¹¹¹  you from your own people ¹¹²  and from the Gentiles, to whom ¹¹³  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ¹¹⁴  from darkness to light and from the power ¹¹⁵  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ¹¹⁶  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ¹¹⁷  I was not disobedient ¹¹⁸  to the heavenly ¹¹⁹  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ¹²⁰  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ¹²¹  performing deeds consistent with ¹²²  repentance.

[9:2]  ¹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:2]  ² sn The expression “the way” in ancient religious literature refers at times to “the whole way of life fr. a moral and spiritual viewpoint” (BDAG 692 s.v. ὁδός 3.c), and it has been so used of Christianity and its teachings in the book of Acts (see also 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). It is a variation of Judaism’s idea of two ways, the true and the false, where “the Way” is the true one (1 En. 91:18; 2 En. 30:15).

[9:2]  ³ 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.

[9:2]  ⁴ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

[9:2]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:3]  ⁵ tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The 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.

[9:3]  ⁶ tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.

[9:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:4]  ⁸ tn The double vocative suggests emotion.

[9:4]  ⁹ sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.

[9:6]  ¹⁰ tn Or “But arise.”

[9:6]  ¹¹ tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.

[9:7]  ¹² tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which is used only rarely in a generic sense of both men and women. In the historical setting here, Paul’s traveling companions were almost certainly all males.

[9:7]  ¹³ tn That is, unable to speak because of fear or amazement. See BDAG 335 s.v. ἐνεός.

[9:7]  ¹⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Acts 22:9 appears to indicate that they saw the light but did not hear a voice. They were “witnesses” that something happened.

[9:8]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[9:8]  ¹⁶ sn He could see nothing. This sign of blindness, which was temporary until v. 18, is like the sign of deafness experienced by Zechariah in Luke 1. It allowed some time for Saul (Paul) to reflect on what had happened without distractions.

[9:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And for.” 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.

[9:9]  ¹⁹ tn The word “anything” 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. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.

[9:10]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And the.” 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.

[9:10]  ²¹ sn The Lord is directing all the events leading to the expansion of the gospel as he works on both sides of the meeting between Paul and Ananias. “The Lord” here refers to Jesus (see v. 17).

[9:10]  ²² tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).

[9:11]  ²³ sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.

[9:12]  ²⁴ tc ‡ The words ἐν ὀράματι (en oramati, “in a vision”) are not found in some of the earliest and best mss (Ì⁷⁴ א A 81 pc lat sa bo), but are implied from the context. The phrase is included, although sometimes in a different order with ἄνδρα (andra, “man”) or omitting ἄνδρα altogether, by B C E Ψ 33 1175 1739 Ï. The order of words in NA²⁷, ἄνδρα ἐν ὁράματι, is supported only by B C 1175. Generally speaking, when there are three or more variants, with one an omission and the others involving rearrangements, the longer readings are later scribal additions. Further, the reading looks like a clarifying note, for an earlier vision is explicitly mentioned in v. 10. On the other hand, it is possible that some scribes deleted the words because of perceived repetition, though this is unlikely since it is a different vision two verses back. It is also possible that some scribes could have confused ὁράματι with ὀνόματι (onomati, “name”); TCGNT 319 notes that several mss place ονόματι before ᾿Ανανίαν (Ananian, “Ananias”) while a few others drop ὀνόματι altogether. The Sahidic mss are among those that drop the word, however, and they also lack ἐν ὁράματι; all that is left is one version and father that drops ὀνόματι. Perhaps the best argument for the authenticity of the phrase is that B C 1175 preserve a rare, distinctively Lukan word order, but this is not nearly as harsh or unusual as what Luke does elsewhere. A decision is difficult in this case, but on balance the omission of the phrase seems to be authentic. The words are nevertheless added in the translation because of contextual considerations. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[9:12]  sn Apparently while in Damascus Paul had a subsequent vision in the midst of his blindness, fulfilling the prediction in 9:6.

[9:13]  ²⁵ sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.

[9:13]  ²⁶ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[9:14]  ²⁷ tn Grk “to bind.”

[9:14]  ²⁸ sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).

[9:15]  ²⁹ tn Or “tool.”

[9:15]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).

[9:16]  ³¹ tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”

[9:17]  ³² tn Grk “and placing his hands on Saul, he said.” The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the same reason καί (kai) has not been translated before the participle.

[9:17]  ³³ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:17]  ³⁴ tn Grk “on the road in which you came,” but the relative clause makes for awkward English style, so it was translated as a temporal clause (“as you came here”).

[9:17]  ³⁵ sn Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Here someone who is not an apostle (Ananias) commissions another person with the Spirit.

[9:18]  ³⁶ tn Grk “And immediately.” 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.

[9:18]  ³⁷ tn The comparison to “scales” suggests a crusty covering which peeled away (cf. BDAG 592 s.v. λεπίς 2).

[9:18]  ³⁸ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence was started, with “and” placed before the final element of the previous clause as required by English style.

[9:19]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:20]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouc) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.

[9:21]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ 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]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “was confounding.” For the translation “to cause consternation” for συγχέω (suncew) see L&N 25.221.

[9:22]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “by showing for certain.”

[9:22]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “that this one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:22]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.

[9:24]  ⁵³ tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).

[9:24]  ⁵⁴ 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]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ tn On the term for “basket” used here, see BDAG 940 s.v. σπυρίς.

[22:5]  ⁵⁷ tn That is, the whole Sanhedrin. BDAG 861 s.v. πρεσβυτέριον has “an administrative group concerned with the interests of a specific community, council of elders – a. of the highest Judean council in Jerusalem, in our lit. usu. called συνέδριον…ὁ ἀρχιερεύς καὶ πᾶν τὸ πρ. Ac 22:5.”

[22:5]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “from whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:5]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “letters to the brothers, [and] I was going to Damascus.” Such a translation, however, might be confusing since the term “brother” is frequently used of a fellow Christian. In this context, Paul is speaking about fellow Jews.

[22:5]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “even there and bring…” or “there and even bring…” The ascensive καί (kai) shows that Paul was fervent in his zeal against Christians, but it is difficult to translate for it really belongs with the entire idea of arresting and bringing back the prisoners.

[22:5]  ⁶² tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ⁶³ tn Grk “I was going…to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem as prisoners that they might be punished.”

[22:5]  map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[22:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “It happened that as.” 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.

[22:6]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

[22:6]  sn En route and near Damascus. This is the first retelling of Paul’s Damascus Road experience in Acts (cf. Acts 9:1-9; the second retelling is in Acts 26:9-20).

[22:6]  ⁶⁶ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ⁶⁹ tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

[22:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

[22:10]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ⁷² tn Grk “Getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:10]  ⁷³ tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “assigned,” “ordered.” BDAG 991 s.v. τάσσω 2.a has “act. and pass., foll. by acc. w. inf.…περὶ πάντων ὧν τέτακταί σοι ποιῆσαι concerning everything that you have been ordered to do 22:10.” There is an allusion to a divine call and commission here.

[22:11]  ⁷⁵ tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.a has “οὐκ ἐνέβλεπον ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τοῦ φωτός I could not see because of the brilliance of the light Ac 22:11.”

[22:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ⁷⁹ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ⁸⁰ tn BDAG 534 s.v. κατοικέω 1.a translates this present participle “ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν (sc. ἐκεῖ) κατοικούντων ᾿Ιουδαίων by all the Jews who live there Ac 22:12.”

[22:13]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ⁸² tn Grk “coming to me and standing beside [me] said to me.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ⁸³ tn Grk “Brother Saul, look up” (here an idiom for regaining one’s sight). BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβλέπω places this usage under 1, “look up Ac 22:13a. W. εἰς αὐτόν to show the direction of the glance…22:13b; but perh. this vs. belongs under 2a.” BDAG 59 s.v. 2.a.α states, “of blind persons, who were formerly able to see, regain sight.” The problem for the translator is deciding between the literal and the idiomatic usage and at the same time attempting to retain the wordplay in Acts 22:13: “[Ananias] said to me, ‘Look up!’ and at that very moment I looked up to him.” The assumption of the command is that the effort to look up will be worth it (through the regaining of sight).

[22:13]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “hour,” but ὥρα (Jwra) is often used for indefinite short periods of time (so BDAG 1102-3 s.v. ὥρα 2.c: “αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ at that very time, at once, instantly…Lk 2:38, 24:33; Ac 16:18; 22:13”). A comparison with the account in Acts 9:18 indicates that this is clearly the meaning here.

[22:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[22:14]  sn The expression God of our ancestors is a description of the God of Israel. The God of promise was at work again.

[22:14]  ⁸⁷ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance’…‘the God of our ancestors has already chosen you to know his will’ Ac 22:14.”

[22:14]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “and to see.” This 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.

[22:14]  ⁸⁹ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Or “a solemn declaration”; Grk “a voice.” BDAG 1071-72 s.v. φωνή 2.c states, “that which the voice gives expression to: call, cry, outcry, loud or solemn declaration (… = order, command)…Cp. 22:14; 24:21.”

[22:15]  ⁹¹ tn Or “a witness to him.”

[22:15]  sn You will be his witness. See Acts 1:8; 13:31. The following reference to all people stresses all nationalities (Eph 3:7-9; Acts 9:15). Note also v. 21.

[22:15]  ⁹² tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ⁹³ tn L&N 67.121 has “to extend time unduly, with the implication of lack of decision – ‘to wait, to delay.’ νῦν τί μέλλεις… ἀναστὰς βάπτισαι ‘what are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized’ Ac 22:16.”

[22:16]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “getting up.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") is an adverbial participle of attendant circumstance and has been translated as a finite verb.

[22:16]  ⁹⁵ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ⁹⁶ sn The expression calling on his name describes the confession of the believer: Acts 2:17-38, esp. v. 38; Rom 10:12-13; 1 Cor 1:2.

[26:12]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “in which [activity].” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started at the beginning of v. 12 in the translation. The referent of the relative pronoun (“which”) was specified as “this very thing” for clarity.

[26:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁹⁹ tn L&N 37.40 s.v. ἐπιτροπή states, “the full authority to carry out an assignment or commission – ‘authority, complete power.’ πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν μετ᾿ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἐπιτροπῆς τῶν ἀρχιερέων ‘going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the high priests’ Ac 26:12. In Ac 26:12 the combination of ἐξουσία and ἐπιτροπή serves to reinforce the sense of complete authority.”

[26:13]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ¹⁰² tn The word “everywhere” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of περιλάμψαν (perilamyan). Otherwise the modern reader might think that each of the individuals were encircled by lights or halos. See also Acts 9:7; 22:6, 9.

[26:14]  ¹⁰³ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ¹⁰⁵ tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

[26:14]  sn Sayings which contain the imagery used here (kicking against the goads) were also found in Greek writings; see Pindar, Pythians 2.94-96; Euripides, Bacchae 795.

[26:15]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ¹⁰⁷ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ¹⁰⁸ sn As a servant and witness. The commission is similar to Acts 1:8 and Luke 1:2. Paul was now an “eyewitness” of the Lord.

[26:16]  ¹⁰⁹ tn BDAG 719 s.v. ὁράω A.1.b states, “W. attraction of the relative ὧν = τούτων ἅ Lk 9:36; Ac 22:15. The attraction may be due to colloq. breviloquence in μάρτυρα ὧν τε εἶδες με ὧν τε ὀφθήσομαί σοι a witness to the things in which you saw me and to those in which I shall appear to you Ac 26:16b.”

[26:16]  ¹¹⁰ tc ‡ Some mss read “of the things in which you have seen me.” The accusative object με (me, “me”) is found after εἶδές (eide") in B C*^vid 614 945 1175 1505 1739 1891 2464 pc sy sa; it is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A C² E Ψ 096 Ï latt bo. The external evidence is relatively evenly divided, though there is a slight preference for the omission. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[26:17]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “rescuing.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle ἐξαιρούμενος (exairoumeno") has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 17.

[26:17]  ¹¹² tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ¹¹³ tn The antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably both the Jews (“your own people”) and the Gentiles, indicating the comprehensive commission Paul received.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁴ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ¹¹⁵ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ¹¹⁶ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ¹¹⁷ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ¹¹⁸ sn I was not disobedient. Paul’s defense is that he merely obeyed the risen Jesus. He was arrested for obeying heavenly direction and preaching the opportunity to turn to God.

[26:19]  ¹¹⁹ tn According to L&N 1.5, “In Ac 26:19 the adjective οὐράνιος could be interpreted as being related simply to the meaning of οὐρανός^a ‘sky,’ but it seems preferable to regard οὐράνιος in this context as meaning simply ‘from heaven’ or ‘heavenly.’”

[26:20]  ¹²⁰ tn BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b states, “of the provincial name (1 Macc 8:3) ἡ χώρα τῆς ᾿Ιουδαίας Ac 26:20.”

[26:20]  ¹²¹ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ¹²² tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b, “καρποὶ ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας fruits in keeping with your repentance…Lk 3:8; Mt 3:8. For this ἄ. τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα Ac 26:20.” Note how Paul preached the gospel offer and the issue of response together, side by side.