Kisah Para Rasul 21:18--28:3

21:18 The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were there. ¹  21:19 When Paul ²  had greeted them, he began to explain ³  in detail ⁴  what God ⁵  had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 21:20 When they heard this, they praised ⁶  God. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews ⁷  there are who have believed, and they are all ardent observers ⁸  of the law. ⁹  21:21 They have been informed about you – that you teach all the Jews now living ¹⁰  among the Gentiles to abandon ¹¹  Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children ¹²  or live ¹³  according to our customs. 21:22 What then should we do? They will no doubt ¹⁴  hear that you have come. 21:23 So do what ¹⁵  we tell you: We have four men ¹⁶  who have taken ¹⁷  a vow; ¹⁸  21:24 take them and purify ¹⁹  yourself along with them and pay their expenses, ²⁰  so that they may have their heads shaved. ²¹  Then ²²  everyone will know there is nothing in what they have been told ²³  about you, but that you yourself live in conformity with ²⁴  the law. ²⁵  21:25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we have written a letter, having decided ²⁶  that they should avoid ²⁷  meat that has been sacrificed to idols ²⁸  and blood and what has been strangled ²⁹  and sexual immorality.” 21:26 Then Paul took the men the next day, ³⁰  and after he had purified himself ³¹  along with them, he went to the temple and gave notice ³²  of the completion of the days of purification, ³³  when ³⁴  the sacrifice would be offered for each ³⁵  of them. 21:27 When the seven days were almost over, ³⁶  the Jews from the province of Asia ³⁷  who had seen him in the temple area ³⁸  stirred up the whole crowd ³⁹  and seized ⁴⁰  him, 21:28 shouting, “Men of Israel, ⁴¹  help! This is the man who teaches everyone everywhere against our people, our law, ⁴²  and this sanctuary! ⁴³  Furthermore ⁴⁴  he has brought Greeks into the inner courts of the temple ⁴⁵  and made this holy place ritually unclean!” ⁴⁶  21:29 (For they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him previously, and ⁴⁷  they assumed Paul had brought him into the inner temple courts.) ⁴⁸  21:30 The whole city was stirred up, ⁴⁹  and the people rushed together. ⁵⁰  They seized ⁵¹  Paul and dragged him out of the temple courts, ⁵²  and immediately the doors were shut. 21:31 While they were trying ⁵³  to kill him, a report ⁵⁴  was sent up ⁵⁵  to the commanding officer ⁵⁶  of the cohort ⁵⁷  that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ⁵⁸  21:32 He ⁵⁹  immediately took ⁶⁰  soldiers and centurions ⁶¹  and ran down to the crowd. ⁶²  When they saw ⁶³  the commanding officer ⁶⁴  and the soldiers, they stopped beating ⁶⁵  Paul. 21:33 Then the commanding officer ⁶⁶  came up and arrested ⁶⁷  him and ordered him to be tied up with two chains; ⁶⁸  he ⁶⁹  then asked who he was and what ⁷⁰  he had done. 21:34 But some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others something else, ⁷¹  and when the commanding officer ⁷²  was unable ⁷³  to find out the truth ⁷⁴  because of the disturbance, ⁷⁵  he ordered Paul ⁷⁶  to be brought into the barracks. ⁷⁷  21:35 When he came to the steps, Paul ⁷⁸  had to be carried ⁷⁹  by the soldiers because of the violence ⁸⁰  of the mob, 21:36 for a crowd of people ⁸¹  followed them, ⁸²  screaming, “Away with him!” 21:37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, ⁸³  he said ⁸⁴  to the commanding officer, ⁸⁵  “May I say ⁸⁶  something to you?” The officer ⁸⁷  replied, ⁸⁸  “Do you know Greek? ⁸⁹  21:38 Then you’re not that Egyptian who started a rebellion ⁹⁰  and led the four thousand men of the ‘Assassins’ ⁹¹  into the wilderness ⁹²  some time ago?” ⁹³  21:39 Paul answered, ⁹⁴  “I am a Jew ⁹⁵  from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of an important city. ⁹⁶  Please ⁹⁷  allow me to speak to the people.” 21:40 When the commanding officer ⁹⁸  had given him permission, ⁹⁹  Paul stood ¹⁰⁰  on the steps and gestured ¹⁰¹  to the people with his hand. When they had become silent, ¹⁰²  he addressed ¹⁰³  them in Aramaic, ¹⁰⁴ 

Paul’s Defense

22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense ¹⁰⁵  that I now ¹⁰⁶  make to you.” 22:2 (When they heard ¹⁰⁷  that he was addressing ¹⁰⁸  them in Aramaic, ¹⁰⁹  they became even ¹¹⁰  quieter.) ¹¹¹  Then ¹¹²  Paul said, 22:3 “I am a Jew, ¹¹³  born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up ¹¹⁴  in this city, educated with strictness ¹¹⁵  under ¹¹⁶  Gamaliel ¹¹⁷  according to the law of our ancestors, ¹¹⁸  and was ¹¹⁹  zealous ¹²⁰  for God just as all of you are today. 22:4 I ¹²¹  persecuted this Way ¹²²  even to the point of death, ¹²³  tying up ¹²⁴  both men and women and putting ¹²⁵  them in prison, 22:5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders ¹²⁶  can testify about me. From them ¹²⁷  I also received ¹²⁸  letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way ¹²⁹  to make arrests there and bring ¹³⁰  the prisoners ¹³¹  to Jerusalem ¹³²  to be punished. 22:6 As ¹³³  I was en route and near Damascus, ¹³⁴  about noon a very bright ¹³⁵  light from heaven ¹³⁶  suddenly flashed ¹³⁷  around me. 22:7 Then I ¹³⁸  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 ¹³⁹  the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 22:10 So I asked, ¹⁴⁰  ‘What should I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up ¹⁴¹  and go to Damascus; there you will be told about everything ¹⁴²  that you have been designated ¹⁴³  to do.’ 22:11 Since I could not see because of ¹⁴⁴  the brilliance ¹⁴⁵  of that light, I came to Damascus led by the hand of ¹⁴⁶  those who were with me. 22:12 A man named Ananias, ¹⁴⁷  a devout man according to the law, ¹⁴⁸  well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, ¹⁴⁹  22:13 came ¹⁵⁰  to me and stood beside me ¹⁵¹  and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ ¹⁵²  And at that very moment ¹⁵³  I looked up and saw him. ¹⁵⁴  22:14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors ¹⁵⁵  has already chosen ¹⁵⁶  you to know his will, to see ¹⁵⁷  the Righteous One, ¹⁵⁸  and to hear a command ¹⁵⁹  from his mouth, 22:15 because you will be his witness ¹⁶⁰  to all people ¹⁶¹  of what you have seen and heard. 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? ¹⁶²  Get up, ¹⁶³  be baptized, and have your sins washed away, ¹⁶⁴  calling on his name.’ ¹⁶⁵  22:17 When ¹⁶⁶  I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance ¹⁶⁷  22:18 and saw the Lord ¹⁶⁸  saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 22:19 I replied, ¹⁶⁹  ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat those in the various synagogues ¹⁷⁰  who believed in you. 22:20 And when the blood of your witness ¹⁷¹  Stephen was shed, ¹⁷²  I myself was standing nearby, approving, ¹⁷³  and guarding the cloaks ¹⁷⁴  of those who were killing him.’ ¹⁷⁵  22:21 Then ¹⁷⁶  he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”

The Roman Commander Questions Paul

22:22 The crowd ¹⁷⁷  was listening to him until he said this. ¹⁷⁸  Then ¹⁷⁹  they raised their voices and shouted, ¹⁸⁰  “Away with this man ¹⁸¹  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ¹⁸²  22:23 While they were screaming ¹⁸³  and throwing off their cloaks ¹⁸⁴  and tossing dust ¹⁸⁵  in the air, 22:24 the commanding officer ¹⁸⁶  ordered Paul ¹⁸⁷  to be brought back into the barracks. ¹⁸⁸  He told them ¹⁸⁹  to interrogate Paul ¹⁹⁰  by beating him with a lash ¹⁹¹  so that he could find out the reason the crowd ¹⁹²  was shouting at Paul ¹⁹³  in this way. 22:25 When they had stretched him out for the lash, ¹⁹⁴  Paul said to the centurion ¹⁹⁵  standing nearby, “Is it legal for you to lash a man who is a Roman citizen ¹⁹⁶  without a proper trial?” ¹⁹⁷  22:26 When the centurion ¹⁹⁸  heard this, ¹⁹⁹  he went to the commanding officer ²⁰⁰  and reported it, ²⁰¹  saying, “What are you about to do? ²⁰²  For this man is a Roman citizen.” ²⁰³  22:27 So the commanding officer ²⁰⁴  came and asked ²⁰⁵  Paul, ²⁰⁶  “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” ²⁰⁷  He replied, ²⁰⁸  “Yes.” 22:28 The commanding officer ²⁰⁹  answered, “I acquired this citizenship with a large sum of money.” ²¹⁰  “But I was even ²¹¹  born a citizen,” ²¹²  Paul replied. ²¹³  22:29 Then those who were about to interrogate him stayed away ²¹⁴  from him, and the commanding officer ²¹⁵  was frightened when he realized that Paul ²¹⁶  was ²¹⁷  a Roman citizen ²¹⁸  and that he had had him tied up. ²¹⁹ 

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

22:30 The next day, because the commanding officer ²²⁰  wanted to know the true reason ²²¹  Paul ²²²  was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council ²²³  to assemble. He then brought ²²⁴  Paul down and had him stand before them.

23:1 Paul looked directly ²²⁵  at the council ²²⁶  and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience ²²⁷  before God to this day.” 23:2 At that ²²⁸  the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near ²²⁹  Paul ²³⁰  to strike ²³¹  him on the mouth. 23:3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! ²³²  Do ²³³  you sit there judging me according to the law, ²³⁴  and in violation of the law ²³⁵  you order me to be struck?” 23:4 Those standing near him ²³⁶  said, “Do you dare insult ²³⁷  God’s high priest?” 23:5 Paul replied, ²³⁸  “I did not realize, ²³⁹  brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’” ²⁴⁰ 

23:6 Then when Paul noticed ²⁴¹  that part of them were Sadducees ²⁴²  and the others Pharisees, ²⁴³  he shouted out in the council, ²⁴⁴  “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection ²⁴⁵  of the dead!” 23:7 When he said this, ²⁴⁶  an argument ²⁴⁷  began ²⁴⁸  between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 23:8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) ²⁴⁹  23:9 There was a great commotion, ²⁵⁰  and some experts in the law ²⁵¹  from the party of the Pharisees stood up ²⁵²  and protested strongly, ²⁵³  “We find nothing wrong ²⁵⁴  with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 23:10 When the argument became ²⁵⁵  so great the commanding officer ²⁵⁶  feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, ²⁵⁷  he ordered the detachment ²⁵⁸  to go down, take him away from them by force, ²⁵⁹  and bring him into the barracks. ²⁶⁰ 

23:11 The following night the Lord ²⁶¹  stood near ²⁶²  Paul ²⁶³  and said, “Have courage, ²⁶⁴  for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, ²⁶⁵  so you must also testify in Rome.” ²⁶⁶ 

The Plot to Kill Paul

23:12 When morning came, ²⁶⁷  the Jews formed ²⁶⁸  a conspiracy ²⁶⁹  and bound themselves with an oath ²⁷⁰  not to eat or drink anything ²⁷¹  until they had killed Paul. 23:13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. ²⁷²  23:14 They ²⁷³  went ²⁷⁴  to the chief priests ²⁷⁵  and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath ²⁷⁶  not to partake ²⁷⁷  of anything until we have killed Paul. 23:15 So now you and the council ²⁷⁸  request the commanding officer ²⁷⁹  to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine ²⁸⁰  his case ²⁸¹  by conducting a more thorough inquiry. ²⁸²  We are ready to kill him ²⁸³  before he comes near this place.” ²⁸⁴ 

23:16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, ²⁸⁵  he came and entered ²⁸⁶  the barracks ²⁸⁷  and told Paul. 23:17 Paul called ²⁸⁸  one of the centurions ²⁸⁹  and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer, ²⁹⁰  for he has something to report to him.” 23:18 So the centurion ²⁹¹  took him and brought him to the commanding officer ²⁹²  and said, “The prisoner Paul called ²⁹³  me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 23:19 The commanding officer ²⁹⁴  took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want ²⁹⁵  to report to me?” 23:20 He replied, ²⁹⁶  “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council ²⁹⁷  tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 23:21 So do not let them persuade you to do this, ²⁹⁸  because more than forty of them ²⁹⁹  are lying in ambush ³⁰⁰  for him. They ³⁰¹  have bound themselves with an oath ³⁰²  not to eat or drink anything ³⁰³  until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.” ³⁰⁴  23:22 Then the commanding officer ³⁰⁵  sent the young man away, directing him, ³⁰⁶  “Tell no one that you have reported ³⁰⁷  these things to me.” 23:23 Then ³⁰⁸  he summoned ³⁰⁹  two of the centurions ³¹⁰  and said, “Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea ³¹¹  along with seventy horsemen ³¹²  and two hundred spearmen ³¹³  by ³¹⁴  nine o’clock tonight, ³¹⁵  23:24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride ³¹⁶  so that he may be brought safely to Felix ³¹⁷  the governor.” ³¹⁸  23:25 He wrote ³¹⁹  a letter that went like this: ³²⁰ 

23:26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor ³²¹  Felix, ³²²  greetings. 23:27 This man was seized ³²³  by the Jews and they were about to kill him, ³²⁴  when I came up ³²⁵  with the detachment ³²⁶  and rescued him, because I had learned that he was ³²⁷  a Roman citizen. ³²⁸  23:28 Since I wanted to know ³²⁹  what charge they were accusing him of, ³³⁰  I brought him down to their council. ³³¹  23:29 I found he ³³²  was accused with reference to controversial questions ³³³  about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment. ³³⁴  23:30 When I was informed ³³⁵  there would be a plot ³³⁶  against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges ³³⁷  against him before you.

23:31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, ³³⁸  took ³³⁹  Paul and brought him to Antipatris ³⁴⁰  during the night. 23:32 The next day they let ³⁴¹  the horsemen ³⁴²  go on with him, and they returned to the barracks. ³⁴³  23:33 When the horsemen ³⁴⁴  came to Caesarea ³⁴⁵  and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented ³⁴⁶  Paul to him. 23:34 When the governor ³⁴⁷  had read ³⁴⁸  the letter, ³⁴⁹  he asked ³⁵⁰  what province he was from. ³⁵¹  When he learned ³⁵²  that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵³  23:35 he said, “I will give you a hearing ³⁵⁴  when your accusers arrive too.” Then ³⁵⁵  he ordered that Paul ³⁵⁶  be kept under guard in Herod’s palace. ³⁵⁷ 

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ³⁵⁸  came down with some elders and an attorney ³⁵⁹  named ³⁶⁰  Tertullus, and they ³⁶¹  brought formal charges ³⁶²  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ³⁶³  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ³⁶⁴  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ³⁶⁵  of peace through your rule, ³⁶⁶  and reforms ³⁶⁷  are being made in this nation ³⁶⁸  through your foresight. ³⁶⁹  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ³⁷⁰  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ³⁷¹  with all gratitude. ³⁷²  24:4 But so that I may not delay ³⁷³  you any further, I beg ³⁷⁴  you to hear us briefly ³⁷⁵  with your customary graciousness. ³⁷⁶  24:5 For we have found ³⁷⁷  this man to be a troublemaker, ³⁷⁸  one who stirs up riots ³⁷⁹  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ³⁸⁰  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ³⁸¹  24:6 He ³⁸²  even tried to desecrate ³⁸³  the temple, so we arrested ³⁸⁴  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ³⁸⁵  24:8 When you examine ³⁸⁶  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ³⁸⁷  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ³⁸⁸  24:9 The Jews also joined in the verbal attack, ³⁸⁹  claiming ³⁹⁰  that these things were true.

Paul’s Defense Before Felix

24:10 When the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know ³⁹¹  that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I confidently make my defense. ³⁹²  24:11 As you can verify ³⁹³  for yourself, not more than twelve days ago ³⁹⁴  I went up to Jerusalem ³⁹⁵  to worship. 24:12 They did not find me arguing ³⁹⁶  with anyone or stirring up a crowd ³⁹⁷  in the temple courts ³⁹⁸  or in the synagogues ³⁹⁹  or throughout the city, ⁴⁰⁰  24:13 nor can they prove ⁴⁰¹  to you the things ⁴⁰²  they are accusing me of doing. ⁴⁰³  24:14 But I confess this to you, that I worship ⁴⁰⁴  the God of our ancestors ⁴⁰⁵  according to the Way (which they call a sect), believing everything that is according to the law ⁴⁰⁶  and that is written in the prophets. 24:15 I have ⁴⁰⁷  a hope in God (a hope ⁴⁰⁸  that ⁴⁰⁹  these men ⁴¹⁰  themselves accept too) that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴¹¹  24:16 This is the reason ⁴¹²  I do my best to always ⁴¹³  have a clear ⁴¹⁴  conscience toward God and toward people. ⁴¹⁵  24:17 After several years ⁴¹⁶  I came to bring to my people gifts for the poor ⁴¹⁷  and to present offerings, ⁴¹⁸  24:18 which I was doing when they found me in the temple, ritually purified, ⁴¹⁹  without a crowd or a disturbance. ⁴²⁰  24:19 But there are some Jews from the province of Asia ⁴²¹  who should be here before you and bring charges, ⁴²²  if they have anything against me. 24:20 Or these men here ⁴²³  should tell what crime ⁴²⁴  they found me guilty of ⁴²⁵  when I stood before the council, ⁴²⁶  24:21 other than ⁴²⁷  this one thing ⁴²⁸  I shouted out while I stood before ⁴²⁹  them: ‘I am on trial before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead.’” ⁴³⁰ 

24:22 Then Felix, ⁴³¹  who understood the facts ⁴³²  concerning the Way ⁴³³  more accurately, ⁴³⁴  adjourned their hearing, ⁴³⁵  saying, “When Lysias the commanding officer comes down, I will decide your case.” ⁴³⁶  24:23 He ordered the centurion ⁴³⁷  to guard Paul, ⁴³⁸  but to let him have some freedom, ⁴³⁹  and not to prevent any of his friends ⁴⁴⁰  from meeting his needs. ⁴⁴¹ 

Paul Speaks Repeatedly to Felix

24:24 Some days later, when Felix ⁴⁴²  arrived with his wife Drusilla, ⁴⁴³  who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak ⁴⁴⁴  about faith in Christ Jesus. ⁴⁴⁵  24:25 While Paul ⁴⁴⁶  was discussing ⁴⁴⁷  righteousness, self-control, ⁴⁴⁸  and the coming judgment, Felix ⁴⁴⁹  became ⁴⁵⁰  frightened and said, “Go away for now, and when I have an opportunity, ⁴⁵¹  I will send for you.” 24:26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would give him money, ⁴⁵²  and for this reason he sent for Paul ⁴⁵³  as often as possible ⁴⁵⁴  and talked ⁴⁵⁵  with him. 24:27 After two years ⁴⁵⁶  had passed, Porcius Festus ⁴⁵⁷  succeeded Felix, ⁴⁵⁸  and because he wanted to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. ⁴⁵⁹ 

Paul Appeals to Caesar

25:1 Now ⁴⁶⁰  three days after Festus ⁴⁶¹  arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem ⁴⁶²  from Caesarea. ⁴⁶³  25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men ⁴⁶⁴  of the Jews brought formal charges ⁴⁶⁵  against Paul to him. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, ⁴⁶⁶  they urged Festus ⁴⁶⁷  to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush ⁴⁶⁸  to kill him along the way. 25:4 Then Festus ⁴⁶⁹  replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, ⁴⁷⁰  and he himself intended to go there ⁴⁷¹  shortly. 25:5 “So,” he said, “let your leaders ⁴⁷²  go down there ⁴⁷³  with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, ⁴⁷⁴  they may bring charges ⁴⁷⁵  against him.”

25:6 After Festus ⁴⁷⁶  had stayed ⁴⁷⁷  not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, ⁴⁷⁸  and the next day he sat ⁴⁷⁹  on the judgment seat ⁴⁸⁰  and ordered Paul to be brought. 25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, ⁴⁸¹  bringing many serious ⁴⁸²  charges that they were not able to prove. ⁴⁸³  25:8 Paul said in his defense, ⁴⁸⁴  “I have committed no offense ⁴⁸⁵  against the Jewish law ⁴⁸⁶  or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁴⁸⁷  25:9 But Festus, ⁴⁸⁸  wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried ⁴⁸⁹  before me there on these charges?” ⁴⁹⁰  25:10 Paul replied, ⁴⁹¹  “I am standing before Caesar’s ⁴⁹²  judgment seat, ⁴⁹³  where I should be tried. ⁴⁹⁴  I have done nothing wrong ⁴⁹⁵  to the Jews, as you also know very well. ⁴⁹⁶  25:11 If then I am in the wrong ⁴⁹⁷  and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, ⁴⁹⁸  but if not one of their charges against me is true, ⁴⁹⁹  no one can hand me over to them. ⁵⁰⁰  I appeal to Caesar!” ⁵⁰¹  25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, ⁵⁰²  Festus ⁵⁰³  replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; ⁵⁰⁴  to Caesar ⁵⁰⁵  you will go!” ⁵⁰⁶ 

Festus Asks King Agrippa for Advice

25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa ⁵⁰⁷  and Bernice arrived at Caesarea ⁵⁰⁸  to pay their respects ⁵⁰⁹  to Festus. ⁵¹⁰  25:14 While ⁵¹¹  they were staying there many days, Festus ⁵¹²  explained Paul’s case to the king to get his opinion, ⁵¹³  saying, “There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. 25:15 When I was in Jerusalem, ⁵¹⁴  the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed ⁵¹⁵  me about him, ⁵¹⁶  asking for a sentence of condemnation ⁵¹⁷  against him. 25:16 I answered them ⁵¹⁸  that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone ⁵¹⁹  before the accused had met his accusers face to face ⁵²⁰  and had been given ⁵²¹  an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. ⁵²²  25:17 So after they came back here with me, ⁵²³  I did not postpone the case, ⁵²⁴  but the next day I sat ⁵²⁵  on the judgment seat ⁵²⁶  and ordered the man to be brought. 25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge ⁵²⁷  him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. ⁵²⁸  25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement ⁵²⁹  with him about their own religion ⁵³⁰  and about a man named Jesus ⁵³¹  who was dead, whom Paul claimed ⁵³²  to be alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss ⁵³³  how I could investigate these matters, ⁵³⁴  I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried ⁵³⁵  there on these charges. ⁵³⁶  25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, ⁵³⁷  I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar.” ⁵³⁸  25:22 Agrippa ⁵³⁹  said to Festus, ⁵⁴⁰  “I would also like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, ⁵⁴¹  “you will hear him.”

Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice

25:23 So the next day Agrippa ⁵⁴²  and Bernice came with great pomp ⁵⁴³  and entered the audience hall, ⁵⁴⁴  along with the senior military officers ⁵⁴⁵  and the prominent men of the city. When Festus ⁵⁴⁶  gave the order, ⁵⁴⁷  Paul was brought in. 25:24 Then Festus ⁵⁴⁸  said, “King Agrippa, ⁵⁴⁹  and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace ⁵⁵⁰  petitioned ⁵⁵¹  me both in Jerusalem ⁵⁵²  and here, ⁵⁵³  shouting loudly ⁵⁵⁴  that he ought not to live any longer. 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, ⁵⁵⁵  and when he appealed ⁵⁵⁶  to His Majesty the Emperor, ⁵⁵⁷  I decided to send him. ⁵⁵⁸  25:26 But I have nothing definite ⁵⁵⁹  to write to my lord ⁵⁶⁰  about him. ⁵⁶¹  Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, ⁵⁶²  so that after this preliminary hearing ⁵⁶³  I may have something to write. 25:27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating ⁵⁶⁴  the charges against him.”

Paul Offers His Defense

26:1 So Agrippa ⁵⁶⁵  said to Paul, “You have permission ⁵⁶⁶  to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand ⁵⁶⁷  and began his defense: ⁵⁶⁸ 

26:2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, ⁵⁶⁹  I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 26:3 because you are especially ⁵⁷⁰  familiar with all the customs and controversial issues ⁵⁷¹  of the Jews. Therefore I ask ⁵⁷²  you to listen to me patiently. 26:4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived ⁵⁷³  from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people ⁵⁷⁴  and in Jerusalem. ⁵⁷⁵  26:5 They know, ⁵⁷⁶  because they have known ⁵⁷⁷  me from time past, ⁵⁷⁸  if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party ⁵⁷⁹  of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. ⁵⁸⁰  26:6 And now I stand here on trial ⁵⁸¹  because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, ⁵⁸²  26:7 a promise ⁵⁸³  that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God ⁵⁸⁴  night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, ⁵⁸⁵  Your Majesty! ⁵⁸⁶  26:8 Why do you people ⁵⁸⁷  think ⁵⁸⁸  it is unbelievable ⁵⁸⁹  that ⁵⁹⁰  God raises the dead? 26:9 Of course, ⁵⁹¹  I myself was convinced ⁵⁹²  that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 26:10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received ⁵⁹³  from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote ⁵⁹⁴  against them when they were sentenced to death. ⁵⁹⁵  26:11 I punished ⁵⁹⁶  them often in all the synagogues ⁵⁹⁷  and tried to force ⁵⁹⁸  them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged ⁵⁹⁹  at them, I went to persecute ⁶⁰⁰  them even in foreign cities.

26:12 “While doing this very thing, ⁶⁰¹  as I was going ⁶⁰²  to Damascus with authority and complete power ⁶⁰³  from the chief priests, 26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, ⁶⁰⁴  I saw a light from heaven, ⁶⁰⁵  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around ⁶⁰⁶  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, ⁶⁰⁷  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself ⁶⁰⁸  by kicking against the goads.’ ⁶⁰⁹  26:15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ⁶¹⁰  ‘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 ⁶¹¹  as a servant and witness ⁶¹²  to the things ⁶¹³  you have seen ⁶¹⁴  and to the things in which I will appear to you. 26:17 I will rescue ⁶¹⁵  you from your own people ⁶¹⁶  and from the Gentiles, to whom ⁶¹⁷  I am sending you 26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁶¹⁸  from darkness to light and from the power ⁶¹⁹  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁶²⁰  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

26:19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, ⁶²¹  I was not disobedient ⁶²²  to the heavenly ⁶²³  vision, 26:20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, ⁶²⁴  and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, ⁶²⁵  performing deeds consistent with ⁶²⁶  repentance. 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts ⁶²⁷  and were trying to kill me. 26:22 I have experienced ⁶²⁸  help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except ⁶²⁹  what the prophets and Moses said ⁶³⁰  was going to happen: 26:23 that ⁶³¹  the Christ ⁶³²  was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people ⁶³³  and to the Gentiles.” ⁶³⁴ 

26:24 As Paul ⁶³⁵  was saying these things in his defense, Festus ⁶³⁶  exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, ⁶³⁷  Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 26:25 But Paul replied, ⁶³⁸  “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, ⁶³⁹  but am speaking ⁶⁴⁰  true and rational ⁶⁴¹  words. 26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁶⁴²  to him, ⁶⁴³  because I cannot believe ⁶⁴⁴  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁶⁴⁵  for this was not done in a corner. ⁶⁴⁶  26:27 Do you believe the prophets, ⁶⁴⁷  King Agrippa? ⁶⁴⁸  I know that you believe.” 26:28 Agrippa ⁶⁴⁹  said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” ⁶⁵⁰  26:29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time ⁶⁵¹  not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.” ⁶⁵² 

26:30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 26:31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, ⁶⁵³  “This man is not doing anything deserving ⁶⁵⁴  death or imprisonment.” 26:32 Agrippa ⁶⁵⁵  said to Festus, ⁶⁵⁶  “This man could have been released ⁶⁵⁷  if he had not appealed to Caesar.” ⁶⁵⁸ 

Paul and Company Sail for Rome

27:1 When it was decided we ⁶⁵⁹  would sail to Italy, ⁶⁶⁰  they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion ⁶⁶¹  of the Augustan Cohort ⁶⁶²  named Julius. 27:2 We went on board ⁶⁶³  a ship from Adramyttium ⁶⁶⁴  that was about to sail to various ports ⁶⁶⁵  along the coast of the province of Asia ⁶⁶⁶  and put out to sea, ⁶⁶⁷  accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian ⁶⁶⁸  from Thessalonica. ⁶⁶⁹  27:3 The next day we put in ⁶⁷⁰  at Sidon, ⁶⁷¹  and Julius, treating Paul kindly, ⁶⁷²  allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. ⁶⁷³  27:4 From there we put out to sea ⁶⁷⁴  and sailed under the lee ⁶⁷⁵  of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea ⁶⁷⁶  off Cilicia and Pamphylia, ⁶⁷⁷  we put in ⁶⁷⁸  at Myra ⁶⁷⁹  in Lycia. ⁶⁸⁰  27:6 There the centurion ⁶⁸¹  found ⁶⁸²  a ship from Alexandria ⁶⁸³  sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly ⁶⁸⁴  for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. ⁶⁸⁵  Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, ⁶⁸⁶  we sailed under the lee ⁶⁸⁷  of Crete off Salmone. ⁶⁸⁸  27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast ⁶⁸⁹  of Crete ⁶⁹⁰  and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. ⁶⁹¹ 

Caught in a Violent Storm

27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous ⁶⁹²  because the fast ⁶⁹³  was already over, ⁶⁹⁴  Paul advised them, ⁶⁹⁵  27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end ⁶⁹⁶  in disaster ⁶⁹⁷  and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ⁶⁹⁸  27:11 But the centurion ⁶⁹⁹  was more convinced ⁷⁰⁰  by the captain ⁷⁰¹  and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. ⁷⁰²  27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided ⁷⁰³  to put out to sea ⁷⁰⁴  from there. They hoped that ⁷⁰⁵  somehow they could reach ⁷⁰⁶  Phoenix, ⁷⁰⁷  a harbor of Crete facing ⁷⁰⁸  southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought ⁷⁰⁹  they could carry out ⁷¹⁰  their purpose, so they weighed anchor ⁷¹¹  and sailed close along the coast ⁷¹²  of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force ⁷¹³  wind called the northeaster ⁷¹⁴  blew down from the island. ⁷¹⁵  27:15 When the ship was caught in it ⁷¹⁶  and could not head into ⁷¹⁷  the wind, we gave way to it and were driven ⁷¹⁸  along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of ⁷¹⁹  a small island called Cauda, ⁷²⁰  we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat ⁷²¹  under control. 27:17 After the crew ⁷²²  had hoisted it aboard, ⁷²³  they used supports ⁷²⁴  to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground ⁷²⁵  on the Syrtis, ⁷²⁶  they lowered the sea anchor, ⁷²⁷  thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, ⁷²⁸  they began throwing the cargo overboard, ⁷²⁹  27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear ⁷³⁰  overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent ⁷³¹  storm continued to batter us, ⁷³²  we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. ⁷³³ 

27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, ⁷³⁴  Paul ⁷³⁵  stood up ⁷³⁶  among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me ⁷³⁷  and not put out to sea ⁷³⁸  from Crete, thus avoiding ⁷³⁹  this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise ⁷⁴⁰  you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. ⁷⁴¹  27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong ⁷⁴²  and whom I serve ⁷⁴³  came to me ⁷⁴⁴  27:24 and said, ⁷⁴⁵  ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before ⁷⁴⁶  Caesar, ⁷⁴⁷  and God has graciously granted you the safety ⁷⁴⁸  of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God ⁷⁴⁹  that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must ⁷⁵⁰  run aground on some island.”

27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven ⁷⁵¹  across the Adriatic Sea, ⁷⁵²  about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. ⁷⁵³  27:28 They took soundings ⁷⁵⁴  and found the water was twenty fathoms ⁷⁵⁵  deep; when they had sailed a little farther ⁷⁵⁶  they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms ⁷⁵⁷  deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid ⁷⁵⁸  that we would run aground on the rocky coast, ⁷⁵⁹  they threw out ⁷⁶⁰  four anchors from the stern and wished ⁷⁶¹  for day to appear. ⁷⁶²  27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending ⁷⁶³  that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion ⁷⁶⁴  and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you ⁷⁶⁵  cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes ⁷⁶⁶  of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. ⁷⁶⁷ 

27:33 As day was about to dawn, ⁷⁶⁸  Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense ⁷⁶⁹  and have gone ⁷⁷⁰  without food; you have eaten nothing. ⁷⁷¹  27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important ⁷⁷²  for your survival. ⁷⁷³  For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul ⁷⁷⁴  took bread ⁷⁷⁵  and gave thanks to God in front of them all, ⁷⁷⁶  broke ⁷⁷⁷  it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six ⁷⁷⁸  persons on the ship.) ⁷⁷⁹  27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, ⁷⁸⁰  they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat ⁷⁸¹  into the sea.

Paul is Shipwrecked

27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed ⁷⁸²  a bay ⁷⁸³  with a beach, ⁷⁸⁴  where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped ⁷⁸⁵  the anchors ⁷⁸⁶  and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage ⁷⁸⁷  that bound the steering oars ⁷⁸⁸  together. Then they hoisted ⁷⁸⁹  the foresail ⁷⁹⁰  to the wind and steered toward ⁷⁹¹  the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents ⁷⁹²  and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force ⁷⁹³  of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners ⁷⁹⁴  so that none of them would escape by swimming away. ⁷⁹⁵  27:43 But the centurion, ⁷⁹⁶  wanting to save Paul’s life, ⁷⁹⁷  prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, ⁷⁹⁸  27:44 and the rest were to follow, ⁷⁹⁹  some on planks ⁸⁰⁰  and some on pieces of the ship. ⁸⁰¹  And in this way ⁸⁰²  all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28:1 After we had safely reached shore, ⁸⁰³  we learned that the island was called Malta. ⁸⁰⁴  28:2 The local inhabitants ⁸⁰⁵  showed us extraordinary ⁸⁰⁶  kindness, for they built a fire and welcomed us all because it had started to rain ⁸⁰⁷  and was cold. 28:3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood ⁸⁰⁸  and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

[21:18]  ¹ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγίνομαι 1 has this use under the broad category of meaning “draw near, come, arrive, be present.”

[21:18]  sn All the elders were there. This meeting shows how the Jerusalem church still regarded Paul and his mission with favor, but also with some concerns because of the rumors circulating about his actions.

[21:19]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:19]  ³ tn Or “to report,” “to describe.” The imperfect verb ἐξηγεῖτο (exhgeito) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[21:19]  ⁴ tn BDAG 293 s.v. εἷς 5.e has “καθ᾿ ἕν one after the other (hence τὸ καθ᾿ ἕν ‘a detailed list’: PLille 11, 8 [III bc]; PTebt. 47, 34; 332, 16) J 21:25. Also καθ᾿ ἕν ἕκαστον…Ac 21:19.”

[21:19]  ⁵ sn Note how Paul credited God with the success of his ministry.

[21:20]  ⁶ tn Or “glorified.”

[21:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “how many thousands there are among the Jews.”

[21:20]  sn How many thousands of Jews. See Acts 2-5 for the accounts of their conversion, esp. 2:41 and 4:4. Estimates of the total number of Jews living in Jerusalem at the time range from 20,000 to 50,000.

[21:20]  ⁸ tn Or “are all zealous for the law.” BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.β has “of thing…τοῦ νόμου an ardent observer of the law Ac 21:20.”

[21:20]  ⁹ sn That is, the law of Moses. These Jewish Christians had remained close to their Jewish practices after becoming believers (1 Cor 7:18-19; Acts 16:3).

[21:21]  ¹⁰ tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.

[21:21]  ¹¹ tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”

[21:21]  sn The charge that Paul was teaching Jews in the Diaspora to abandon Moses was different from the issue faced in Acts 15, where the question was whether Gentiles needed to become like Jews first in order to become Christians. The issue also appears in Acts 24:5-6, 13-21; 25:8.

[21:21]  ¹² sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.

[21:21]  ¹³ tn Grk “or walk.”

[21:22]  ¹⁴ tn L&N 71.16 has “pertaining to being in every respect certain – ‘certainly, really, doubtless, no doubt.’…‘they will no doubt hear that you have come’ Ac 21:22.”

[21:23]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “do this that.”

[21:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “There are four men here.”

[21:23]  ¹⁷ tn L&N 33.469 has “‘there are four men here who have taken a vow’ or ‘we have four men who…’ Ac 21:23.”

[21:23]  ¹⁸ tn On the term for “vow,” see BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχή 2.

[21:24]  ¹⁹ sn That is, undergo ritual cleansing. Paul’s cleansing would be necessary because of his travels in “unclean” Gentile territory. This act would represent a conciliatory gesture. Paul would have supported a “law-free” mission to the Gentiles as an option, but this gesture would represent an attempt to be sensitive to the Jews (1 Cor 9:15-22).

[21:24]  ²⁰ tn L&N 57.146 has “δαπάνησον ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ‘pay their expenses’ Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  ²¹ tn The future middle indicative has causative force here. BDAG 686 s.v. ξυράω has “mid. have oneself shaved…τὴν κεφαλήν have one’s head shaved…Ac 21:24.”

[21:24]  sn Having their heads shaved probably involved ending a voluntary Nazirite vow (Num 6:14-15).

[21:24]  ²² tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[21:24]  ²³ tn The verb here describes a report or some type of information (BDAG 534 s.v. κατηχέω 1).

[21:24]  ²⁴ tn Grk “adhere to the keeping of the law.” L&N 41.12 has “στοιχέω: to live in conformity with some presumed standard or set of customs – ‘to live, to behave in accordance with.’”

[21:24]  ²⁵ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:25]  ²⁶ tn L&N 13.154 has “‘having decided that they must keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from an animal that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality’ Ac 21:25.”

[21:25]  sn Having decided refers here to the decision of the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:6-21). Mention of this previous decision reminds the reader that the issue here is somewhat different: It is not whether Gentiles must first become Jews before they can become Christians (as in Acts 15), but whether Jews who become Christians should retain their Jewish practices. Sensitivity to this issue would suggest that Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians might engage in different practices.

[21:25]  ²⁷ tn This is a different Greek word than the one used in Acts 15:20, 29. BDAG 1068 s.v. φυλάσσω 3 has “to be on one’s guard against, look out for, avoid…w. acc. of pers. or thing avoided…Ac 21:25.” The Greek word used in Acts 15:20, 29 is ἀπέχω (apecw). The difference in meaning, although slight, has been maintained in the translation.

[21:25]  ²⁸ tn There is no specific semantic component in the Greek word εἰδωλόθυτος that means “meat” (see BDAG 280 s.v. εἰδωλόθυτος; L&N 5.15). The stem –θυτος means “sacrifice” (referring to an animal sacrificially killed) and thereby implies meat.

[21:25]  ²⁹ sn What has been strangled. That is, to refrain from eating animals that had been killed without having the blood drained from them. According to the Mosaic law (Lev 17:13-14) Jews were forbidden to eat flesh with the blood still in it (note the preceding provision in this verse, and blood).

[21:26]  ³⁰ tn BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 11.b.β has “temporal, to be next, immediately following…τῇ ἐχομένῃ…on the next day Lk 13:33…Ac 20:15; w. ἡμέρᾳ added…21:26.”

[21:26]  ³¹ tn That is, after he had undergone ritual cleansing. The aorist passive participle ἁγνισθείς (Jagnisqei") has been taken temporally of antecedent action.

[21:26]  ³² tn Grk “entered the temple, giving notice.” The participle διαγγέλλων (diangellwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:26]  ³³ sn The days of purification refers to the days of ritual cleansing.

[21:26]  ³⁴ tn Grk “until” (BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.β.א), but since in English it is somewhat awkward to say “the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice would be offered,” the temporal clause was translated “when the sacrifice would be offered.” The point is that the sacrifice would be offered when the days were completed. Paul honored the request of the Jewish Christian leadership completely. As the following verse makes clear, the vow was made for seven days.

[21:26]  ³⁵ tn Grk “for each one.”

[21:27]  ³⁶ tn BDAG 975 s.v. συντελέω 4 has “to come to an end of a duration, come to an end, be over…Ac 21:27.”

[21:27]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[21:27]  sn Note how there is a sense of Paul being pursued from a distance. These Jews may well have been from Ephesus, since they recognized Trophimus the Ephesian (v. 29).

[21:27]  ³⁸ tn Grk “in the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:27]  ³⁹ tn Or “threw the whole crowd into consternation.” L&N 25.221 has “συνέχεον πάντα τὸν ὄχλον ‘they threw the whole crowd into consternation’ Ac 21:27. It is also possible to render the expression in Ac 21:27 as ‘they stirred up the whole crowd.’”

[21:27]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and laid hands on.”

[21:28]  ⁴¹ 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 conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.

[21:28]  ⁴² sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[21:28]  ⁴³ tn Grk “this place.”

[21:28]  sn This sanctuary refers to the temple. The charges were not new, but were similar to those made against Stephen (Acts 6:14) and Jesus (Luke 23:2).

[21:28]  ⁴⁴ tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:28]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.

[21:28]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”

[21:28]  sn Has brought Greeks…unclean. Note how the issue is both religious and ethnic, showing a different attitude by the Jews. A Gentile was not permitted to enter the inner temple precincts (contrast Eph 2:11-22). According to Josephus (Ant. 15.11.5 [15.417]; J. W. 5.5.2 [5.193], cf. 5.5.6 [5.227]), the inner temple courts (the Court of the Women, the Court of the Sons of Israel, and the Court of the Priests) were raised slightly above the level of the Court of the Gentiles and were surrounded by a wall about 5 ft (1.5 m) high. Notices in both Greek and Latin (two of which have been discovered) warned that any Gentiles who ventured into the inner courts would be responsible for their own deaths. See also Philo, Embassy 31 (212). In m. Middot 2:3 this wall was called “soreq” and according to m. Sanhedrin 9:6 the stranger who trespassed beyond the soreq would die by the hand of God.

[21:29]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “whom.”

[21:29]  ⁴⁸ tn On the phrase “inner temple courts” see the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:29]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The note explains the cause of the charge and also notes that it was false.

[21:30]  ⁴⁹ tn On this term see BDAG 545 s.v. κινέω 2.b.

[21:30]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “the people formed a mob.” BDAG 967 s.v. συνδρομή has “formation of a mob by pers. running together, running together…ἐγένετο σ. τοῦ λαοῦ the people rushed together Ac 21:30.”

[21:30]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “and seizing.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι (epilabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[21:30]  ⁵² tn Grk “out of the temple.” See the note on the word “temple” in v. 28.

[21:31]  ⁵³ tn Grk “seeking.”

[21:31]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “information” (originally concerning a crime; BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσις).

[21:31]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “went up”; this verb is used because the report went up to the Antonia Fortress where the Roman garrison was stationed.

[21:31]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[21:31]  ⁵⁷ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion.

[21:31]  ⁵⁸ tn BDAG 953 s.v. συγχέω has “Pass. w. act.force be in confusion…ὅλη συγχύννεται ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ 21:31.”

[21:32]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated as a pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[21:32]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “taking…ran down.” The participle κατέδραμεν (katedramen) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:32]  ⁶¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[21:32]  ⁶² tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:32]  ⁶³ tn Grk “seeing.” The participle ἰδόντες (idonte") has been taken temporally.

[21:32]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:32]  ⁶⁵ sn The mob stopped beating Paul because they feared the Romans would arrest them for disturbing the peace and for mob violence. They would let the Roman officials take care of the matter from this point on.

[21:33]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:33]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “seized.”

[21:33]  ⁶⁸ tn The two chains would be something like handcuffs (BDAG 48 s.v. ἅλυσις and compare Acts 28:20).

[21:33]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been replaced with a semicolon. “Then” has been supplied after “he” to clarify the logical sequence.

[21:33]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “and what it is”; this has been simplified to “what.”

[21:34]  ⁷¹ tn L&N 33.77 has “ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλο τι ἐπεφώνουν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ ‘some in the crowd shouted one thing; others, something else’ Ac 21:34.”

[21:34]  ⁷² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ⁷³ tn This genitive absolute construction has been translated temporally; it could also be taken causally: “and since the commanding officer was unable to find out the truth.”

[21:34]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “find out what had happened”; Grk “the certainty” (BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2).

[21:34]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “clamor,” “uproar” (BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος).

[21:34]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:34]  ⁷⁷ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:35]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:35]  ⁷⁹ sn Paul had to be carried. Note how the arrest really ended up protecting Paul. The crowd is portrayed as irrational at this point.

[21:35]  ⁸⁰ tn This refers to mob violence (BDAG 175 s.v. βία b).

[21:36]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “the multitude of people.” While πλῆθος (plhqo") is articular, it has been translated “a crowd” since it was probably a subset of the larger mob that gathered in v. 30.

[21:36]  ⁸² tn The word “them” 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.

[21:37]  ⁸³ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[21:37]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[21:37]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers) See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 31.

[21:37]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “Is it permitted for me to say” (an idiom).

[21:37]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the officer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:37]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[21:37]  ⁸⁹ sn “Do you know Greek?” Paul as an educated rabbi was bilingual. Paul’s request in Greek allowed the officer to recognize that Paul was not the violent insurrectionist he thought he had arrested (see following verse). The confusion of identities reveals the degree of confusion dominating these events.

[21:38]  ⁹⁰ tn L&N 39.41 has “οὐκ ἄρα σὺ εἶ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὁ πρὸ τούτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀναστατώσας ‘then you are not that Egyptian who some time ago started a rebellion’ Ac 21:38.”

[21:38]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “of the Sicarii.”

[21:38]  sn The term ‘Assassins’ is found several times in the writings of Josephus (J. W. 2.13.3 [2.254-257]; Ant. 20.8.10 [20.186]). It was the name of the most fanatical group among the Jewish nationalists, very hostile to Rome, who did not hesitate to assassinate their political opponents. They were named Sicarii in Latin after their weapon of choice, the short dagger or sicarius which could be easily hidden under one’s clothing. In effect, the officer who arrested Paul had thought he was dealing with a terrorist.

[21:38]  ⁹² tn Or “desert.”

[21:38]  ⁹³ tn Grk “before these days.”

[21:39]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “said.”

[21:39]  ⁹⁵ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[21:39]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “of a not insignificant city.” The double negative, common in Greek, is awkward in English and has been replaced by a corresponding positive expression (BDAG 142 s.v. ἄσημος 1).

[21:39]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “I beg you.”

[21:40]  ⁹⁸ tn The referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[21:40]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “Giving him permission.” The participle ἐπιτρέψαντος (epitreyanto") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “standing.” The participle ἑστώς (Jestws) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[21:40]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “motioned.”

[21:40]  ¹⁰² tn γενομένης (genomenhs) has been taken temporally. BDAG 922 s.v. σιγή has “πολλῆς σιγῆς γενομένης when a great silence had fallen = when they had become silent Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[21:40]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “in the Hebrew dialect, saying.” This refers to the Aramaic spoken in Palestine in the 1st century (BDAG 270 s.v. ῾Εβραΐς). The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[22:1]  ¹⁰⁵ sn Listen to my defense. This is the first of several speeches Paul would make in his own defense: Acts 24:10ff.; 25:8, 16; and 26:1ff. For the use of such a speech (“apologia”) in Greek, see Josephus, Ag. Ap. 2.15 [2.147]; Wis 6:10.

[22:1]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The adverb νυνί (nuni, “now”) is connected with the phrase τῆς πρὸς ὑμᾶς νυνὶ ἀπολογίας (th" pro" Juma" nuni apologia") rather than the verb ἀκούσατε (akousate), and the entire construction (prepositional phrase plus adverb) is in first attributive position and thus translated into English by a relative clause.

[22:2]  ¹⁰⁷ tn ἀκούσαντες (akousante") has been taken temporally.

[22:2]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Or “spoke out to.” L&N 33.27 has “to address an audience, with possible emphasis upon loudness – ‘to address, to speak out to.’ πολλῆς δέ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ ᾿Εβραίδι διαλέκτῳ ‘when they were quiet, he addressed them in Hebrew’ Ac 21:40.”

[22:2]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See the note on “Aramaic” in 21:40.

[22:2]  ¹¹⁰ tn BDAG 613-14 s.v. μᾶλλον 1 “Abs. μ. can mean to a greater degree (than before), even more, now more than ever Lk 5:15; Jn 5:18; 19:8; Ac 5:14; 22:2; 2 Cor 7:7.”

[22:2]  ¹¹¹ tn BDAG 440 s.v. ἡσυχία 2 has “παρέχειν ἡσυχίαν quiet down, give a hearing…Ac 22:2.”

[22:2]  sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[22:2]  ¹¹² tn Grk “and.” Since this represents a continuation of the speech begun in v. 1, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:3]  ¹¹³ tn Grk “a Jewish man.”

[22:3]  ¹¹⁴ tn BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατρέφω b has “of mental and spiritual nurture bring up, rear, train…ἀνατεθραμμένος ἐν τ. πόλει ταύτῃ 22:3.”

[22:3]  ¹¹⁵ tn Or “with precision.” Although often translated “strictly” this can be misunderstood for “solely” in English. BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκρίβεια gives the meaning as “exactness, precision.” To avoid the potential misunderstanding the translation “with strictness” is used, although it is slightly more awkward than “strictly.”

[22:3]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “strictly at the feet of” (an idiom).

[22:3]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “brought up in this city under Gamaliel, educated with strictness…” The phrase παρὰ τοὺς πόδας Γαμαλιὴλ (para tou" poda" Gamalihl) could be understood with what precedes or with what follows. The punctuation of NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, which place a comma after ταύτῃ (tauth), has been followed in the translation.

[22:3]  sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here and in Acts 5:34. 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.

[22:3]  ¹¹⁸ tn Or “our forefathers.”

[22:3]  ¹¹⁹ tn Grk “ancestors, being.” The participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:3]  ¹²⁰ tn BDAG 427 s.v. ζηλωτής 1.a.α has “of pers. …ζ. τοῦ θεοῦ one who is loyal to God Ac 22:3.”

[22:4]  ¹²¹ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the first person pronoun (“I”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[22:4]  ¹²² sn That is, persecuted the Christian movement (Christianity). The Way is also used as a description of the Christian faith in Acts 9:2; 18:25-26; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).

[22:4]  ¹²³ tn BDAG 442-43 s.v. θάνατος 1.a has “διώκειν ἄχρι θανάτου persecute even to death Ac 22:4.”

[22:4]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “binding.” See Acts 8:3.

[22:4]  ¹²⁵ tn BDAG 762 s.v. παραδίδωμι 1.b has “W. local εἰς…εἰς φυλακήν put in prison Ac 8:3; cp. 22:4.”

[22:5]  ¹²⁶ 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]  ¹²⁷ 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]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “receiving.” The participle δεξάμενος (dexameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:5]  ¹²⁹ 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]  ¹³⁰ 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]  ¹³¹ tn BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b has “δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά bring someone as prisoner…Ac 9:2, 21; 22:5.”

[22:5]  ¹³² 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]  ¹³³ 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]  ¹³⁴ 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]  ¹³⁵ tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

[22:6]  ¹³⁶ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[22:6]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “shone.”

[22:7]  ¹³⁸ 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]  ¹³⁹ 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]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Grk “So I said.”

[22:10]  ¹⁴¹ 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]  ¹⁴² tn Grk “about all things.”

[22:10]  ¹⁴³ 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]  ¹⁴⁴ 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]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Or “brightness”; Grk “glory.”

[22:11]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Grk “by” (ὑπό, Jupo), but this would be too awkward in English following the previous “by.”

[22:12]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Grk “a certain Ananias.”

[22:12]  ¹⁴⁸ sn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[22:12]  ¹⁴⁹ 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]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Grk “coming.” The participle ἐλθών (elqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[22:13]  ¹⁵¹ 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]  ¹⁵² 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]  ¹⁵³ 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]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Grk “I looked up to him.”

[22:14]  ¹⁵⁵ 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]  ¹⁵⁶ 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]  ¹⁵⁷ 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]  ¹⁵⁸ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14).

[22:14]  ¹⁵⁹ 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]  ¹⁶⁰ 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]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “all men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[22:16]  ¹⁶² 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]  ¹⁶³ 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]  ¹⁶⁴ sn The expression have your sins washed away means “have your sins purified” (the washing is figurative).

[22:16]  ¹⁶⁵ 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.

[22:17]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “It happened to me 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.

[22:17]  ¹⁶⁷ tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”

[22:18]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Or “Jesus”; Grk “him.” The referent (the Lord, cf. v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:19]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “And I said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai, in καγώ [kagw]) has not been translated here.

[22:19]  ¹⁷⁰ tn For the distributive sense of the expression κατὰ τὰς συναγωγάς (kata ta" sunagwga") BDAG 512 s.v. κατά B.1.d has “of places viewed serially, distributive use w. acc.…κατ᾿ οἶκαν from house to house…Ac 2:46b; 5:42…Likew. the pl.…κ. τὰς συναγωγάς 22:19.” See also L&N 37.114.

[22:19]  sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[22:20]  ¹⁷¹ sn Now Paul referred to Stephen as your witness, and he himself had also become a witness. The reversal was now complete; the opponent had now become a proponent.

[22:20]  ¹⁷² sn When the blood of your witness Stephen was shed means “when your witness Stephen was murdered.”

[22:20]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “and approving.” 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.

[22:20]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:20]  sn The cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (in this case for throwing stones).

[22:20]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “who were putting him to death.” For the translation of ἀναιρούντων (anairountwn) as “putting to death” see BDAG 64 s.v. ἀναιρέω 2.

[22:21]  ¹⁷⁶ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to Paul’s reply in v. 19, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[22:22]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “They were listening”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ¹⁷⁸ tn Grk “until this word.”

[22:22]  sn Until he said this. Note it is the mention of Paul’s mission to the Gentiles with its implication of ethnic openness that is so disturbing to the audience.

[22:22]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Grk “And.” To indicate the logical sequence, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” here.

[22:22]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “and said.”

[22:22]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “this one.”

[22:22]  ¹⁸² tn BDAG 491 s.v. καθήκω has “to be appropriate, come/reach to, be proper/fitting…Usu. impers. καθήκει it comes (to someone)…foll. by acc. and inf….οὐ καθῆκεν αὐτὸν ζῆν he should not be allowed to live Ac 22:22.”

[22:23]  ¹⁸³ tn The participle κραυγαζόντων (kraugazontwn) has been translated temporally.

[22:23]  ¹⁸⁴ tn Or “outer garments.”

[22:23]  sn Their cloaks. The outer garment, or cloak, was taken off and laid aside to leave the arms free (perhaps in this case as preparation for throwing stones).

[22:23]  ¹⁸⁵ sn The crowd’s act of tossing dust in the air indicated they had heard something disturbing and offensive. This may have been a symbolic gesture, indicating Paul’s words deserved to be thrown to the wind, or it may have simply resulted from the fact they had nothing else to throw at him at the moment.

[22:24]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[22:24]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[22:24]  ¹⁸⁹ tn Grk “into the barracks, saying.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the participle εἴπας (eipas), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. The direct object “them” has been supplied; it is understood in Greek.

[22:24]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹⁹¹ sn To interrogate Paul by beating him with a lash. Under the Roman legal system it was customary to use physical torture to extract confessions or other information from prisoners who were not Roman citizens and who were charged with various crimes, especially treason or sedition. The lashing would be done with a whip of leather thongs with pieces of metal or bone attached to the ends.

[22:24]  ¹⁹² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowd) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:24]  ¹⁹³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:25]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Grk “for the thongs” (of which the lash was made). Although often translated as a dative of means (“with thongs”), referring to thongs used to tie the victim to the whipping post, BDAG 474-75 s.v. ἱμάς states that it “is better taken as a dat. of purpose for the thongs, in which case οἱ ἱμάντες = whips (Posidonius: 87 fgm. 5 Jac.; POxy. 1186, 2 τὴν διὰ τῶν ἱμάντων αἰκείαν. – Antiphanes 74, 8, Demosth. 19, 197 and Artem. 1, 70 use the sing. in this way).”

[22:25]  ¹⁹⁵ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:25]  ¹⁹⁶ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:25]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Or “a Roman citizen and uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[22:25]  sn The fact that Paul was a Roman citizen protected him from being tortured to extract information; such protections were guaranteed by the Porcian and Julian law codes. In addition, the fact Paul had not been tried exempted him from punishment.

[22:26]  ¹⁹⁸ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[22:26]  ¹⁹⁹ tn The word “this” 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.

[22:26]  ²⁰⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:26]  ²⁰¹ tn The word “it” 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.

[22:26]  ²⁰² tn Or perhaps, “What do you intend to do?” Although BDAG 627 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.α lists this phrase under the category “be about to, be on the point of,” it is possible it belongs under 1.c.γ, “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν; what do you intend to do?”

[22:26]  ²⁰³ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁰⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:27]  ²⁰⁵ tn Grk “and said to.”

[22:27]  ²⁰⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁰⁷ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:27]  ²⁰⁸ tn Grk “He said.”

[22:28]  ²⁰⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:28]  ²¹⁰ sn Sometimes Roman citizenship was purchased through a bribe (Dio Cassius, Roman History 60.17.4-9). That may well have been the case here.

[22:28]  ²¹¹ tn BDAG 495-96 s.v. καί 2.b has “intensive: even…Ac 5:39; 22:28.”

[22:28]  ²¹² tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:28]  sn Paul’s reference to being born a citizen suggests he inherited his Roman citizenship from his family.

[22:28]  ²¹³ tn Grk “Paul said.” This phrase has been placed at the end of the sentence in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[22:29]  ²¹⁴ tn BDAG 158 s.v. ἀφίστημι 2.b has “keep away…ἀπό τινος… Lk 4:13; Ac 5:38; 2 Cor 12:8…cp. Ac 22:29.” In context, the point would seem to be not that the interrogators departed or withdrew, but that they held back from continuing the flogging.

[22:29]  ²¹⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 24.

[22:29]  ²¹⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:29]  ²¹⁷ tn This is a present tense (ἐστιν, estin) retained in indirect discourse. It must be translated as a past tense in contemporary English.

[22:29]  ²¹⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[22:29]  ²¹⁹ sn Had him tied up. Perhaps a reference to the chains in Acts 21:33, or the preparations for the lashing in Acts 22:25. A trial would now be needed to resolve the matter. The Roman authorities’ hesitation to render a judgment in the case occurs repeatedly: Acts 22:30; 23:28-29; 24:22; 25:20, 26-27. The legal process begun here would take the rest of Acts and will be unresolved at the end. The process itself took four years of Paul’s life.

[22:30]  ²²⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²²¹ tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”

[22:30]  ²²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:30]  ²²³ tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[22:30]  ²²⁴ tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.

[23:1]  ²²⁵ tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:1]  ²²⁶ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:1]  ²²⁷ tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”

[23:2]  ²²⁸ tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.

[23:2]  ²²⁹ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”

[23:2]  ²³⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:2]  ²³¹ tn Or “hit” (‘strike’ maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection of Paul’s claim to a clear conscience in the previous verse.

[23:3]  ²³² sn You whitewashed wall. This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (L&N 88.234; see also BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). Paul was claiming that the man’s response was two-faced (Ezek 13:10-16; Matt 23:27-28). See also Deut 28:22.

[23:3]  ²³³ tn Grk “And do.” 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.

[23:3]  ²³⁴ tn The law refers to the law of Moses.

[23:3]  ²³⁵ tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”

[23:3]  sn In violation of the law. Paul was claiming that punishment was given before the examination was complete (m. Sanhedrin 3:6-8). Luke’s noting of this detail shows how quickly the leadership moved to react against Paul.

[23:4]  ²³⁶ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[23:4]  ²³⁷ tn L&N 33.393 has for λοιδορέω (loidorew) “to speak in a highly insulting manner – ‘to slander, to insult strongly, slander, insult.’”

[23:4]  sn Insult God’s high priest. Paul was close to violation of the Mosaic law with his response, as the citation from Exod 22:28 in v. 5 makes clear.

[23:5]  ²³⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[23:5]  ²³⁹ tn Or “know.”

[23:5]  ²⁴⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.

[23:6]  ²⁴¹ tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”

[23:6]  ²⁴² sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.

[23:6]  ²⁴³ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[23:6]  ²⁴⁴ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:6]  ²⁴⁵ tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.

[23:7]  ²⁴⁶ tn The participle εἰπόντος (eiponto") has been translated temporally.

[23:7]  ²⁴⁷ tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).

[23:7]  ²⁴⁸ tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”

[23:8]  ²⁴⁹ tn BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφότεροι 2 has “all, even when more than two are involved…Φαρισαῖοι ὁμολογοῦσιν τὰ ἀ. believe in them all 23:8.” On this belief see Josephus, J. W. 2.8.14 (2.163); Ant. 18.1.3 (18.14).

[23:8]  sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:9]  ²⁵⁰ tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).

[23:9]  ²⁵¹ tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.

[23:9]  ²⁵² tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:9]  ²⁵³ tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness – ‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

[23:9]  ²⁵⁴ sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.

[23:10]  ²⁵⁵ tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenhs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).

[23:10]  ²⁵⁶ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[23:10]  ²⁵⁷ tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.

[23:10]  ²⁵⁸ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:10]  ²⁵⁹ tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”

[23:10]  ²⁶⁰ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:11]  ²⁶¹ sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.

[23:11]  ²⁶² tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:11]  ²⁶³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:11]  ²⁶⁴ tn Or “Do not be afraid.”

[23:11]  ²⁶⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:11]  ²⁶⁶ sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).

[23:11]  map For location see JP4 A1.

[23:12]  ²⁶⁷ tn Grk “when it was day.”

[23:12]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poihsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:12]  ²⁶⁹ tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean – 2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).

[23:12]  ²⁷⁰ tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[23:12]  ²⁷¹ 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.

[23:13]  ²⁷² tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunwmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators – ‘conspiracy, plot.’ …‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”

[23:14]  ²⁷³ tn Grk “who.” 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.

[23:14]  ²⁷⁴ tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:14]  ²⁷⁵ sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.

[23:14]  ²⁷⁶ tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.

[23:14]  ²⁷⁷ tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).

[23:15]  ²⁷⁸ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:15]  ²⁷⁹ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:15]  ²⁸⁰ tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”

[23:15]  ²⁸¹ tn Grk “determine the things about him.”

[23:15]  ²⁸² tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).

[23:15]  ²⁸³ sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.

[23:15]  ²⁸⁴ tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[23:16]  ²⁸⁵ tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).

[23:16]  ²⁸⁶ tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") and εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:16]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:17]  ²⁸⁸ tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:17]  ²⁸⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:17]  ²⁹⁰ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ²⁹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:18]  ²⁹² tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:18]  ²⁹³ tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:19]  ²⁹⁴ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:19]  ²⁹⁵ tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.

[23:20]  ²⁹⁶ tn Grk “He said.”

[23:20]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:21]  ²⁹⁸ tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mh peisqh" autoi") has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.

[23:21]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autwn andre") “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.

[23:21]  ³⁰⁰ tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.

[23:21]  ³⁰¹ tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.

[23:21]  ³⁰² tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone… ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”

[23:21]  ³⁰³ 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.

[23:21]  ³⁰⁴ tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”

[23:22]  ³⁰⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.

[23:22]  ³⁰⁶ tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.

[23:22]  ³⁰⁷ tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.

[23:23]  ³⁰⁸ tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[23:23]  ³⁰⁹ tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:23]  ³¹⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[23:23]  ³¹¹ 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. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[23:23]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[23:23]  ³¹² tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:23]  ³¹³ tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”

[23:23]  sn Two hundred soldiers…along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen. The resulting force assembled to guard Paul was almost a full cohort. The Roman commander was taking no chances, but was sending the issue up the chain of command to the procurator to decide.

[23:23]  ³¹⁴ tn Grk “from.”

[23:23]  ³¹⁵ tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”

[23:24]  ³¹⁶ tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”

[23:24]  sn Mounts for Paul to ride. The fact they were riding horses indicates they wanted everyone to move as quickly as possible.

[23:24]  ³¹⁷ sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”

[23:24]  ³¹⁸ tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:25]  ³¹⁹ tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grayas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:25]  ³²⁰ tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”

[23:26]  ³²¹ tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).

[23:26]  ³²² sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.

[23:27]  ³²³ tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullhmfqenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.

[23:27]  ³²⁴ tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[23:27]  ³²⁵ tn Or “approached.”

[23:27]  ³²⁶ tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.

[23:27]  ³²⁷ tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.

[23:27]  ³²⁸ tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.

[23:27]  sn The letter written by the Roman commander Claudius Lysias was somewhat self-serving. He made it sound as if the rescue of a Roman citizen had been a conscious act on his part. In fact, he had made the discovery of Paul’s Roman citizenship somewhat later. See Acts 21:37-39 and 22:24-29.

[23:28]  ³²⁹ tn Or “determine.”

[23:28]  ³³⁰ tn Grk “to know the charge on account of which they were accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the prepositional phrase and relative pronoun δι᾿ ἣν (di’ }hn) similar to L&N 27.8 which has “‘I wanted to find out what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council’ Ac 23:28.”

[23:28]  ³³¹ tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[23:29]  ³³² tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.

[23:29]  ³³³ tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19. – In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”

[23:29]  sn With reference to controversial questions. Note how the “neutral” Roman authorities saw the issue. This was a religious rather than a civil dispute. See Acts 18:15.

[23:29]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.”

[23:29]  sn Despite the official assessment that no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment, there was no effort to release Paul.

[23:30]  ³³⁵ tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mhnuqeish") has been taken temporally.

[23:30]  ³³⁶ tn The term translated “plot” here is a different one than the one in Acts 23:16 (see BDAG 368 s.v. ἐπιβουλή).

[23:30]  ³³⁷ tn Grk “the things against him.” This could be rendered as “accusations,” “grievances,” or “charges,” but since “ordered his accusers to state their accusations” sounds redundant in English, “charges” was used instead.

[23:31]  ³³⁸ tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”

[23:31]  ³³⁹ tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:31]  ³⁴⁰ sn Antipatris was a city in Judea about 35 mi (55 km) northwest of Jerusalem (about halfway to Caesarea). It was mentioned several times by Josephus (Ant. 13.15.1 [13.390]; J. W. 1.4.7 [1.99]).

[23:32]  ³⁴¹ tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:32]  ³⁴² tn Or “cavalrymen.”

[23:32]  ³⁴³ tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”

[23:33]  ³⁴⁴ tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.

[23:33]  ³⁴⁵ 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. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.

[23:33]  ³⁴⁶ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent – α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”

[23:34]  ³⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:34]  ³⁴⁸ tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnou") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ³⁴⁹ tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[23:34]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperwthsa") has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ³⁵¹ sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.

[23:34]  ³⁵² tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puqomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[23:34]  ³⁵³ sn Cilicia was a province in northeastern Asia Minor.

[23:35]  ³⁵⁴ tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter – ‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”

[23:35]  ³⁵⁵ tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.

[23:35]  ³⁵⁶ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:35]  ³⁵⁷ sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.

[24:1]  ³⁵⁸ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

[24:1]  ³⁵⁹ tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

[24:1]  ³⁶⁰ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

[24:1]  ³⁶¹ tn Grk “who” (plural). Because in English the relative pronoun “who” could be understood to refer only to the attorney Tertullus and not to the entire group, it has been replaced with the third person plural pronoun “they.” “And” has been supplied to provide the connection to the preceding clause.

[24:1]  ³⁶² tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[24:2]  ³⁶³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[24:2]  ³⁶⁴ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

[24:2]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

[24:2]  ³⁶⁶ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

[24:2]  ³⁶⁷ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

[24:2]  ³⁶⁸ tn Or “being made for this people.”

[24:2]  ³⁶⁹ sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

[24:3]  ³⁷⁰ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

[24:3]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

[24:3]  ³⁷² tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

[24:4]  ³⁷³ tn Or “may not weary.” BDAG 274 s.v. ἐγκόπτω states, “ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖόν σε ἐγκόπτω Ac 24:4 is understood by Syr. and Armen. versions to mean in order not to weary you any further; cp. ἔγκοπος weary Diog. L. 4, 50; LXX; and ἔγκοπον ποιεῖν to weary Job 19:2; Is 43:23. But impose on is also prob.; detain NRSV.”

[24:4]  ³⁷⁴ tn Or “request.”

[24:4]  ³⁷⁵ tn This term is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 976 s.v. συντόμως 2). Tertullus was asking for a brief hearing, and implying to the governor that he would speak briefly and to the point.

[24:4]  ³⁷⁶ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

[24:5]  ³⁷⁷ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:5]  ³⁷⁸ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

[24:5]  ³⁷⁹ tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

[24:5]  ³⁸⁰ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

[24:5]  sn A ringleader. Tertullus’ basic argument was that Paul was a major disturber of the public peace. To ignore this the governor would be shunning his duty to preserve the peace and going against the pattern of his rule. In effect, Tertullus claimed that Paul was seditious (a claim the governor could not afford to ignore).

[24:5]  ³⁸¹ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

[24:6]  ³⁸² tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

[24:6]  ³⁸³ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

[24:6]  ³⁸⁴ tn Or “seized.” Grk “whom also we arrested.” Because of the awkwardness of a relative clause in English at this point, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” as object of the verb.

[24:7]  ³⁸⁵ tc Some later mss include some material at the end of v. 6, all of 24:7, and some material at the beginning of v. 8: “and we wanted to judge him according to our law. 24:7 But Lysias the commanding officer came and took him out of our hands with a great deal of violence, 24:8 ordering those who accused him to come before you.” Acts 24:6b, 7, and 8a are lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 81 1175 1241 pm and a few versional witnesses. They are included (with a few minor variations) in E Ψ 33 323 614 945 1505 1739 pm and a few versional witnesses. This verse (and parts of verses) is most likely not a part of the original text of Acts, for not only is it lacking from the better witnesses, there is no easy explanation as to how such could be missing from them. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

[24:8]  ³⁸⁶ tn Or “question.”

[24:8]  ³⁸⁷ tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

[24:8]  ³⁸⁸ tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.

[24:9]  ³⁸⁹ tn Grk “joined in the attack,” but the adjective “verbal” has been supplied to clarify that this was not another physical assault on Paul. The verb is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 969 s.v. συνεπιτίθημι).

[24:9]  ³⁹⁰ tn Or “asserting” (BDAG 1050 s.v. φάσκω).

[24:10]  ³⁹¹ tn Grk “knowing.” The participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistamenos) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[24:10]  ³⁹² sn “Because…defense.” Paul also paid an indirect compliment to the governor, implying that he would be fair in his judgment.

[24:11]  ³⁹³ tn BDAG 369 s.v. ἐπιγινώσκω 2.c has “notice, perceive, learn of, ascertain…Also as legal t.t. ascertain (2 Macc 14:9) τὶ Ac 23:28; cp. 24:8. W. ὅτι foll. Ac 24:11.” “Verify” is an English synonym for “ascertain.”

[24:11]  ³⁹⁴ tn Grk “it is not more than twelve days from when.” This has been simplified to “not more than twelve days ago.”

[24:11]  sn Part of Paul’s defense is that he would not have had time to organize a revolt, since he had arrived in Jerusalem not more than twelve days ago.

[24:11]  ³⁹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[24:12]  ³⁹⁶ tn Or “disputing,” “conducting a heated discussion.”

[24:12]  ³⁹⁷ tn BDAG 381 s.v. ἐπίστασις 2 has “ἐ. ποιεῖν ὄχλου to cause a crowd to gather Ac 24:12.” Roman authorities would not allow a mob to gather and threaten the peace, and anyone suspected of instigating a mob would certainly be arrested.

[24:12]  ³⁹⁸ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[24:12]  ³⁹⁹ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[24:12]  ⁴⁰⁰ sn A second part of Paul’s defense is that he did nothing while he was in Jerusalem to cause unrest, neither arguing nor stirring up a crowd in the temple courts or in the synagogues or throughout the city.

[24:13]  ⁴⁰¹ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.f has “οὐδὲ παραστῆσαι δύνανταί σοι περὶ ὧν νυνὶ κατηγοροῦσίν μου nor can they prove to you the accusations they are now making against me Ac 24:13.”

[24:13]  sn Nor can they prove. This is a formal legal claim that Paul’s opponents lacked proof of any wrongdoing. They had no witness who could justify the arrest at the temple.

[24:13]  ⁴⁰² tn The words “the things” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[24:13]  ⁴⁰³ tn Grk “nor can they prove to you [the things] about which they are now accusing me.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“which”) in the translation.

[24:14]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Or “serve.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁰⁵ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[24:14]  ⁴⁰⁶ sn That is, the law of Moses. Paul was claiming that he legitimately worshiped the God of Israel. He was arguing that this amounted to a religious dispute rather than a political one, so that the Roman authorities need not concern themselves with it.

[24:15]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Grk “having.” The participle ἔχων (ecwn) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[24:15]  ⁴⁰⁸ sn This mention of Paul’s hope sets up his appeal to the resurrection of the dead. At this point Paul was ignoring the internal Jewish dispute between the Pharisees (to which he had belonged) and the Sadducees (who denied there would be a resurrection of the dead).

[24:15]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn Grk “a hope in God (which these [men] themselves accept too).” Because the antecedent of the relative pronoun “which” is somewhat unclear in English, the words “a hope” have been repeated at the beginning of the parenthesis for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁴¹⁰ tn Grk “that they”; the referent (these men, Paul’s accusers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:15]  ⁴¹¹ tn Or “the unjust.”

[24:15]  sn This is the only mention of the resurrection of the unrighteous in Acts. The idea parallels the idea of Jesus as the judge of both the living and the dead (Acts 10:42; 17:31).

[24:16]  ⁴¹² tn BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 9.a, “ἐν τούτῳ πιστεύομεν this is the reason why we believe Jn 16:30; cp. Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁴¹³ tn BDAG 224 s.v. διά 2.a, “διὰ παντός…always, continually, constantly…Ac 2:25 (Ps 15:8); 10:2; 24:16.” However, the positioning of the adverb “always” in the English translation is difficult; the position used is one of the least awkward.

[24:16]  ⁴¹⁴ tn BDAG 125 s.v. ἀπρόσκοπος 1 has “ἀ. συνείδησις a clear conscience Ac 24:16.”

[24:16]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use (Paul does not have only males in view).

[24:17]  ⁴¹⁶ tn BDAG 401 s.v. ἔτος has “δι᾿ ἐ. πλειόνων after several years 24:17.”

[24:17]  ⁴¹⁷ tn Grk “to bring alms,” but the term “alms” is not in common use today, so the closest modern equivalent, “gifts for the poor,” is used instead.

[24:17]  ⁴¹⁸ tn Or “sacrifices.” BDAG 887 s.v. προσφορά 1 has “προσφοράς ποιεῖν have sacrifices made Ac 24:17,” but this may be overly specific. It is not clear from the immediate context whether the offering of sacrificial animals (so BDAG assumes) or offerings of some other sort (such as financial gifts) are in view. The combination with ἐλεημοσύνας (elehmosuna") in the preceding clause may suggest monetary offerings. Some have suggested this is an allusion to the payments made by Paul on behalf of the four other men mentioned in Acts 21:23-26, but the text here seems to suggest something Paul had planned to do before he came, while the decision to pay for the expenses of the men in 21:23ff. was made at the suggestion of the Jerusalem leadership after he arrived. In either case, Paul was portraying himself as a pious worshiper of his God.

[24:18]  ⁴¹⁹ sn Ritually purified. Paul’s claim here is that he was honoring the holiness of God by being sensitive to issues of ritual purity. Not only was he not guilty of the charges against him, but he was thoroughly devout.

[24:18]  ⁴²⁰ tn BDAG 458 s.v. θόρυβος 3.b has “μετὰ θορύβου…with a disturbance Ac 24:18.”

[24:19]  ⁴²¹ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[24:19]  ⁴²² tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω (kathgorew), “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.’”

[24:19]  sn Who should be here…and bring charges. Paul was asking, where were those who brought about his arrest and claimed he broke the law? His accusers were not really present. This subtle point raised the issue of injustice.

[24:20]  ⁴²³ tn Grk “these [men] themselves.”

[24:20]  ⁴²⁴ tn Or “unrighteous act.”

[24:20]  ⁴²⁵ tn The words “me guilty of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. L&N 88.23 has “αὐτοὶ οὗτοι εἰπάτωσαν τί εὗρον ἀδίκημα στάντος μου ‘let these men themselves tell what unrighteous act they found me guilty of’ Ac 24:20.”

[24:20]  ⁴²⁶ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).

[24:21]  ⁴²⁷ tn BDAG 433 s.v. ἤ 2.c has “οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἤ nothing else than…Ac 17:21. τί…ἤ what other…than…24:21.”

[24:21]  ⁴²⁸ tn Grk “one utterance.”

[24:21]  ⁴²⁹ tn Cf. BDAG 327 s.v. ἐν 1.e, which has “before, in the presence of, etc.”

[24:21]  ⁴³⁰ sn The resurrection of the dead. Paul’s point was, what crime was there in holding this religious belief?

[24:22]  ⁴³¹ sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:22]  ⁴³² tn Grk “the things.”

[24:22]  ⁴³³ tn That is, concerning Christianity.

[24:22]  ⁴³⁴ tn BDAG 39 s.v. ἀκριβῶς has “Comp. ἀκριβέστερον more exactly…ἀ. ἐκτίθεσθαι explain more exactly Ac 18:26, cp. 23:15, 20; also more accurately…24:22.” Felix knew more about the Christian movement than what the Jewish leaders had told him.

[24:22]  ⁴³⁵ tn L&N 56.18 s.v. ἀναβάλλω has “to adjourn a court proceeding until a later time – ‘to adjourn a hearing, to stop a hearing and put it off until later.’…‘then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, adjourned their hearing’ Ac 24:22.”

[24:22]  ⁴³⁶ tn BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω 2 states, “to make a judicial decision, decide/hear (a case)…τὰ καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς decide your case Ac 24:22.”

[24:23]  ⁴³⁷ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[24:23]  ⁴³⁸ tn Grk “that he was to be guarded.” The passive construction (τηρεῖσθαι, threisqai) has been converted to an active one in parallel with the following clauses, and the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ⁴³⁹ tn BDAG 77 s.v. ἄνεσις 1 states, “lit. relaxation of custodial control, some liberty, ἀ. ἔχειν have some freedom Ac 24:23.”

[24:23]  ⁴⁴⁰ tn Grk “any of his own” (this could also refer to relatives).

[24:23]  ⁴⁴¹ tn Grk “from serving him.”

[24:24]  ⁴⁴² sn See the note on Antonius Felix in 23:24.

[24:24]  ⁴⁴³ sn It is possible that Drusilla, being Jewish, was the source of Felix’s knowledge about the new movement called Christianity. The youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Agrippa II, she would have been close to 20 years old at the time. She had married the king of a small region in Syria but divorced him at the age of 16 to marry Felix. This was her second marriage and Felix’s third (Josephus, Ant. 19.9.1 [19.354], 20.7.2 [20.141-144]). As a member of Herod’s family, she probably knew about the Way.

[24:24]  ⁴⁴⁴ tn The word “speak” is implied; BDAG 32 s.v. ἀκούω 1.c has “ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς…πίστεως he heard him speak about faith Ac 24:24.”

[24:24]  ⁴⁴⁵ tn Or “Messiah Jesus”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:25]  ⁴⁴⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:25]  ⁴⁴⁷ tn Or “speaking about.”

[24:25]  ⁴⁴⁸ tn Grk “and self-control.” 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.

[24:25]  sn The topic of self-control was appropriate in view of the personal history of both Felix and Drusilla (see the note on “Drusilla” in the previous verse), and might well account for Felix’s anxiety.

[24:25]  ⁴⁴⁹ sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:25]  ⁴⁵⁰ tn Grk “becoming.” The participle γενόμενος (genomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[24:25]  ⁴⁵¹ tn Or “when I find time.” BDAG 639 s.v. μεταλαμβάνω 2 has “καιρὸν μ. have an opportunity = find time…Ac 24:25.”

[24:26]  ⁴⁵² tn Grk “he was hoping that money would be given to him by Paul.” To simplify the translation, the passive construction has been converted to an active one.

[24:26]  sn Would give him money. That is, would offer him a bribe in exchange for his release. Such practices were fairly common among Roman officials of the period (Josephus, Ant. 2.12.3 [2.272-274]).

[24:26]  ⁴⁵³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:26]  ⁴⁵⁴ tn “As often as possible” reflects the comparative form of the adjective πυκνός (puknos); see BDAG 897 s.v. πυκνός, which has “Neut. of the comp. πυκνότερον as adv. more often, more frequently and in an elative sense very often, quite frequently…also as often as possible…Ac 24:26.”

[24:26]  ⁴⁵⁵ tn On this term, which could mean “conferred with him,” see BDAG 705 s.v. ὁμιλέω.

[24:27]  ⁴⁵⁶ tn Grk “After a two-year period.”

[24:27]  ⁴⁵⁷ sn Porcius Festus was the procurator of Palestine who succeeded Felix; neither the beginning nor the end of his rule (at his death) can be determined with certainty, although he appears to have died in office after about two years. Nero recalled Felix in a.d. 57 or 58, and Festus was appointed to his vacant office in a.d. 57, 58, or 59. According to Josephus (Ant. 20.8.9-10 [20.182-188]; J. W. 2.14.1 [2.271-272]), his administration was better than that of his predecessor Felix or his successor Albinus, but Luke in Acts portrays him in a less favorable light: He was willing to sacrifice Paul to court Jewish favor by taking him to Jerusalem for trial (v. 9), regardless of Paul’s guilt or innocence. The one characteristic for which Festus was noted is that he dealt harshly with those who disturbed the peace.

[24:27]  ⁴⁵⁸ tn Grk “Felix received as successor Porcius Festus.”

[24:27]  sn See the note on Felix in 23:26.

[24:27]  ⁴⁵⁹ tn Grk “left Paul imprisoned.”

[24:27]  sn Felix left Paul in prison. Luke makes the point that politics got in the way of justice here; keeping Paul in prison was a political favor to the Jews.

[25:1]  ⁴⁶⁰ tn BDAG 736-37 s.v. οὖν 2.b states, “οὖν serves to indicate a transition to someth. new…now, then, well…Ac 25:1.”

[25:1]  ⁴⁶¹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:1]  ⁴⁶² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:1]  ⁴⁶³ 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. This was a journey of 65 mi (just over 100 km).

[25:1]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:2]  ⁴⁶⁴ tn BDAG 893-94 s.v. πρῶτος 2.a.β has “οἱ πρῶτοι the most prominent men, the leading men w. gen. of the place…or of a group…οἱ πρ. τοῦ λαοῦ…Lk 19:47; cp. Ac 25:2; 28:17.”

[25:2]  ⁴⁶⁵ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

[25:2]  sn Note how quickly the Jewish leadership went after Paul: They brought formal charges against him within three days of Festus’ arrival in the province.

[25:3]  ⁴⁶⁶ tn Grk “Requesting a favor against him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation, the understood direct object of “requesting” has been supplied, and the phrase “to do them” supplied for clarity.

[25:3]  ⁴⁶⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The words “they urged him” are in v. 2 in the Greek text.

[25:3]  ⁴⁶⁸ sn Planning an ambush. The Jewish leadership had not forgotten the original plan of several years ago (see 23:16). They did not trust the Roman legal process, but preferred to take matters into their own hands.

[25:4]  ⁴⁶⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:4]  ⁴⁷⁰ 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.

[25:4]  ⁴⁷¹ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁴⁷² tn Grk “let those who are influential among you” (i.e., the powerful).

[25:5]  ⁴⁷³ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[25:5]  ⁴⁷⁴ tn Grk “and if there is anything wrong with this man,” but this could be misunderstood in English to mean a moral or physical defect, while the issue in context is the commission of some crime, something legally improper (BDAG 149 s.v. ἄτοπος 2).

[25:5]  ⁴⁷⁵ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατηγορέω 1 states, “nearly always as legal t.t.: bring charges in court.” L&N 33.427 states for κατηγορέω, “to bring serious charges or accusations against someone, with the possible connotation of a legal or court context – ‘to accuse, to bring charges.”

[25:6]  ⁴⁷⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Festus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[25:6]  ⁴⁷⁷ tn Grk “Having stayed.” The participle διατρίψας (diatriya") has been taken temporally.

[25:6]  ⁴⁷⁸ 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.

[25:6]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:6]  ⁴⁷⁹ tn Grk “sitting down…he ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:6]  ⁴⁸⁰ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bhma was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:6]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:7]  ⁴⁸¹ tn BDAG 801 s.v. περιίστημι 1.a has “περιέστησαν αὐτὸν οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι the Judeans stood around him 25:7.”

[25:7]  ⁴⁸² tn Grk “many and serious.” The term βαρύς (barus) refers to weighty or serious charges (BDAG 167 s.v. 1).

[25:7]  ⁴⁸³ tn The term ἀποδείκνυμι (apodeiknumi) in a legal context refers to legal proof (4 Macc 1:8; BDAG 108 s.v. 3).

[25:8]  ⁴⁸⁴ tn Grk “Paul saying in his defense”; the participle ἀπολογουμένου (apologoumenou) could be taken temporally (“when Paul said…”), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here in the translation. BDAG 116-17 s.v. ἀπολογέομαι has “W. ὅτι foll. τοῦ Παύλου ἀπολογουμένου, ὅτι when Paul said in his defense (direct quot. foll.) Ac 25:8.”

[25:8]  ⁴⁸⁵ tn Grk “I have sinned…in nothing.”

[25:8]  ⁴⁸⁶ tn Grk “against the law of the Jews.” Here τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων has been translated as an attributive genitive.

[25:8]  sn The Jewish law refers to the law of Moses.

[25:8]  ⁴⁸⁷ tn Or “against the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:8]  sn Paul’s threefold claim to be innocent with respect to the law…the temple and Caesar argues that he has not disturbed the peace at any level. This was the standard charge made against early Christians (Luke 23:2; Acts 17:6-7). The charges here are emphatically denied, with the Greek conjunction oute repeated before each charge.

[25:9]  ⁴⁸⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:9]  ⁴⁸⁹ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:9]  ⁴⁹⁰ tn Grk “concerning these things.”

[25:10]  ⁴⁹¹ tn Grk “said.”

[25:10]  ⁴⁹² tn Or “before the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:10]  ⁴⁹³ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. Here of course Paul’s reference to “Caesar’s judgment seat” is a form of metonymy; since Festus is Caesar’s representative, Festus’ judgment seat represents Caesar’s own.

[25:10]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:10]  ⁴⁹⁴ tn That is, tried by an imperial representative and subject to Roman law.

[25:10]  ⁴⁹⁵ sn “I have done nothing wrong.” Here is yet another declaration of total innocence on Paul’s part.

[25:10]  ⁴⁹⁶ tn BDAG 506 s.v. καλῶς 7 states, “comp. κάλλιον (for the superl., as Galen, Protr. 8 p. 24, 19J.=p. 10, 31 Kaibel; s. B-D-F §244, 2) ὡς καί σὺ κ. ἐπιγινώσκεις as also you know very well Ac 25:10.”

[25:11]  ⁴⁹⁷ tn BDAG 20 s.v. ἀδικέω 1.b has “intr. be in the wrong (Ex 2:13) εἰ ἀδικῶ Ac 25:11.”

[25:11]  ⁴⁹⁸ tn BDAG 764 s.v. παραιτέομαι 2.b.β, “οὐ παραιτοῦμαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν I am not trying to escape death Ac 25:11 (cp. Jos., Vi. 141).” To avoid redundancy in the translation, the English gerund “dying” is used to translate the Greek infinitive ἀποθανεῖν (apoqanein).

[25:11]  ⁴⁹⁹ tn Or “but if there is nothing to their charges against me.” Both “if” clauses in this verse are first class conditions. Paul stated the options without prejudice, assuming in turn the reality of each for the sake of the argument.

[25:11]  ⁵⁰⁰ sn That is, no one can hand me over to them lawfully. Paul was aware of the dangers of a return to Jerusalem.

[25:11]  ⁵⁰¹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:11]  sn The appeal to Caesar was known as the provocatio ad Caesarem. It was a Roman citizen’s right to ask for a direct judgment by the emperor (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96). It was one of the oldest rights of Roman citizens.

[25:12]  ⁵⁰² tn That is, with his advisers.

[25:12]  ⁵⁰³ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:12]  ⁵⁰⁴ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:12]  ⁵⁰⁵ tn Or “to the emperor.”

[25:12]  ⁵⁰⁶ sn “To Caesar you will go!” In all probability Festus was pleased to send Paul on to Rome and get this political problem out of his court.

[25:13]  ⁵⁰⁷ sn King Agrippa was Herod Agrippa II (a.d. 27-92/93), son of Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12:1). He ruled over parts of Palestine from a.d. 53 until his death. His sister Bernice was widowed when her second husband, Herod King of Chalcis, died in a.d. 48. From then she lived with her brother. In an attempt to quiet rumors of an incestuous relationship between them, she resolved to marry Polemo of Cilicia, but she soon left him and returned to Herod Agrippa II. Their incestuous relationship became the gossip of Rome according to Josephus (Ant. 20.7.3 [20.145-147]). The visit of Agrippa and Bernice gave Festus the opportunity to get some internal Jewish advice. Herod Agrippa II was a trusted adviser because he was known to be very loyal to Rome (Josephus, J. W. 2.16.4 [2.345-401]).

[25:13]  ⁵⁰⁸ 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.

[25:13]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:13]  ⁵⁰⁹ tn BDAG 144 s.v. ἀσπάζομαι 1.b states, “Of official visits pay one’s respects to…Ac 25:13.”

[25:13]  ⁵¹⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵¹¹ tn BDAG 1105-6 s.v. ὡς 8.b states, “w. pres. or impf. while, when, as long as…Ac 1:10; 7:23; 9:23; 10:17; 13:25; 19:9; 21:27; 25:14.”

[25:14]  ⁵¹² sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:14]  ⁵¹³ tn Grk “Festus laid Paul’s case before the king for consideration.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατίθημι 2 states, “otherw. only mid. to lay someth. before someone for consideration, declare, communicate, refer w. the added idea that the pers. to whom a thing is ref. is asked for his opinion lay someth. before someone for consideration…Ac 25:14.”

[25:15]  ⁵¹⁴ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:15]  ⁵¹⁵ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “to convey a formal report about a judicial matter, present evidence, bring charges…ἐ. περί τινος concerning someone 25:15.”

[25:15]  ⁵¹⁶ tn Grk “about whom.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 15 (where the phrase περὶ οὗ [peri Jou] occurs in the Greek text).

[25:15]  ⁵¹⁷ tn BDAG 516 s.v. καταδίκη states, “condemnation, sentence of condemnation, conviction, guilty verdict…αἰτεῖσθαι κατά τινος κ. ask for a conviction of someone Ac 25:15.”

[25:16]  ⁵¹⁸ tn Grk “to whom I answered.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been replaced with a personal pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence started in the translation at the beginning of v. 16.

[25:16]  sn “I answered them.” In the answer that follows, Festus is portrayed in a more positive light, being sensitive to justice and Roman law.

[25:16]  ⁵¹⁹ tn Grk “any man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos).

[25:16]  ⁵²⁰ tn Or “has met his accusers in person.”

[25:16]  ⁵²¹ tn Grk “and receives.”

[25:16]  ⁵²² tn Or “indictment” (a legal technical term). BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 states, “legal t.t.…ἀπολογία περὶ τοῦ ἐ. defense against the accusation Ac 25:16.” L&N 56.6 defines ἔγκλημα (enklhma) as “(a technical, legal term) a formal indictment or accusation brought against someone – ‘indictment, accusation, case.’ …‘and might receive an opportunity for a defense against the indictment’ Ac 25:16.”

[25:17]  ⁵²³ tn BDAG 969-70 s.v. συνέρχομαι 2 states, “συνελθόντων ἐνθάδε prob. means (because of συνκαταβάντες 25:5) they came back here with (me) 25:17.”

[25:17]  ⁵²⁴ tn BDAG 59 s.v. ἀναβολή states, “‘delay’…legal t.t. postponement…ἀ. μηδεμίαν ποιησάμενος I did not postpone the matter Ac 25:17.” “Case” has been supplied instead of “matter” since it is more specific to the context. The participle ποιησάμενος (poihsameno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ⁵²⁵ tn Grk “sitting…I ordered.” The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[25:17]  ⁵²⁶ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “tribunal” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“court,” NIV; “tribunal,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[25:17]  sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[25:18]  ⁵²⁷ tn Grk “they brought no charge of any of the evil deeds.” BDAG 31 s.v. αἰτία 3.b has “αἰτίαν φέρειν…bring an accusation Ac 25:18.” Since κατήγοροι (kathgoroi, “accusers”) in the previous clause is somewhat redundant with this, “charge” was used instead.

[25:18]  ⁵²⁸ tn Or “I was expecting.”

[25:19]  ⁵²⁹ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[25:19]  ⁵³⁰ tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.

[25:19]  sn About their own religion. Festus made it clear that in his view as a neutral figure (and as one Luke had noted was disposed to help the Jews), he saw no guilt in Paul. The issue was a simple religious dispute.

[25:19]  ⁵³¹ tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”

[25:19]  ⁵³² tn Or “asserted.”

[25:20]  ⁵³³ tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[25:20]  ⁵³⁴ tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”

[25:20]  ⁵³⁵ tn Or “stand trial.”

[25:20]  ⁵³⁶ tn Grk “on these things.”

[25:21]  ⁵³⁷ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).” It was a translation into Greek of the Latin “Augustus.”

[25:21]  ⁵³⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[25:22]  ⁵³⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:22]  ⁵⁴⁰ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:22]  ⁵⁴¹ tn Grk “said.”

[25:23]  ⁵⁴² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:23]  ⁵⁴³ tn Or “great pageantry” (BDAG 1049 s.v. φαντασία; the term is a NT hapax legomenon).

[25:23]  sn Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp. The “royals” were getting their look at Paul. Everyone who was anyone would have been there.

[25:23]  ⁵⁴⁴ tn Or “auditorium.” “Auditorium” may suggest to the modern English reader a theater where performances are held. Here it is the large hall where a king or governor would hold audiences. Paul once spoke of himself as a “spectacle” to the world (1 Cor 4:8-13).

[25:23]  ⁵⁴⁵ tn Grk “the chiliarchs” (officers in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (ciliarco") literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

[25:23]  ⁵⁴⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:23]  ⁵⁴⁷ tn Grk “and Festus ordering, Paul was brought in.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has not been translated. The participle κελεύσαντος (keleusanto") has been taken temporally.

[25:24]  ⁵⁴⁸ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[25:24]  ⁵⁴⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:24]  ⁵⁵⁰ tn Probably best understood as rhetorical hyperbole. BDAG 825 s.v. πλῆθος 2.b.γ states, “people, populace, population…τὸ πλῆθος the populace…ἅπαν τὸ πλ. τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων Ac 25:24.” However, the actions of the leadership are seen by Luke as representing the actions of the entire nation, so the remark is not inaccurate.

[25:24]  ⁵⁵¹ tn Or “appealed to” (BDAG 341 s.v. ἐντυγχάνω 1.a).

[25:24]  ⁵⁵² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[25:24]  ⁵⁵³ sn Here means “here in Caesarea.”

[25:24]  ⁵⁵⁴ tn Or “screaming.”

[25:25]  ⁵⁵⁵ sn He had done nothing that deserved death. Festus’ opinion of Paul’s guilt is like Pilate’s of Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).

[25:25]  ⁵⁵⁶ tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”

[25:25]  ⁵⁵⁷ tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).”

[25:25]  ⁵⁵⁸ 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.

[25:26]  ⁵⁵⁹ sn There is irony here. How can Festus write anything definite about Paul, if he is guilty of nothing.

[25:26]  ⁵⁶⁰ sn To my lord means “to His Majesty the Emperor.”

[25:26]  ⁵⁶¹ tn Grk “about whom I have nothing definite…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced with a personal pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at the beginning of v. 26.

[25:26]  ⁵⁶² sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[25:26]  ⁵⁶³ tn Or “investigation.” BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνάκρισις has “a judicial hearing, investigation, hearing, esp. preliminary hearing…τῆς ἀ. γενομένης Ac 25:26.” This is technical legal language.

[25:27]  ⁵⁶⁴ tn L&N 33.153 s.v. σημαίνω, “to cause something to be both specific and clear – ‘to indicate clearly, to make clear’… ‘for it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him’ Ac 25:27.”

[25:27]  sn Without clearly indicating the charges against him. Again the point is made by Festus himself that there is difficulty even in articulating a charge against Paul.

[26:1]  ⁵⁶⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:1]  ⁵⁶⁶ tn Grk “It is permitted for you.”

[26:1]  ⁵⁶⁷ tn Or “extended his hand” (a speaker’s gesture).

[26:1]  ⁵⁶⁸ tn Or “and began to speak in his own defense.”

[26:2]  ⁵⁶⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:3]  ⁵⁷⁰ tn BDAG 613 s.v. μάλιστα 1 states, “μ. γνώστην ὄντα σε since you are outstandingly familiar Ac 26:3.”

[26:3]  ⁵⁷¹ tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”

[26:3]  ⁵⁷² tn BDAG 218 s.v. δέομαι states, “In our lit. only w. the mng. to ask for something pleadingly, ask, request,” and then in section a.α states, “w. inf. foll.…Ac 26:3.”

[26:4]  ⁵⁷³ tn Grk “my manner of life.”

[26:4]  ⁵⁷⁴ tn Or “nation.”

[26:4]  ⁵⁷⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[26:5]  ⁵⁷⁶ tn These words are repeated from v. 4 (“all the Jews know”). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, it was necessary to begin a new sentence at the beginning of v. 5 in the translation, but for this to make sense, the main verb ἵσασι ({isasi) has to be repeated to connect with the ὅτι (Joti) clause (indirect discourse) in v. 5.

[26:5]  ⁵⁷⁷ tn Grk “having known me from time past.” The participle προγινώσκοντες (proginwskonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[26:5]  ⁵⁷⁸ tn BDAG 866 s.v. προγινώσκω 2 has “Know from time past…προγινώσκοντές με ἄνωθεν Ac 26:5.” L&N 28.6 states, “‘they have already known me beforehand, if they are willing to testify’ Ac 26:5.”

[26:5]  ⁵⁷⁹ tn That is, strictest religious party. “Party” alone is used in the translation because “the strictest religious party of our religion” would be redundant.

[26:5]  ⁵⁸⁰ sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.

[26:6]  ⁵⁸¹ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.a.α has “κρίνεσθαι ἐπί τινι be on trial because of a thing Ac 26:6.”

[26:6]  ⁵⁸² tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[26:7]  ⁵⁸³ tn Grk “to which [promise] our twelve tribes…” The antecedent of the relative pronoun (the promise in v. 6) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:7]  ⁵⁸⁴ tn Or “earnestly worship.” The object of this service, God, is omitted but implied: BDAG 587 s.v. λατρεύω states, “Without the dat. of the one to whom service is given: ἐν ἐκτενείᾳ νύκτα κ. ἡμέραν λ. serve (God) earnestly night and day Ac 26:7.” Although clear from the context in Greek, “God” must be supplied as the recipient of the service for the modern English reader.

[26:7]  ⁵⁸⁵ tn Grk “I am being accused by the Jews.” The passive construction was simplified by converting it to an active one in the translation.

[26:7]  ⁵⁸⁶ tn Grk “O King!”

[26:8]  ⁵⁸⁷ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate that the second person pronoun (“you”) is plural (others in addition to King Agrippa are being addressed).

[26:8]  ⁵⁸⁸ tn BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 3 states, “τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν; why do you think it is incredible? Ac 26:8.” The passive construction (“why is it thought unbelievable…”) has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[26:8]  ⁵⁸⁹ tn Or “incredible.” BDAG 103 s.v. ἄπιστος 1 states, “unbelievable, incredible…τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ᾿ ὑμῖν…; why does it seem incredible to you? Ac 26:8.”

[26:8]  ⁵⁹⁰ tn Grk “if.” The first-class conditional construction, which assumes reality for the sake of argument, has been translated as indirect discourse.

[26:9]  ⁵⁹¹ tn BDAG 737 s.v. οὖν 3 states, “It has been proposed that some traces of older Gk. usage in which οὖν is emphatic, = certainly, really, to be sure etc. (s. L-S-J-M s.v. 1) remain in the pap…and in the NT…indeed, of course Ac 26:9.”

[26:9]  ⁵⁹² tn Grk “I thought to myself.” BDAG 255 s.v. δοκέω 2.a has “ἔδοξα ἐμαυτῷ δεῖν πρᾶξαι = Lat. mihi videbar I was convinced that it was necessary to do Ac 26:9.”

[26:10]  ⁵⁹³ tn Grk “by receiving authority.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been taken instrumentally.

[26:10]  ⁵⁹⁴ tn Grk “cast down a pebble against them.” L&N 30.103 states, “(an idiom, Grk ‘to bring a pebble against someone,’ a reference to a white or black pebble used in voting for or against someone) to make known one’s choice against someone – ‘to vote against.’ …‘when they were sentenced to death, I also voted against them’ Ac 26:10.”

[26:10]  ⁵⁹⁵ tn Grk “when they were being executed”; but the context supports the sentencing rather than the execution itself (cf. L&N 30.103).

[26:11]  ⁵⁹⁶ tn Grk “and punishing…I tried.” The participle τιμωρῶν (timwrwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. 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.

[26:11]  ⁵⁹⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[26:11]  ⁵⁹⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἠνάγκαζον (hnankazon) has been translated as a conative imperfect (so BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 1, which has “ἠνάγκαζον βλασφημεῖν I tried to force them to blaspheme Ac 26:11”).

[26:11]  ⁵⁹⁹ tn Or “was so insanely angry with them.” BDAG 322 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι states, “to be filled with such anger that one appears to be mad, be enraged…περισσῶς ἐμμαινόμενος αὐτοῖς being furiously enraged at them Ac 26:11”; L&N 88.182 s.v. ἐμμαίνομαι, “to be so furiously angry with someone as to be almost out of one’s mind – ‘to be enraged, to be infuriated, to be insanely angry’ …‘I was so infuriated with them that I even went to foreign cities to persecute them’ Ac 26:11.”

[26:11]  ⁶⁰⁰ tn Or “I pursued them even as far as foreign cities.”

[26:12]  ⁶⁰¹ 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]  ⁶⁰² tn Grk “going.” The participle πορευόμενος (poreuomenos) has been taken temporally.

[26:12]  ⁶⁰³ 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]  ⁶⁰⁴ tn Grk “O King.”

[26:13]  ⁶⁰⁵ tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[26:13]  ⁶⁰⁶ 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]  ⁶⁰⁷ tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

[26:14]  ⁶⁰⁸ tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

[26:14]  ⁶⁰⁹ 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]  ⁶¹⁰ tn Grk “said.”

[26:16]  ⁶¹¹ tn L&N 30.89 has “‘to choose in advance, to select beforehand, to designate in advance.’”

[26:16]  ⁶¹² 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]  ⁶¹³ 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]  ⁶¹⁴ 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]  ⁶¹⁵ 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]  ⁶¹⁶ tn That is, from the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the words “your own” have been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:17]  ⁶¹⁷ 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]  ⁶¹⁸ 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]  ⁶¹⁹ 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]  ⁶²⁰ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[26:19]  ⁶²¹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:19]  ⁶²² 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]  ⁶²³ 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]  ⁶²⁴ 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]  ⁶²⁵ sn That they should repent and turn to God. This is the shortest summary of Paul’s message that he preached.

[26:20]  ⁶²⁶ 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.

[26:21]  ⁶²⁷ tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[26:22]  ⁶²⁸ tn Grk “So experiencing…I stand.” The participle τυχών (tucwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[26:22]  ⁶²⁹ tn BDAG 311 s.v. ἐκτός 3.b, “functions as prep. w. gen. οὐδὲν ἐ. ὧν nothing except what (cf. 1 Ch 29:3; 2 Ch 17:19; TestNapht. 6:2) Ac 26:22.”

[26:22]  ⁶³⁰ sn What the prophets and Moses said. Paul argued that his message reflected the hope of the Jewish scriptures.

[26:23]  ⁶³¹ tn BDAG 277-78 s.v. εἰ 2 has “marker of an indirect question as content, that…Sim. also (Procop. Soph., Ep. 123 χάριν ἔχειν εἰ = that) μαρτυρόμενος…εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός testifying…that the Christ was to suffer…Ac 26:23.”

[26:23]  ⁶³² tn Or “the Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[26:23]  sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

[26:23]  ⁶³³ tn That is, to the Jewish people. Grk “the people”; the word “our” has been supplied to clarify the meaning.

[26:23]  ⁶³⁴ sn Note how the context of Paul’s gospel message about Jesus, resurrection, and light both to Jews and to the Gentiles is rooted in the prophetic message of the OT scriptures. Paul was guilty of following God’s call and preaching the scriptural hope.

[26:24]  ⁶³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[26:24]  ⁶³⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:24]  ⁶³⁷ tn On the term translated “lost your mind” see BDAG 610 s.v. μαίνομαι, which has “you’re out of your mind, you’re raving, said to one whose enthusiasm seems to have outrun better judgment 26:24.”

[26:24]  sn The expression “You have lost your mind” would be said to someone who speaks incredible things, in the opinion of the hearer. Paul’s mention of the resurrection (v. 23) was probably what prompted Festus to say this.

[26:25]  ⁶³⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[26:25]  ⁶³⁹ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:25]  ⁶⁴⁰ tn Or “declaring.” BDAG 125 s.v. ἀποφθέγγομαι states, “speak out, declare boldly or loudly…τὶ: σωφροσύνης ῥήματα Ac 26:25.”

[26:25]  ⁶⁴¹ tn BDAG 987 s.v. σωφροσύνη 1 has “gener. soundness of mind, reasonableness, rationality…ἀληθείας καὶ σωφροσύνης ῥήματα true and rational words (opp. μαίνομαι) Ac 26:25.”

[26:26]  ⁶⁴² tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ⁶⁴³ tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ⁶⁴⁴ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ⁶⁴⁵ tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ⁶⁴⁶ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.

[26:27]  ⁶⁴⁷ sn “Do you believe the prophets?” Note how Paul made the issue believing the OT prophets and God’s promise which God fulfilled in Christ. He was pushing King Agrippa toward a decision not for or against Paul’s guilt of any crime, but concerning Paul’s message.

[26:27]  ⁶⁴⁸ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁶⁴⁹ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:28]  ⁶⁵⁰ tn Or “In a short time you will make me a Christian.” On the difficulty of the precise nuances of Agrippa’s reply in this passage, see BDAG 791 s.v. πείθω 1.b. The idiom is like 1 Kgs 21:7 LXX. The point is that Paul was trying to persuade Agrippa to accept his message. If Agrippa had let Paul persuade him, he would have converted to Christianity.

[26:28]  sn The question “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” was probably a ploy on Agrippa’s part to deflect Paul from his call for a decision. Note also how the tables have turned: Agrippa was brought in to hear Paul’s defense, and now ends up defending himself. The questioner is now being questioned.

[26:29]  ⁶⁵¹ tn BDAG 703 s.v. ὀλίγος 2.b.β has “καὶ ἐν ὀλ. καὶ ἐν μεγάλῳ whether in a short or a long time vs. 29 (cf. B-D-F §195; GWhitaker, The Words of Agrippa to St. Paul: JTS 15, 1914, 82f; AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 50; Field, Notes 141-43; s. Rob. 653).”

[26:29]  ⁶⁵² sn Except for these chains. The chains represented Paul’s unjust suffering for the sake of the message. His point was, in effect, “I do not care how long it takes. I only hope you and everyone else hearing this would become believers in Christ, but without my unjust suffering.”

[26:31]  ⁶⁵³ tn Grk “they spoke to one another saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[26:31]  ⁶⁵⁴ tn BDAG 93 s.v. ἄξιος 1.b has “θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν ἄ. nothing deserving death or imprisonment 23:29; 26:31.”

[26:31]  sn Not doing anything deserving death… Here is yet another declaration of Paul’s innocence, but still no release. The portrayal shows how unjust Paul’s confinement was.

[26:32]  ⁶⁵⁵ sn See the note on King Agrippa in 25:13.

[26:32]  ⁶⁵⁶ sn See the note on Porcius Festus in 24:27.

[26:32]  ⁶⁵⁷ tn Or “set free.”

[26:32]  ⁶⁵⁸ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[26:32]  sn If he had not appealed to Caesar. Ultimately Agrippa and Festus blamed what Paul himself had done in appealing to Caesar for his own continued custody. In terms of Luke’s narrative, this still appears unjust and a denial of responsibility.

[27:1]  ⁶⁵⁹ sn The last “we” section in Acts begins here and extends to 28:16 (the previous one ended at 21:18).

[27:1]  ⁶⁶⁰ sn Sail to Italy. This voyage with its difficulty serves to show how God protected Paul on his long journey to Rome. From the perspective of someone in Palestine, this may well picture “the end of the earth” quite literally (cf. Acts 1:8).

[27:1]  ⁶⁶¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:1]  ⁶⁶² tn According to BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός, “In σπεῖρα Σεβαστή 27:1 (cp. OGI 421) Σεβαστή is likew. an exact transl. of Lat. Augusta, an honorary title freq. given to auxiliary troops (Ptolem. renders it Σεβαστή in connection w. three legions that bore it: 2, 3, 30; 2, 9, 18; 4, 3, 30) imperial cohort.” According to W. Foerster (TDNT 7:175), “In Ac. 27:1 the σπεῖρα Σεβαστή is an expression also found elsewhere for ‘auxiliary troops.’” In no case would this refer to a special imperial bodyguard, and to translate “imperial regiment” or “imperial cohort” might give this impression. There is some archaeological evidence for a Cohors Augusta I stationed in Syria during the time of Augustus, but whether this is the same unit is very debatable.

[27:1]  sn The Augustan Cohort. A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion. There is considerable debate over the identification of this particular cohort and the meaning of the title Augustan mentioned here. These may well have been auxiliary (provincial) troops given the honorary title.

[27:2]  ⁶⁶³ tn Grk “Going on board.” The participle ἐπιβάντες (epibante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁴ sn Adramyttium was a seaport in Mysia on the western coast of Asia Minor.

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁵ tn Grk “places.”

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁶ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁷ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:2]  sn Although not explicitly stated, the ship put out to sea from the port of Caesarea (where the previous events had taken place (cf. 25:13) and then sailed along the Asiatic coast (the first stop was Sidon, v. 3).

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁸ sn A Macedonian. The city of Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was in the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[27:2]  ⁶⁶⁹ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[27:3]  ⁶⁷⁰ tn BDAG 516 s.v. κατάγω states, “Hence the pass., in act. sense, of ships and seafarers put in εἴς τι at a harbor…εἰς Σιδῶνα Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  ⁶⁷¹ sn Sidon is another seaport 75 mi (120 km) north of Caesarea.

[27:3]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[27:3]  ⁶⁷² tn BDAG 1056 s.v. φιλανθρώπως states, “benevolently, kindly φιλανθρώπως χρῆσθαί (τινι) treat someone in kindly fashion…Ac 27:3.”

[27:3]  sn Treating Paul kindly. Paul’s treatment followed the pattern of the earlier imprisonment (cf. Acts 24:23).

[27:3]  ⁶⁷³ tn Grk “to go to his friends to be cared for.” The scene is an indication of Christian hospitality.

[27:4]  ⁶⁷⁴ tn Grk “putting out to sea.” The participle ἀναχθέντες (anacqente") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 states, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:4]  ⁶⁷⁵ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.” Thus they were east and north of the island.

[27:5]  ⁶⁷⁶ tn Grk “the depths,” the deep area of a sea far enough from land that it is not protected by the coast (L&N 1.73).

[27:5]  ⁶⁷⁷ sn Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor; it was west of Cilicia (see BDAG 753 s.v. Παμφυλία).

[27:5]  ⁶⁷⁸ tn BDAG 531 s.v. κατέρχομαι 2 states, “Of ships and those who sail in them, who ‘come down’ fr. the ‘high seas’: arrive, put in…ἔις τι at someth. a harbor 18:22; 21:3; 27:5.”

[27:5]  ⁶⁷⁹ sn Myra was a city on the southern coast of Lycia in Asia Minor. This journey from Sidon (v. 3) was 440 mi (700 km) and took about 15 days.

[27:5]  ⁶⁸⁰ sn Lycia was the name of a peninsula on the southern coast of Asia Minor between Caria and Pamphylia.

[27:6]  ⁶⁸¹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:6]  ⁶⁸² tn Grk “finding.” The participle εὑρών (Jeurwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:6]  ⁶⁸³ sn Alexandria (modern Alexandria) was a great city of northern Egypt which was a center for grain trade to Rome. Therefore this type of travel connection was common at the time. For a winter journey (considered hazardous) there were special bonuses and insurance provided (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18.1-2).

[27:7]  ⁶⁸⁴ tn The participle βραδυπλοοῦντες (braduploounte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:7]  ⁶⁸⁵ sn Cnidus was the name of a peninsula on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor. This was about 130 mi (210 km) from Myra.

[27:7]  ⁶⁸⁶ tn This genitive absolute construction with προσεῶντος (prosewnto") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 13.139 translates the phrase μὴ προσεῶντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ ἀνέμου (mh prosewnto" Jhma" tou anemou) as “the wind would not let us go any farther.”

[27:7]  ⁶⁸⁷ tn BDAG 1040 s.v. ὑποπλέω states, “sail under the lee of an island, i.e. in such a way that the island protects the ship fr. the wind Ac 27:4, 7.”

[27:7]  ⁶⁸⁸ sn Salmone was the name of a promontory on the northeastern corner of the island of Crete. This was about 100 mi (160 km) farther along.

[27:8]  ⁶⁸⁹ tn Grk “sailing along the coast…we came.” The participle παραλεγόμενοι (paralegomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’ …‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:8]  ⁶⁹⁰ tn Grk “it”; the referent (Crete) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[27:8]  ⁶⁹¹ sn Lasea was a city on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 60 mi (96 km) farther.

[27:9]  ⁶⁹² tn Or “unsafe” (BDAG 383 s.v. ἐπισφαλής). The term is a NT hapax legomenon.

[27:9]  ⁶⁹³ sn The fast refers to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. It was now into October and the dangerous winter winds would soon occur (Suetonius, Life of Claudius 18; Josephus, J. W. 1.14.2-3 [1.279-281]).

[27:9]  ⁶⁹⁴ tn The accusative articular infinitive παρεληλυθέναι (parelhluqenai) after the preposition διά (dia) is causal. BDAG 776 s.v. παρέρχομαι 2 has “διὰ τὸ τὴν νηστείαν ἤδη παρεληλυθέναι because the fast was already over Ac 27:9.”

[27:9]  ⁶⁹⁵ tn Grk “Paul advised, saying to them.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated. On the term translated “advised,” see BDAG 764 s.v. παραινέω, which usually refers to recommendations.

[27:9]  sn Paul advised them. A literary theme surfaces here: Though Paul is under arrest, he will be the one to guide them all through the dangers of the storm and shipwreck, showing clearly God’s presence and protection of him. The story is told in great detail. This literary effect of slowing down the passage of time and narrating with many details serves to add a sense of drama to the events described.

[27:10]  ⁶⁹⁶ tn Grk “is going to be with disaster.”

[27:10]  ⁶⁹⁷ tn Or “hardship,” “damage.” BDAG 1022 s.v. ὕβρις 3 states, “fig. hardship, disaster, damage caused by the elements…w. ζημία Ac 27:10.”

[27:10]  ⁶⁹⁸ tn Grk “souls” (here, one’s physical life).

[27:11]  ⁶⁹⁹ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:11]  ⁷⁰⁰ tn Or “persuaded.”

[27:11]  ⁷⁰¹ tn BDAG 456 s.v. κυβερνήτης 1 has “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster…W. ναύκληρος, the ‘shipowner’…Ac 27:11” See further L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 316-18.

[27:11]  ⁷⁰² tn Grk “than by what was said by Paul.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation.

[27:11]  sn More convinced by the captain and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. The position taken by the centurion was logical, since he was following “professional” advice. But this was not a normal voyage.

[27:12]  ⁷⁰³ tn BDAG 181-82 s.v. βουλή 2.a, “β. τίθεσθαι (Judg 19:30; Ps 12:3) decide 27:12 (w. inf. foll.).”

[27:12]  ⁷⁰⁴ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:12]  ⁷⁰⁵ tn Grk “from there, if somehow” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation and the introductory phrase “They hoped that” supplied (with the subject, “they,” repeated from the previous clause) to make a complete English sentence.

[27:12]  ⁷⁰⁶ tn Grk “if somehow, reaching Phoenix, they could…” The participle καταντήσαντες (katanthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:12]  ⁷⁰⁷ sn Phoenix was a seaport on the southern coast of the island of Crete. This was about 30 mi (48 km) further west.

[27:12]  ⁷⁰⁸ tn Or “a harbor of Crete open to the southwest and northwest.”

[27:13]  ⁷⁰⁹ tn Grk “thinking.” The participle δόξαντες (doxante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:13]  ⁷¹⁰ tn Or “accomplish.” L&N 68.29, for κρατέω, has “to be able to complete or finish, presumably despite difficulties – ‘to accomplish, to do successfully, to carry out.’ …‘thinking that they could carry out their purpose’ Ac 27:13.”

[27:13]  ⁷¹¹ tn Or “departed.”

[27:13]  ⁷¹² tn L&N 54.8, “παραλέγομαι: (a technical, nautical term) to sail along beside some object – ‘to sail along the coast, to sail along the shore.’…‘they sailed along the coast of Crete’ Ac 27:13.” With the addition of the adverb ἆσσον (asson) this becomes “sailed close along the coast of Crete.”

[27:14]  ⁷¹³ tn Grk “a wind like a typhoon.” That is, a very violent wind like a typhoon or hurricane (BDAG 1021 s.v. τυφωνικός).

[27:14]  ⁷¹⁴ sn Or called Euraquilo (the actual name of the wind, a sailor’s term which was a combination of Greek and Latin). According to Strabo (Geography 1.2.21), this was a violent northern wind.

[27:14]  ⁷¹⁵ tn Grk “from it”; the referent (the island) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:15]  ⁷¹⁶ tn Or “was forced off course.” Grk “The ship being caught in it.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle συναρπασθέντος (sunarpasqento") has been taken temporally; it could also be translated as causal (“Because the ship was caught in it”).

[27:15]  ⁷¹⁷ tn BDAG 91 s.v. ἀντοφθαλμέω states, “Metaph. of a ship τοῦ πλοίου μὴ δυναμένοι ἀ. τῷ ἀνέμῳ since the ship was not able to face the wind, i.e. with its bow headed against the forces of the waves Ac 27:15.”

[27:15]  ⁷¹⁸ sn Caught in the violent wind, the ship was driven along. They were now out of control, at the mercy of the wind and sea.

[27:16]  ⁷¹⁹ tn BDAG 1042 s.v. ὑποτρέχω states, “run or sail under the lee of, nautical t.t.…Ac 27:16.” The participle ὑποδραμόντες (Jupodramonte") has been taken temporally (“as we ran under the lee of”). While this could also be translated as a participle of means (“by running…”) this might suggest the ship was still under a greater degree of control by its crew than it probably was.

[27:16]  ⁷²⁰ sn Cauda. This island was located south of Crete, about 23 mi (36 km) from where they began. There are various ways to spell the island’s name (e.g., Clauda, BDAG 546 s.v. Κλαῦδα).

[27:16]  ⁷²¹ sn The ship’s boat was a small rowboat, normally towed behind a ship in good weather rather than stowed on board. It was used for landings, to maneuver the ship for tacking, and to lay anchors (not a lifeboat in the modern sense, although it could have served as a means of escape for some of the sailors; see v. 30). See L. Casson, Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World, 248f.

[27:17]  ⁷²² tn Grk “After hoisting it up, they…”; the referent (the ship’s crew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:17]  ⁷²³ tn The participle ἄραντες (arantes) has been taken temporally.

[27:17]  ⁷²⁴ tn Possibly “ropes” or “cables”; Grk “helps” (a word of uncertain meaning; probably a nautical technical term, BDAG 180 s.v. βοήθεια 2).

[27:17]  ⁷²⁵ tn BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 2 states, “drift off course, run aground, nautical term εἴς τι on someth….on the Syrtis 27:17.”

[27:17]  ⁷²⁶ tn That is, on the sandbars and shallows of the Syrtis.

[27:17]  sn On the Syrtis. The Syrtis was the name of two gulfs on the North African coast (modern Libya), feared greatly by sailors because of their shifting sandbars and treacherous shallows. The Syrtis here is the so-called Great Syrtis, toward Cyrenaica. It had a horrible reputation as a sailors’ graveyard (Pliny, Natural History 5.26). Josephus (J. W. 2.16.4 [2.381]) says the name alone struck terror in those who heard it. It was near the famous Scylla and Charybdis mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey.

[27:17]  ⁷²⁷ tn Or perhaps “mainsail.” The meaning of this word is uncertain. BDAG 927 s.v. σκεῦος 1 has “τὸ σκεῦος Ac 27:17 seems to be the kedge or driving anchor” while C. Maurer (TDNT 7:362) notes, “The meaning in Ac. 27:17: χαλάσαντες τὸ σκεῦος, is uncertain. Prob. the ref. is not so much to taking down the sails as to throwing the draganchor overboard to lessen the speed of the ship.” In spite of this L&N 6.1 states, “In Ac 27:17, for example, the reference of σκεῦος is generally understood to be the mainsail.” A reference to the sail is highly unlikely because in a storm of the force described in Ac 27:14, the sail would have been taken down and reefed immediately, to prevent its being ripped to shreds or torn away by the gale.

[27:18]  ⁷²⁸ tn BDAG 980 s.v. σφόδρῶς states, “very much, greatly, violently…σφ. χειμάζεσθαι be violently beaten by a storm Ac 27:18.”

[27:18]  ⁷²⁹ tn Or “jettisoning [the cargo]” (a nautical technical term). The words “the cargo” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[27:18]  sn The desperation of the sailors in throwing the cargo overboard is reminiscent of Jonah 1:5. At this point they were only concerned with saving themselves.

[27:19]  ⁷³⁰ tn Or “rigging,” “tackle”; Grk “the ship’s things.” Here the more abstract “gear” is preferred to “rigging” or “tackle” as a translation for σκεῦος (skeuos) because in v. 40 the sailors are still able to raise the (fore)sail, which they could not have done if the ship’s rigging or tackle had been jettisoned here.

[27:20]  ⁷³¹ tn Grk “no small storm” = a very great storm.

[27:20]  ⁷³² tn Grk “no small storm pressing on us.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ἐπικειμένου (epikeimenou) has been translated as parallel to the previous genitive absolute construction (which was translated as temporal). BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι 2.b states, “of impersonal force confront χειμῶνος ἐπικειμένου since a storm lay upon us Ac 27:20.” L&N 14.2, “‘the stormy weather did not abate in the least’ or ‘the violent storm continued’ Ac 27:20.” To this last was added the idea of “battering” from the notion of “pressing upon” inherent in ἐπίκειμαι (epikeimai).

[27:20]  ⁷³³ tn Grk “finally all hope that we would be saved was abandoned.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one to simplify the translation. This represents a clearly secular use of the term σῴζω (swzw) in that it refers to deliverance from the storm. At this point those on board the ship gave up hope of survival.

[27:21]  ⁷³⁴ tn Or “Since they had no desire to eat for a long time.” The genitive absolute construction with the participle ὑπαρχούσης (Juparcoush") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. It could also be translated temporally (“When many of them had no desire to eat”). The translation of πολλῆς (pollhs) as a substantized adjective referring to the people on board the ship (“many of them”) rather than a period of time (“for a long time”; so most modern versions) follows BDAG 143 s.v. ἀσιτία, which has “πολλῆς ἀ. ὑπαρχούσης since almost nobody wanted to eat because of anxiety or seasickness…Ac 27:21.” This detail indicates how turbulent things were on board the ship.

[27:21]  ⁷³⁵ tn Here τότε (tote) is redundant (pleonastic) according to BDAG 1012-13 s.v. τότε 2; thus it has not been translated.

[27:21]  ⁷³⁶ tn Grk “standing up…said.” The participle σταθείς (staqeis) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:21]  ⁷³⁷ tn L&N 36.12 has “πειθαρχήσαντάς μοι μὴ ἀνάγεσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ‘you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete’ Ac 27:21.”

[27:21]  sn By saying “you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete” Paul was not “rubbing it in,” but was reasserting his credibility before giving his next recommendation.

[27:21]  ⁷³⁸ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[27:21]  ⁷³⁹ tn The infinitive κερδῆσαι (kerdhsai) has been translated as resultative.

[27:22]  ⁷⁴⁰ tn The same verb is used for Paul’s original recommendation in Ac 27:9.

[27:22]  ⁷⁴¹ tn Grk “except the ship.” Here “but” is used to translate the improper preposition πλήν (plhn; see BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 2) since an exception like this, where two different categories of objects are involved (people and a ship), is more naturally expressed in contemporary English with an adversative (“but”). The words “will be lost” are also supplied for clarity.

[27:22]  sn The “prophecy” about the ship serves to underscore Paul’s credibility as an agent of God. Paul addressed his audience carefully and drew attention to the sovereign knowledge of God.

[27:23]  ⁷⁴² tn Grk “of whom I am.” The relative clause with its possessive was translated following L&N 15.86 s.v. παρίσταμαι.

[27:23]  ⁷⁴³ tn Or “worship.”

[27:23]  ⁷⁴⁴ tn Or “stood by me.” BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “approach, come τινί (to) someone…Ac 9:39; 27:23.”

[27:24]  ⁷⁴⁵ tn Grk “came to me saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:24]  ⁷⁴⁶ tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.a.α states, “Also as a t.t. of legal usage appear before, come before…Καίσαρι σε δεῖ παραστῆναι you must stand before the Emperor (as judge) Ac 27:24.” See Acts 23:11. Luke uses the verb δεῖ (dei) to describe what must occur.

[27:24]  ⁷⁴⁷ tn Or “before the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[27:24]  ⁷⁴⁸ tn Grk “God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.” The words “the safety of” have been supplied to clarify the meaning of the verb κεχάρισται (kecaristai) in this context.

[27:24]  sn The safety of all who are sailing with you. In a sense, Paul’s presence protects them all. For Luke, it serves as a picture of what the gospel does through Christ and through the one who brings the message.

[27:25]  ⁷⁴⁹ tn BDAG 817 s.v. πιστεύω 1.c states, “w. pers. and thing added π. τινί τι believe someone with regard to someth….W. dat. of pers. and ὅτι foll…. πιστεύετέ μοι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρί J 14:11a. Cp. 4:21; Ac 27:25.”

[27:26]  ⁷⁵⁰ tn This is another use of δεῖ (dei) to indicate necessity (see also v. 24). Acts 28:1 shows the fulfillment of this.

[27:27]  ⁷⁵¹ tn Here “being driven” has been used to translate διαφέρω (diaferw) rather than “drifting,” because it is clear from the attempt to drop anchors in v. 29 that the ship is still being driven by the gale. “Drifting” implies lack of control, but not necessarily rapid movement.

[27:27]  ⁷⁵² sn The Adriatic Sea. They were now somewhere between Crete and Malta.

[27:27]  ⁷⁵³ tn Grk “suspected that some land was approaching them.” BDAG 876 s.v. προσάγω 2.a states, “lit. ὑπενόουν προσάγειν τινά αὐτοῖς χώραν they suspected that land was near (lit. ‘approaching them’) Ac 27:27.” Current English idiom would speak of the ship approaching land rather than land approaching the ship.

[27:28]  ⁷⁵⁴ tn Grk “Heaving the lead, they found.” The participle βολίσαντες (bolisante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. See also BDAG 180 s.v. βολίζω. Although the term is used twice in this verse (and thus is technically not a NT hapax legomenon), it occurs nowhere else in the NT.

[27:28]  ⁷⁵⁵ sn A fathom is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters (originally the length of a man’s outstretched arms). This was a nautical technical term for measuring the depth of water. Here it was about 120 ft (36 m).

[27:28]  ⁷⁵⁶ tn L&N 15.12, “βραχὺ δὲ διαστήσαντες ‘when they had gone a little farther’ Ac 27:28.”

[27:28]  ⁷⁵⁷ sn Here the depth was about 90 ft (27 m).

[27:29]  ⁷⁵⁸ tn Grk “fearing.” The participle φοβούμενοι (foboumenoi) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[27:29]  ⁷⁵⁹ tn Grk “against a rough [rocky] place.” L&N 79.84 has “φοβούμενοί τε μή που κατὰ τραχεῖς τόποις ἐκπέσωμεν ‘we were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast’ Ac 27:29.”

[27:29]  ⁷⁶⁰ tn Grk “throwing out…they.” The participle ῥίψαντες (rJiyante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:29]  ⁷⁶¹ tn BDAG 417 s.v. εὔχομαι 2 states, “wish…τὶ for someth.…Foll. by acc. and inf….Ac 27:29.” The other possible meaning for this term, “pray,” is given in BDAG 417 s.v. 1 and employed by a number of translations (NAB, NRSV, NIV). If this meaning is adopted here, then “prayed for day to come” must be understood metaphorically to mean “prayed that they would live to see the day,” or “prayed that it would soon be day.”

[27:29]  ⁷⁶² tn Grk “and wished for day to come about.”

[27:29]  sn And wished for day to appear. The sailors were hoping to hold the ship in place until morning, when they could see what was happening and where they were.

[27:30]  ⁷⁶³ tn BDAG 889 s.v. πρόφασις 2 states, “προφάσει ὡς under the pretext that, pretending that…Ac 27:30.” In other words, some of the sailors gave up hope that such efforts would work and instead attempted to escape while pretending to help.

[27:31]  ⁷⁶⁴ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:31]  ⁷⁶⁵ sn The pronoun you is plural in Greek.

[27:32]  ⁷⁶⁶ sn The soldiers cut the ropes. The centurion and the soldiers were now following Paul’s advice by cutting the ropes to prevent the sailors from escaping.

[27:32]  ⁷⁶⁷ tn Or “let it fall away.” According to BDAG 308 s.v. ἐκπίπτω 1 and 2 the meaning of the verb in this verse could be either “fall away” or “drift away.” Either meaning is acceptable, and the choice between them depends almost entirely on how one reconstructs the scene. Since cutting the boat loose would in any case result in it drifting away (whether capsized or not), the meaning “drift away” as a nautical technical term has been used here.

[27:33]  ⁷⁶⁸ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.b.α has “ἄ. οὗ ἡμέρα ἤμελλεν γίνεσθαι until the day began to dawn 27:33.”

[27:33]  ⁷⁶⁹ tn Or “have waited anxiously.” Grk “waiting anxiously.” The participle προσδοκῶντες (prosdokwnte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:33]  ⁷⁷⁰ tn Or “continued.”

[27:33]  ⁷⁷¹ tn Grk “having eaten nothing.” The participle προσλαβόμενοι (proslabomenoi) has been translated as a finite verb (with subject “you” supplied) due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:34]  ⁷⁷² tn Or “necessary.” BDAG 873-74 s.v. πρός 1 has “πρ. τῆς σωτηρίας in the interest of safety Ac 27:34”; L&N 27.18 has “‘therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your deliverance’ or ‘…for your survival’ Ac 27:34.”

[27:34]  ⁷⁷³ tn Or “deliverance” (‘salvation’ in a nontheological sense).

[27:35]  ⁷⁷⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[27:35]  ⁷⁷⁵ tn Grk “taking bread, gave thanks.” The participle λαβών (labwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:35]  ⁷⁷⁶ tn Or “before them all,” but here this could be misunderstood to indicate a temporal sequence.

[27:35]  ⁷⁷⁷ tn Grk “and breaking it, he began.” The participle κλάσας (klasas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:37]  ⁷⁷⁸ tc One early ms (B) and an early version (sa) read “about seventy-six.” For discussion of how this variant probably arose, see F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles, 465.

[27:37]  ⁷⁷⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[27:38]  ⁷⁸⁰ tn Or “When they had eaten their fill.”

[27:38]  ⁷⁸¹ tn Or “grain.”

[27:39]  ⁷⁸² tn Or “observed,” “saw.”

[27:39]  ⁷⁸³ tn Or “gulf” (BDAG 557 s.v. κόλπος 3).

[27:39]  ⁷⁸⁴ sn A beach would refer to a smooth sandy beach suitable for landing.

[27:40]  ⁷⁸⁵ tn That is, released. Grk “slipping…leaving.” The participles περιελόντες (perielonte") and εἴων (eiwn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁷⁸⁶ tn The term is used of a ship’s anchor. (BDAG 12 s.v. ἄγκυρα a).

[27:40]  ⁷⁸⁷ tn Grk “bands”; possibly “ropes.”

[27:40]  ⁷⁸⁸ tn Or “rudders.”

[27:40]  ⁷⁸⁹ tn Grk “hoisting…they.” The participle ἐπάραντες (eparante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[27:40]  ⁷⁹⁰ tn Grk “sail”; probably a reference to the foresail.

[27:40]  ⁷⁹¹ tn BDAG 533 s.v. κατέχω 7 states, “hold course, nautical t.t., intr….κατεῖχον εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλόν they headed for the beach Ac 27:40.”

[27:41]  ⁷⁹² tn Grk “fell upon a place of two seas.” The most common explanation for this term is that it refers to a reef or sandbar with the sea on both sides, as noted in BDAG 245 s.v. διθάλασσος: the “τόπος δ. Ac 27:41 is a semantic unit signifying a point (of land jutting out with water on both sides).” However, Greek had terms for a “sandbank” (θῖς [qis], ταινία [tainia]), a “reef” (ἑρμα [Jerma]), “strait” (στενόν [stenon]), “promontory” (ἀρωτήρον [arwthron]), and other nautical hazards, none of which are used by the author here. NEB here translates τόπον διθάλασσον (topon diqalasson) as “cross-currents,” a proposal close to that advanced by J. M. Gilchrist, “The Historicity of Paul’s Shipwreck,” JSNT 61 (1996): 29-51, who suggests the meaning is “a patch of cross-seas,” where the waves are set at an angle to the wind, a particular hazard for sailors. Thus the term most likely refers to some sort of adverse sea conditions rather than a topographical feature like a reef or sandbar.

[27:41]  ⁷⁹³ tn Or “violence” (BDAG 175 s.v. βία a).

[27:42]  ⁷⁹⁴ sn The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners. The issue here was not cruelty, but that the soldiers would be legally responsible if any prisoners escaped and would suffer punishment themselves. So they were planning to do this as an act of self-preservation. See Acts 16:27 for a similar incident.

[27:42]  ⁷⁹⁵ tn The participle ἐκκολυμβήσας (ekkolumbhsa") has been taken instrumentally.

[27:43]  ⁷⁹⁶ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[27:43]  ⁷⁹⁷ tn Or “wanting to rescue Paul.”

[27:43]  sn Thanks to the centurion who wanted to save Paul’s life, Paul was once more rescued from a potential human threat.

[27:43]  ⁷⁹⁸ tn BDAG 347 s.v. I. ἔξειμι has “ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν get to land Ac 27:43.”

[27:44]  ⁷⁹⁹ tn The words “were to follow” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. They must be supplied to clarify the sense in contemporary English.

[27:44]  ⁸⁰⁰ tn Or “boards” according to BDAG 913 s.v. σανίς.

[27:44]  ⁸⁰¹ tn Grk “on pieces from the ship”; that is, pieces of wreckage from the ship.

[27:44]  sn Both the planks and pieces of the ship were for the weak or nonswimmers. The whole scene is a historical metaphor representing how listening to Paul and his message could save people.

[27:44]  ⁸⁰² tn Grk “And in this way 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.

[28:1]  ⁸⁰³ tn Grk “We having been brought safely through” [to land] (same verb as 27:44). The word “shore” is implied, and the slight variations in translation from 27:44 have been made to avoid redundancy in English. The participle διασωθέντες (diaswqente") has been taken temporally.

[28:1]  ⁸⁰⁴ sn Malta is an island (known by the same name today) in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The ship had traveled 625 mi (1,000 km) in the storm.

[28:1]  map For location see JP4 A3.

[28:2]  ⁸⁰⁵ tn Although this is literally βάρβαροι (barbaroi; “foreigners, barbarians”) used for non-Greek or non-Romans, as BDAG 166 s.v. βάρβαρος 2.b notes, “Of the inhabitants of Malta, who apparently spoke in their native language Ac 28:2, 4 (here β. certainly without derogatory tone…).”

[28:2]  ⁸⁰⁶ tn BDAG 1019 s.v. τυγχάνω 2.d states, “δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας extraordinary miracles Ac 19:11. Cp. 28:2.”

[28:2]  ⁸⁰⁷ tn Or “because it was about to rain.” BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 4 states, “διὰ τ. ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα because it had begun to rain Ac 28:2…But the mng. here could also be because it threatened to rain (s. 6).”

[28:3]  ⁸⁰⁸ tn Or “sticks.”