Kisah Para Rasul 9:1--13:3

The Conversion of Saul

9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing out threats ¹  to murder ²  the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 9:2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues ³  in Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, ⁴  either men or women, he could bring them as prisoners ⁵  to Jerusalem. ⁶  9:3 As he was going along, approaching ⁷  Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed ⁸  around him. 9:4 He ⁹  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, ¹⁰  why are you persecuting me?” ¹¹  9:5 So he said, “Who are you, Lord?” He replied, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting! 9:6 But stand up ¹²  and enter the city and you will be told ¹³  what you must do.” 9:7 (Now the men ¹⁴  who were traveling with him stood there speechless, ¹⁵  because they heard the voice but saw no one.) ¹⁶  9:8 So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open, ¹⁷  he could see nothing. ¹⁸  Leading him by the hand, his companions ¹⁹  brought him into Damascus. 9:9 For ²⁰  three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank anything. ²¹ 

9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The ²²  Lord ²³  said to him in a vision, “Ananias,” and he replied, “Here I am, ²⁴  Lord.” 9:11 Then the Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called ‘Straight,’ ²⁵  and at Judas’ house look for a man from Tarsus named Saul. For he is praying, 9:12 and he has seen in a vision ²⁶  a man named Ananias come in and place his hands on him so that he may see again.” 9:13 But Ananias replied, ²⁷  “Lord, I have heard from many people ²⁸  about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison ²⁹  all who call on your name!” ³⁰  9:15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, because this man is my chosen instrument ³¹  to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. ³²  9:16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” ³³  9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, placed ³⁴  his hands on Saul ³⁵  and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came here, ³⁶  has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ³⁷  9:18 Immediately ³⁸  something like scales ³⁹  fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He ⁴⁰  got up and was baptized, 9:19 and after taking some food, his strength returned.

For several days ⁴¹  he was with the disciples in Damascus, 9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, ⁴²  saying, “This man is the Son of God.” ⁴³  9:21 All ⁴⁴  who heard him were amazed and were saying, “Is this not ⁴⁵  the man who in Jerusalem was ravaging ⁴⁶  those who call on this name, and who had come here to bring them as prisoners ⁴⁷  to the chief priests?” 9:22 But Saul became more and more capable, ⁴⁸  and was causing consternation ⁴⁹  among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ⁵⁰  that Jesus ⁵¹  is the Christ. ⁵² 

Saul’s Escape from Damascus

9:23 Now after some days had passed, the Jews plotted ⁵³  together to kill him, 9:24 but Saul learned of their plot against him. ⁵⁴  They were also watching ⁵⁵  the city gates ⁵⁶  day and night so that they could kill him. 9:25 But his disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening ⁵⁷  in the wall by lowering him in a basket. ⁵⁸ 

Saul Returns to Jerusalem

9:26 When he arrived in Jerusalem, ⁵⁹  he attempted to associate ⁶⁰  with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe ⁶¹  that he was a disciple. 9:27 But Barnabas took ⁶²  Saul, ⁶³  brought ⁶⁴  him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, that ⁶⁵  the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out boldly ⁶⁶  in the name of Jesus. 9:28 So he was staying with them, associating openly with them ⁶⁷  in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. 9:29 He was speaking and debating ⁶⁸  with the Greek-speaking Jews, ⁶⁹  but they were trying to kill him. 9:30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea ⁷⁰  and sent him away to Tarsus.

9:31 Then ⁷¹  the church throughout Judea, Galilee, ⁷²  and Samaria experienced ⁷³  peace and thus was strengthened. ⁷⁴  Living ⁷⁵  in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, the church ⁷⁶  increased in numbers.

Peter Heals Aeneas

9:32 Now ⁷⁷  as Peter was traveling around from place to place, ⁷⁸  he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda. ⁷⁹  9:33 He found there a man named Aeneas who had been confined to a mattress for eight years because ⁸⁰  he was paralyzed. 9:34 Peter ⁸¹  said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ ⁸²  heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” ⁸³  And immediately he got up. 9:35 All ⁸⁴  those who lived in Lydda ⁸⁵  and Sharon ⁸⁶  saw him, and they ⁸⁷  turned ⁸⁸  to the Lord.

Peter Raises Dorcas

9:36 Now in Joppa ⁸⁹  there was a disciple named Tabitha (which in translation means ⁹⁰  Dorcas). ⁹¹  She was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity. ⁹²  9:37 At that time ⁹³  she became sick ⁹⁴  and died. When they had washed ⁹⁵  her body, ⁹⁶  they placed it in an upstairs room. 9:38 Because Lydda ⁹⁷  was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Come to us without delay.” ⁹⁸  9:39 So Peter got up and went with them, and ⁹⁹  when he arrived ¹⁰⁰  they brought him to the upper room. All ¹⁰¹  the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him ¹⁰²  the tunics ¹⁰³  and other clothing ¹⁰⁴  Dorcas used to make ¹⁰⁵  while she was with them. 9:40 But Peter sent them all outside, ¹⁰⁶  knelt down, ¹⁰⁷  and prayed. Turning ¹⁰⁸  to the body, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. ¹⁰⁹  9:41 He gave ¹¹⁰  her his hand and helped her get up. Then he called ¹¹¹  the saints and widows and presented her alive. 9:42 This became known throughout all ¹¹²  Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ¹¹³  9:43 So ¹¹⁴  Peter ¹¹⁵  stayed many days in Joppa with a man named ¹¹⁶  Simon, a tanner. ¹¹⁷ 

Peter Visits Cornelius

10:1 Now there was a man in Caesarea ¹¹⁸  named Cornelius, a centurion ¹¹⁹  of what was known as the Italian Cohort. ¹²⁰  10:2 He ¹²¹  was a devout, God-fearing man, ¹²²  as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people ¹²³  and prayed to God regularly. 10:3 About three o’clock one afternoon ¹²⁴  he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God ¹²⁵  who came in ¹²⁶  and said to him, “Cornelius.” 10:4 Staring at him and becoming greatly afraid, Cornelius ¹²⁷  replied, ¹²⁸  “What is it, Lord?” The angel ¹²⁹  said to him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity ¹³⁰  have gone up as a memorial ¹³¹  before God. 10:5 Now ¹³²  send men to Joppa ¹³³  and summon a man named Simon, ¹³⁴  who is called Peter. 10:6 This man is staying as a guest with a man named Simon, a tanner, ¹³⁵  whose house is by the sea.” 10:7 When the angel who had spoken to him departed, Cornelius ¹³⁶  called two of his personal servants ¹³⁷  and a devout soldier from among those who served him, ¹³⁸  10:8 and when he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

10:9 About noon ¹³⁹  the next day, while they were on their way and approaching ¹⁴⁰  the city, Peter went up on the roof ¹⁴¹  to pray. 10:10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing the meal, a trance came over him. ¹⁴²  10:11 He ¹⁴³  saw heaven ¹⁴⁴  opened ¹⁴⁵  and an object something like a large sheet ¹⁴⁶  descending, ¹⁴⁷  being let down to earth ¹⁴⁸  by its four corners. 10:12 In it ¹⁴⁹  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ¹⁵⁰  of the earth and wild birds. ¹⁵¹  10:13 Then ¹⁵²  a voice said ¹⁵³  to him, “Get up, Peter; slaughter ¹⁵⁴  and eat!” 10:14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and ritually unclean!” ¹⁵⁵  10:15 The voice ¹⁵⁶  spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you must not consider ¹⁵⁷  ritually unclean!” ¹⁵⁸  10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven. ¹⁵⁹ 

10:17 Now while Peter was puzzling over ¹⁶⁰  what the vision he had seen could signify, the men sent by Cornelius had learned where Simon’s house was ¹⁶¹  and approached ¹⁶²  the gate. 10:18 They ¹⁶³  called out to ask if Simon, known as Peter, ¹⁶⁴  was staying there as a guest. 10:19 While Peter was still thinking seriously about ¹⁶⁵  the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 10:20 But get up, ¹⁶⁶  go down, and accompany them without hesitation, ¹⁶⁷  because I have sent them.” 10:21 So Peter went down ¹⁶⁸  to the men and said, “Here I am, ¹⁶⁹  the person you’re looking for. Why have you come?” 10:22 They said, “Cornelius the centurion, ¹⁷⁰  a righteous ¹⁷¹  and God-fearing man, well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, ¹⁷²  was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message ¹⁷³  from you.” 10:23 So Peter ¹⁷⁴  invited them in and entertained them as guests.

On the next day he got up and set out ¹⁷⁵  with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa ¹⁷⁶  accompanied him. 10:24 The following day ¹⁷⁷  he entered Caesarea. ¹⁷⁸  Now Cornelius was waiting anxiously ¹⁷⁹  for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 10:25 So when ¹⁸⁰  Peter came in, Cornelius met ¹⁸¹  him, fell ¹⁸²  at his feet, and worshiped ¹⁸³  him. 10:26 But Peter helped him up, ¹⁸⁴  saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” ¹⁸⁵  10:27 Peter ¹⁸⁶  continued talking with him as he went in, and he found many people gathered together. ¹⁸⁷  10:28 He said to them, “You know that ¹⁸⁸  it is unlawful ¹⁸⁹  for a Jew ¹⁹⁰  to associate with or visit a Gentile, ¹⁹¹  yet God has shown me that I should call no person ¹⁹²  defiled or ritually unclean. ¹⁹³  10:29 Therefore when you sent for me, ¹⁹⁴  I came without any objection. Now may I ask why ¹⁹⁵  you sent for me?” 10:30 Cornelius ¹⁹⁶  replied, ¹⁹⁷  “Four days ago at this very hour, at three o’clock in the afternoon, ¹⁹⁸  I was praying in my house, and suddenly ¹⁹⁹  a man in shining clothing stood before me 10:31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity ²⁰⁰  have been remembered before God. ²⁰¹  10:32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon the tanner, ²⁰²  by the sea.’ 10:33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come. ²⁰³  So now we are all here in the presence of God ²⁰⁴  to listen ²⁰⁵  to everything the Lord has commanded you to say to us.” ²⁰⁶ 

10:34 Then Peter started speaking: ²⁰⁷  “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, ²⁰⁸  10:35 but in every nation ²⁰⁹  the person who fears him ²¹⁰  and does what is right ²¹¹  is welcomed before him. 10:36 You know ²¹²  the message ²¹³  he sent to the people ²¹⁴  of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace ²¹⁵  through ²¹⁶  Jesus Christ ²¹⁷  (he is Lord ²¹⁸  of all) – 10:37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ²¹⁹  10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, ²²⁰  that ²²¹  God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He ²²²  went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, ²²³  because God was with him. ²²⁴  10:39 We ²²⁵  are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea ²²⁶  and in Jerusalem. ²²⁷  They ²²⁸  killed him by hanging him on a tree, ²²⁹  10:40 but ²³⁰  God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, ²³¹  10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, ²³²  who ate and drank ²³³  with him after he rose from the dead. 10:42 He ²³⁴  commanded us to preach to the people and to warn ²³⁵  them ²³⁶  that he is the one ²³⁷  appointed ²³⁸  by God as judge ²³⁹  of the living and the dead. 10:43 About him all the prophets testify, ²⁴⁰  that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins ²⁴¹  through his name.”

The Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on ²⁴²  all those who heard the message. ²⁴³  10:45 The ²⁴⁴  circumcised believers ²⁴⁵  who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished ²⁴⁶  that ²⁴⁷  the gift of the Holy Spirit ²⁴⁸  had been poured out ²⁴⁹  even on the Gentiles, 10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising ²⁵⁰  God. Then Peter said, 10:47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, ²⁵¹  can he?” ²⁵²  10:48 So he gave orders to have them baptized ²⁵³  in the name of Jesus Christ. ²⁵⁴  Then they asked him to stay for several days.

Peter Defends His Actions to the Jerusalem Church

11:1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted ²⁵⁵  the word of God. ²⁵⁶  11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ²⁵⁷  the circumcised believers ²⁵⁸  took issue with ²⁵⁹  him, 11:3 saying, “You went to ²⁶⁰  uncircumcised men and shared a meal with ²⁶¹  them.” 11:4 But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, ²⁶²  saying, 11:5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, ²⁶³  an object something like a large sheet descending, ²⁶⁴  being let down from heaven ²⁶⁵  by its four corners, and it came to me. 11:6 As I stared ²⁶⁶  I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, ²⁶⁷  and wild birds. ²⁶⁸  11:7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter ²⁶⁹  and eat!’ 11:8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean ²⁷⁰  has ever entered my mouth!’ 11:9 But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider ²⁷¹  ritually unclean!’ 11:10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. 11:11 At that very moment, ²⁷²  three men sent to me from Caesarea ²⁷³  approached ²⁷⁴  the house where we were staying. ²⁷⁵  11:12 The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers ²⁷⁶  also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 11:13 He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, 11:14 who will speak a message ²⁷⁷  to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ 11:15 Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on ²⁷⁸  them just as he did ²⁷⁹  on us at the beginning. ²⁸⁰  11:16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, ²⁸¹  as he used to say, ²⁸²  ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ²⁸³  11:17 Therefore if God ²⁸⁴  gave them the same gift ²⁸⁵  as he also gave us after believing ²⁸⁶  in the Lord Jesus Christ, ²⁸⁷  who was I to hinder ²⁸⁸  God?” 11:18 When they heard this, ²⁸⁹  they ceased their objections ²⁹⁰  and praised ²⁹¹  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ²⁹²  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ²⁹³ 

Activity in the Church at Antioch

11:19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen ²⁹⁴  went as far as ²⁹⁵  Phoenicia, ²⁹⁶  Cyprus, ²⁹⁷  and Antioch, ²⁹⁸  speaking the message ²⁹⁹  to no one but Jews. 11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus ³⁰⁰  and Cyrene ³⁰¹  among them who came ³⁰²  to Antioch ³⁰³  and began to speak to the Greeks ³⁰⁴  too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 11:21 The ³⁰⁵  hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed ³⁰⁶  turned ³⁰⁷  to the Lord. 11:22 A report ³⁰⁸  about them came to the attention ³⁰⁹  of the church in Jerusalem, ³¹⁰  and they sent Barnabas ³¹¹  to Antioch. ³¹²  11:23 When ³¹³  he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true ³¹⁴  to the Lord with devoted hearts, ³¹⁵  11:24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people ³¹⁶  were brought to the Lord. 11:25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 11:26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. ³¹⁷  So ³¹⁸  for a whole year Barnabas and Saul ³¹⁹  met with the church and taught a significant number of people. ³²⁰  Now it was in Antioch ³²¹  that the disciples were first called Christians. ³²² 

Famine Relief for Judea

11:27 At that time ³²³  some ³²⁴  prophets ³²⁵  came down ³²⁶  from Jerusalem ³²⁷  to Antioch. ³²⁸  11:28 One of them, named Agabus, got up ³²⁹  and predicted ³³⁰  by the Spirit that a severe ³³¹  famine ³³²  was about to come over the whole inhabited world. ³³³  (This ³³⁴  took place during the reign of Claudius.) ³³⁵  11:29 So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, ³³⁶  decided ³³⁷  to send relief ³³⁸  to the brothers living in Judea. 11:30 They did so, ³³⁹  sending their financial aid ³⁴⁰  to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12:1 About that time King Herod ³⁴¹  laid hands on ³⁴²  some from the church to harm them. ³⁴³  12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. ³⁴⁴  12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ³⁴⁵  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ³⁴⁶  12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads ³⁴⁷  of soldiers to guard him. Herod ³⁴⁸  planned ³⁴⁹  to bring him out for public trial ³⁵⁰  after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly ³⁵¹  praying to God for him. ³⁵²  12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, ³⁵³  Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while ³⁵⁴  guards in front of the door were keeping watch ³⁵⁵  over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly ³⁵⁶  an angel of the Lord ³⁵⁷  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ³⁵⁸  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ³⁵⁹  wrists. ³⁶⁰  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ³⁶¹  and put on your sandals.” Peter ³⁶²  did so. Then the angel ³⁶³  said to him, “Put on your cloak ³⁶⁴  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ³⁶⁵  went out ³⁶⁶  and followed him; ³⁶⁷  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ³⁶⁸  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ³⁶⁹  they came to the iron ³⁷⁰  gate leading into the city. It ³⁷¹  opened for them by itself, ³⁷²  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ³⁷³  when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When ³⁷⁴  Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued ³⁷⁵  me from the hand ³⁷⁶  of Herod ³⁷⁷  and from everything the Jewish people ³⁷⁸  were expecting to happen.”

12:12 When Peter ³⁷⁹  realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, ³⁸⁰  where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. ³⁸¹  12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told ³⁸²  them ³⁸³  that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” ³⁸⁴  But she kept insisting that it was Peter, ³⁸⁵  and they kept saying, ³⁸⁶  “It is his angel!” ³⁸⁷  12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door ³⁸⁸  and saw him, they were greatly astonished. ³⁸⁹  12:17 He motioned to them ³⁹⁰  with his hand to be quiet and then related ³⁹¹  how the Lord had brought ³⁹²  him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. ³⁹³ 

12:18 At daybreak ³⁹⁴  there was great consternation ³⁹⁵  among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod ³⁹⁶  had searched ³⁹⁷  for him and did not find him, he questioned ³⁹⁸  the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. ³⁹⁹  Then ⁴⁰⁰  Herod ⁴⁰¹  went down from Judea to Caesarea ⁴⁰²  and stayed there.

12:20 Now Herod ⁴⁰³  was having an angry quarrel ⁴⁰⁴  with the people of Tyre ⁴⁰⁵  and Sidon. ⁴⁰⁶  So they joined together ⁴⁰⁷  and presented themselves before him. And after convincing ⁴⁰⁸  Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, ⁴⁰⁹  to help them, ⁴¹⁰  they asked for peace, ⁴¹¹  because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod ⁴¹²  put on his royal robes, ⁴¹³  sat down on the judgment seat, ⁴¹⁴  and made a speech ⁴¹⁵  to them. 12:22 But the crowd ⁴¹⁶  began to shout, ⁴¹⁷  “The voice of a god, ⁴¹⁸  and not of a man!” 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord ⁴¹⁹  struck ⁴²⁰  Herod ⁴²¹  down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. ⁴²²  12:24 But the word of God ⁴²³  kept on increasing ⁴²⁴  and multiplying.

12:25 So Barnabas and Saul returned to ⁴²⁵  Jerusalem ⁴²⁶  when they had completed ⁴²⁷  their mission, ⁴²⁸  bringing along with them John Mark. ⁴²⁹ 

The Church at Antioch Commissions Barnabas and Saul

13:1 Now there were these prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch: ⁴³⁰  Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, ⁴³¹  Lucius the Cyrenian, ⁴³²  Manaen (a close friend of Herod ⁴³³  the tetrarch ⁴³⁴  from childhood ⁴³⁵ ) and Saul. 13:2 While they were serving ⁴³⁶  the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart ⁴³⁷  for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 13:3 Then, after they had fasted ⁴³⁸  and ⁴³⁹  prayed and placed their hands ⁴⁴⁰  on them, they sent them off.

[9:1]  ¹ tn Or “Saul, making dire threats.”

[9:1]  ² tn The expression “breathing out threats and murder” is an idiomatic expression for “making threats to murder” (see L&N 33.293). Although the two terms “threats” and “murder” are syntactically coordinate, the second is semantically subordinate to the first. In other words, the content of the threats is to murder the disciples.

[9:2]  ³ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

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

[9:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:2]  ⁶ sn From Damascus to Jerusalem was a six-day journey. Christianity had now expanded into Syria.

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

[9:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “As he was going along, it happened that when he was approaching.” The phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:3]  ⁸ tn Or “shone” (BDAG 799 s.v. περιαστράπτω). The light was more brilliant than the sun according to Acts 26:13.

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

[9:4]  ¹⁰ tn The double vocative suggests emotion.

[9:4]  ¹¹ sn Persecuting me. To persecute the church is to persecute Jesus.

[9:6]  ¹² tn Or “But arise.”

[9:6]  ¹³ tn Literally a passive construction, “it will be told to you.” This has been converted to another form of passive construction in the translation.

[9:7]  ¹⁴ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which is used only rarely in a generic sense of both men and women. In the historical setting here, Paul’s traveling companions were almost certainly all males.

[9:7]  ¹⁵ tn That is, unable to speak because of fear or amazement. See BDAG 335 s.v. ἐνεός.

[9:7]  ¹⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Acts 22:9 appears to indicate that they saw the light but did not hear a voice. They were “witnesses” that something happened.

[9:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “his eyes being open,” a genitive absolute construction that has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

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

[9:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “they”; the referents (Saul’s companions) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “And for.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:9]  ²¹ tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader. The fasting might indicate an initial realization of Luke 5:33-39. Fasting was usually accompanied by reflective thought.

[9:10]  ²² tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:10]  ²³ sn The Lord is directing all the events leading to the expansion of the gospel as he works on both sides of the meeting between Paul and Ananias. “The Lord” here refers to Jesus (see v. 17).

[9:10]  ²⁴ tn Grk “behold, I,” but this construction often means “here is/there is” (cf. BDAG 468 s.v. ἰδού 2).

[9:11]  ²⁵ sn The noting of the detail of the locale, ironically called ‘Straight’ Street, shows how directive and specific the Lord was.

[9:12]  ²⁶ tc ‡ The words ἐν ὀράματι (en oramati, “in a vision”) are not found in some of the earliest and best mss (Ì⁷⁴ א A 81 pc lat sa bo), but are implied from the context. The phrase is included, although sometimes in a different order with ἄνδρα (andra, “man”) or omitting ἄνδρα altogether, by B C E Ψ 33 1175 1739 Ï. The order of words in NA²⁷, ἄνδρα ἐν ὁράματι, is supported only by B C 1175. Generally speaking, when there are three or more variants, with one an omission and the others involving rearrangements, the longer readings are later scribal additions. Further, the reading looks like a clarifying note, for an earlier vision is explicitly mentioned in v. 10. On the other hand, it is possible that some scribes deleted the words because of perceived repetition, though this is unlikely since it is a different vision two verses back. It is also possible that some scribes could have confused ὁράματι with ὀνόματι (onomati, “name”); TCGNT 319 notes that several mss place ονόματι before ᾿Ανανίαν (Ananian, “Ananias”) while a few others drop ὀνόματι altogether. The Sahidic mss are among those that drop the word, however, and they also lack ἐν ὁράματι; all that is left is one version and father that drops ὀνόματι. Perhaps the best argument for the authenticity of the phrase is that B C 1175 preserve a rare, distinctively Lukan word order, but this is not nearly as harsh or unusual as what Luke does elsewhere. A decision is difficult in this case, but on balance the omission of the phrase seems to be authentic. The words are nevertheless added in the translation because of contextual considerations. NA²⁷ places the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

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

[9:13]  ²⁷ sn Ananias replied. Past events might have suggested to Ananias that this was not good counsel, but like Peter in Acts 10, Ananias’ intuitions were wrong.

[9:13]  ²⁸ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[9:14]  ²⁹ tn Grk “to bind.”

[9:14]  ³⁰ sn The expression “those who call on your name” is a frequent description of believers (Acts 2:21; 1 Cor 1:2; Rom 10:13).

[9:15]  ³¹ tn Or “tool.”

[9:15]  ³² tn Grk “the sons of Israel.” In Acts, Paul is a minister to all nations, including Israel (Rom 1:16-17).

[9:16]  ³³ tn Or “because of my name.” BDAG 1031 s.v. ὑπέρ 2 lists Acts 9:16 as an example of ὑπέρ (Juper) used to indicate “the moving cause or reason, because of, for the sake of, for.”

[9:17]  ³⁴ tn Grk “and placing his hands on Saul, he said.” The participle ἐπιθείς (epiqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the same reason καί (kai) has not been translated before the participle.

[9:17]  ³⁵ tn Grk “on him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:17]  ³⁶ tn Grk “on the road in which you came,” but the relative clause makes for awkward English style, so it was translated as a temporal clause (“as you came here”).

[9:17]  ³⁷ sn Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Here someone who is not an apostle (Ananias) commissions another person with the Spirit.

[9:18]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And immediately.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:18]  ³⁹ tn The comparison to “scales” suggests a crusty covering which peeled away (cf. BDAG 592 s.v. λεπίς 2).

[9:18]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “and he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence was started, with “and” placed before the final element of the previous clause as required by English style.

[9:19]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “It happened that for several days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:20]  ⁴² sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.

[9:20]  ⁴³ tn The ὅτι (Joti) is understood to introduce direct (“This man is the Son of God”) rather than indirect discourse (“that this man is the Son of God”) because the pronoun οὗτος (Jouto") combined with the present tense verb ἐστιν (estin) suggests the contents of what was proclaimed are a direct (albeit summarized) quotation.

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

[9:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “And all.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:21]  ⁴⁵ tn The Greek interrogative particle used in this verse (οὐχ, ouc) expects a positive reply. They all knew about Saul’s persecutions.

[9:21]  ⁴⁶ tn Normally, “destroying,” but compare 4 Macc 4:23; 11:4 and MM 529 s.v. πορθέω for examples from Koine papyri. See also BDAG 853 s.v. πορθέω.

[9:21]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “bring them bound”; the translation “bring someone as prisoner” for δεδεμένον ἄγειν τινά (dedemenon agein tina) is given by BDAG 221 s.v. δέω 1.b.

[9:22]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “was becoming stronger,” but this could be understood in a physical sense, while the text refers to Saul’s growing ability to demonstrate to fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. The translation “to become capable” for ἐνδυναμόω (endunamow) is given in L&N 74.7, with this specific verse as an example.

[9:22]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “was confounding.” For the translation “to cause consternation” for συγχέω (suncew) see L&N 25.221.

[9:22]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “by showing for certain.”

[9:22]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “that this one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:22]  ⁵² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Note again the variation in the titles used.

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

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

[9:24]  ⁵⁴ tn The words “against him” are implied, as suggested by L&N 30.71.

[9:24]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “guarding.” This is a negative term in Luke-Acts (Luke 6:7; 14:1; 20:20).

[9:24]  ⁵⁶ tn The word πύλη (pulh) may refer to a house door or gate, or to the large gates used in a palace, temple, or city wall. Here the context clearly indicates a reference to the latter, so the translation “city gates” is used.

[9:25]  ⁵⁷ tn The opening in the wall is not specifically mentioned here, but the parallel account in 2 Cor 11:33 mentions a “window” or “opening” (θυρίς, quris) in the city wall through which Paul was lowered. One alternative to introducing mention of the opening is to translate Acts 9:25 “they let him down over the wall,” as suggested in L&N 7.61. This option is not employed by many translations, however, because for the English reader it creates an (apparent) contradiction between Acts 9:25 and 2 Cor 11:33. In reality the account here is simply more general, omitting the detail about the window.

[9:25]  ⁵⁸ tn On the term for “basket” used here, see BDAG 940 s.v. σπυρίς.

[9:26]  ⁵⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:26]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “join.”

[9:26]  ⁶¹ tn The participle πιστεύοντες (pisteuonte") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.

[9:27]  ⁶² tn Grk “taking Saul, brought him.” The participle ἐπιλαβόμενος (epilabomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:27]  ⁶³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:27]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “and brought,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “and that,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:27]  ⁶⁶ tn On this verb which is used 7 times in Acts, see BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1. See also v. 28.

[9:28]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “he was with them going in and going out in Jerusalem.” The expression “going in and going out” is probably best taken as an idiom for association without hindrance. Some modern translations (NASB, NIV) translate the phrase “moving about freely in Jerusalem,” although the NRSV retains the literal “he went in and out among them in Jerusalem.”

[9:29]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “arguing.” BDAG 954 s.v. συζητέω 2 gives “dispute, debate, argue…τινί ‘w. someone’” for συνεζήτει (sunezhtei).

[9:29]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “the Hellenists,” but this descriptive term is largely unknown to the modern English reader. The translation “Greek-speaking Jews” attempts to convey something of who these were, but it was more than a matter of language spoken; it involved a degree of adoption of Greek culture as well.

[9:30]  ⁷⁰ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine, south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.

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

[9:31]  ⁷¹ tn Or “Therefore.” This verse is another summary text in Acts (cf. 2:41-47; 4:32-37; 5:12-16; 6:7).

[9:31]  ⁷² tn Grk “and Galilee,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[9:31]  ⁷³ tn Grk “had.”

[9:31]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “Built up.” The participle οἰκοδομουμένη (oikodomoumenh) has been translated as a participle of result related to εἶχεν (eicen). It could also be understood as adverbial to ἐπληθύνετο (eplhquneto): “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace. Strengthened and living in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Although some scholars do not regard the participle of result as a legitimate category, it is actually fairly common (see ExSyn 637-39).

[9:31]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “And living.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:31]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “it”; the referent (the church) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:32]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “Now 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.

[9:32]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “As Peter was going through all [the places],” which is somewhat awkward in English. The meaning is best expressed by a phrase like “going around from place to place” or “traveling around from place to place.”

[9:32]  ⁷⁹ sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa. It was about 10.5 miles (17 km) southeast of Joppa.

[9:33]  ⁸⁰ tn Since the participle κατακείμενον (katakeimenon), an adjectival participle modifying Αἰνέαν (Ainean), has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who had been confined to a mattress”), it would be awkward to follow with a second relative clause (Grk “who was paralyzed”). Furthermore, the relative pronoun here has virtually a causal force, giving the reason for confinement to the mattress, so it is best translated “because.”

[9:34]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “And Peter.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:34]  ⁸² tc ‡ Several variants occur at this juncture. Some of the earliest and best witnesses (Ì⁷⁴ א B* C Ψ 33^vid Did^pt) read “Jesus Christ” (᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Ihsou" Cristo"); others ([A] 36 1175 it) have “the Lord Jesus Christ” (ὁ κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, Jo kurio" Ihsou" Cristo"); a few read simply ὁ Χριστός (614 1241 1505); the majority of mss (B² E 1739 Ï Did^pt) have “Jesus the Christ” ( ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Χριστός). Although the pedigree of this last reading is relatively weak, it draws strength from the fact that (a) the other readings are much more natural and thus more predictable, and (b) there are several variants for this text. It seems hardly likely that scribes would intentionally change a more common expression into a title that is used nowhere else in the NT (although 1 John 2:22; 5:1 come close with “Jesus is the Christ”), nor would they unintentionally change a frequently used designation into an unusual one. Thus, in spite of the external evidence (which is nevertheless sufficient to argue for authenticity), ᾿Ιησοῦς ὁ Χριστός is the reading that best explains the rise of the others.

[9:34]  tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[9:34]  ⁸³ tn The translation “make your own bed” for στρῶσον σεαυτῷ (strwson seautw) is given by BDAG 949 s.v. στρωννύω 1. Naturally this involves some adaptation, since a pallet or mat would not be ‘made up’ in the sense that a modern bed would be. The idea may be closer to “straighten” or “rearrange,” and the NIV’s “take care of your mat” attempts to reflect this, although this too probably conveys a slightly different idea to the modern English reader.

[9:35]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “And all.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:35]  ⁸⁵ sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.

[9:35]  ⁸⁶ sn Sharon refers to the plain of Sharon, a region along the coast of Palestine.

[9:35]  ⁸⁷ tn Repetition of the pronoun “they” as subject of ἐπέστρεψαν (epestreyan) is not strictly necessary in English, but emphasizes slightly the resultative nature of the final clause: They turned to the Lord as a result of seeing Aeneas after he was healed.

[9:35]  ⁸⁸ sn They turned. To “turn” is a good summary term for the response to the gospel.

[9:36]  ⁸⁹ sn Joppa was a seaport on the Philistine coast, in the same location as modern Jaffa. “Though Joppa never became a major seaport, it was of some importance as a logistical base and an outlet to the Mediterranean” (A. F. Rainey, ISBE 2:1118-19).

[9:36]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “which being translated is called.” In English this would normally be expressed “which is translated as” or “which in translation means.” The second option is given by L&N 33.145.

[9:36]  ⁹¹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Dorcas is the Greek translation of the Aramaic name Tabitha. Dorcas in Greek means “gazelle” or “deer.”

[9:36]  ⁹² tn Or “and helping the poor.” Grk “She was full of good deeds and acts of charity which she was continually doing.” Since it is somewhat redundant in English to say “she was full of good deeds…which she was continually doing,” the translation has been simplified to “she was continually doing good deeds and acts of charity.” The imperfect verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a progressive imperfect (“was continually doing”).

[9:37]  ⁹³ tn Grk “It happened that in those days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:37]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “becoming sick, she died.” The participle ἀσθενήσασαν (asqenhsasan) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:37]  ⁹⁵ tn The participle λούσαντες (lousante") is taken temporally.

[9:37]  ⁹⁶ tn Grk “washed her,” but the reference is to her corpse.

[9:38]  ⁹⁷ sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.

[9:38]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “Do not delay to come to us.” It is somewhat smoother to say in English, “Come to us without delay.”

[9:39]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “who.” The relative clause makes for awkward English style here, so the following clause was made coordinate with the conjunction “and” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun.

[9:39]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The participle παραγενόμενον (paragenomenon) is taken temporally.

[9:39]  ¹⁰¹ tn Grk “and all.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:39]  ¹⁰² 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.

[9:39]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[9:39]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Grk “and garments,” referring here to other types of clothing besides the tunics just mentioned.

[9:39]  ¹⁰⁵ tn The verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a customary imperfect.

[9:40]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Grk “Peter, sending them all outside, knelt down.” The participle ἐκβαλών (ekbalwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:40]  ¹⁰⁷ tn Grk “and kneeling down,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. Instead the “and” is placed before the verb προσηύξατο (proshuxato, “and prayed”). The participle θείς (qeis) is taken as a participle of attendant circumstance.

[9:40]  ¹⁰⁸ tn Grk “and turning.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[9:40]  ¹⁰⁹ sn She sat up. This event is told much like Luke 8:49-56 and Mark 5:35-43. Peter’s ministry mirrored that of Jesus.

[9:41]  ¹¹⁰ tn Grk “Giving her his hand, he helped her.” The participle δούς (dous) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[9:41]  ¹¹¹ tn Grk “Then calling the saints…he presented her.” The participle φωνήσας (fwnhsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style; it could also be taken temporally (“After he called”).

[9:42]  ¹¹² tn Or “known all over.” BDAG 511 s.v. κατά A.1.c. has “became known throughout all Joppa” for γνωστὸν γενέσθαι καθ᾿ ὅλης ᾿Ιόππης (gnwston genesqai kaq’ {olh" Iopph").

[9:42]  ¹¹³ sn This became known…many believed in the Lord. This is a “sign” miracle that pictures how the Lord can give life.

[9:43]  ¹¹⁴ tn Grk “So it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[9:43]  ¹¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:43]  ¹¹⁶ tn Grk “with a certain Simon.”

[9:43]  ¹¹⁷ tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname. See also MM 118.

[10:1]  ¹¹⁸ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). It was known as “Caesarea by the sea” (BDAG 499 s.v. Καισάρεια 2). Largely Gentile, it was a center of Roman administration and the location of many of Herod the Great’s building projects (Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 [15.331-341]).

[10:1]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:1]  ¹¹⁹ sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.

[10:1]  ¹²⁰ sn A cohort was a Roman military unit of about 600 soldiers, one-tenth of a legion (BDAG 936 s.v. σπεῖρα). The Italian Cohort has been identified as cohors II Italica which is known to have been stationed in Syria in a.d. 88.

[10:2]  ¹²¹ tn In the Greek text this represents a continuation of the previous sentence. Because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[10:2]  ¹²² sn The description of Cornelius as a devout, God-fearing man probably means that he belonged to the category called “God-fearers,” Gentiles who worshiped the God of Israel and in many cases kept the Mosaic law, but did not take the final step of circumcision necessary to become a proselyte to Judaism. See further K. G. Kuhn, TDNT 6:732-34, 43-44, and Sir 11:17; 27:11; 39:27.

[10:2]  ¹²³ tn Or “gave many gifts to the poor.” This was known as “giving alms,” or acts of mercy (Sir 7:10; BDAG 315-16 s.v. ἐλεημοσύνη).

[10:3]  ¹²⁴ tn Grk “at about the ninth hour of the day.” This would be the time for afternoon prayer.

[10:3]  ¹²⁵ tn Or “the angel of God.” Linguistically, “angel of God” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of God” or “the angel of God” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[10:3]  ¹²⁶ tn The participles εἰσελθόντα (eiselqonta) and εἰπόντα (eiponta) are accusative, and thus best taken as adjectival participles modifying ἄγγελον (angelon): “an angel who came in and said.”

[10:4]  ¹²⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ¹²⁸ tn Grk “said,” but in response to the angel’s address, “replied” is better English style.

[10:4]  ¹²⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:4]  ¹³⁰ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:4]  ¹³¹ sn The language used in the expression gone up as a memorial before God parallels what one would say of acceptable sacrifices (Ps 141:2; Sir 35:6; 50:16).

[10:5]  ¹³² tn Grk “And now.” 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.

[10:5]  ¹³³ sn Joppa was a seaport on the Philistine coast, in the same location as modern Jaffa.

[10:5]  ¹³⁴ tn Grk “a certain Simon.”

[10:6]  ¹³⁵ tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname. See also MM 118.

[10:7]  ¹³⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Cornelius) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:7]  ¹³⁷ tn Or “domestic servants.” The Greek word here is οἰκέτης (oiketh"), which technically refers to a member of the household, but usually means a household servant (slave) or personal servant rather than a field laborer.

[10:7]  ¹³⁸ tn The meaning of the genitive participle προσκαρτερούντων (proskarterountwn) could either be “a soldier from the ranks of those who served him” (referring to his entire command) or “a soldier from among his personal staff” (referring to a group of soldiers who were his personal attendants). The translation “from among those who served him” is general enough to cover either possibility.

[10:9]  ¹³⁹ tn Grk “about the sixth hour.”

[10:9]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The participles ὁδοιπορούντων (Jodoiporountwn, “while they were on their way”) and ἐγγιζόντων (engizontwn, “approaching”) have been translated as temporal participles.

[10:9]  ¹⁴¹ sn Went up on the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[10:10]  ¹⁴² tn The traditional translation, “he fell into a trance,” is somewhat idiomatic; it is based on the textual variant ἐπέπεσεν (epepesen, “he fell”) found in the Byzantine text but almost certainly not original.

[10:11]  ¹⁴³ tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[10:11]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:11]  ¹⁴⁵ tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.

[10:11]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).

[10:11]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Or “coming down.”

[10:11]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Or “to the ground.”

[10:12]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[10:12]  ¹⁵⁰ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ¹⁵¹ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[10:13]  ¹⁵² tn Grk “And there came.” 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.

[10:13]  ¹⁵³ tn Grk “a voice to him”; the word “said” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[10:13]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[10:14]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqarto") here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:14]  sn Peter insisted he would not violate the law by eating anything defiled and ritually unclean. These food laws were one of the practices that distinguished Jews from their Gentile neighbors. The practice made table fellowship with Gentiles awkward. For an example of Jewish attitudes to this, see Dan 1:8-16; 1 Macc 1:41-64; Letter of Aristeas 142; Tacitus, History 5.5.

[10:15]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Grk “And the voice.” 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.

[10:15]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Or “declare.”

[10:15]  ¹⁵⁸ sn For the significance of this vision see Mark 7:14-23; Rom 14:14; Eph 2:11-22. God directed this change in practice.

[10:16]  ¹⁵⁹ tn Or “into the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:17]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “was greatly confused over.” The term means to be perplexed or at a loss (BDAG 235 s.v. διαπορέω).

[10:17]  ¹⁶¹ tn Grk “having learned.” The participle διερωτήσαντες (dierwthsante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:17]  ¹⁶² tn BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 has “ἐπί τι approach or stand by someth. (Sir 41:24) Ac 10:17.”

[10:17]  sn As Peter puzzled over the meaning of the vision, the messengers from Cornelius approached the gate. God’s direction here had a sense of explanatory timing.

[10:18]  ¹⁶³ tn Grk “and.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the pronoun “they” as the subject of the following verb.

[10:18]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Grk “Simon, the one called Peter.” This qualification was necessary because the owner of the house was also named Simon (Acts 9:43).

[10:19]  ¹⁶⁵ tn The translation “think seriously about” for διενθυμέομαι (dienqumeomai) is given in L&N 30.2. Peter was “pondering” the vision (BDAG 244 s.v.).

[10:20]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Grk “But getting up, go down.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:20]  ¹⁶⁷ tn The term means “without doubting” or “without deliberation.” It is a term of conscience and discernment. In effect, Peter is to listen to them rather than hesitate (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 6).

[10:21]  ¹⁶⁸ tn Grk “Peter going down to the men, said.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:21]  ¹⁶⁹ tn Grk “Behold, it is I whom you seek,” or “Behold, I am the one you seek.” “Here I am” is used to translate ἰδοὺ ἐγώ εἰμι (idou egw eimi).

[10:22]  ¹⁷⁰ sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.

[10:22]  ¹⁷¹ tn Or “just.”

[10:22]  ¹⁷² tn The phrase τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων (tou eqnou" twn Ioudaiwn) is virtually a technical term for the Jewish nation (1 Macc 10:25; 11:30, 33; Josephus, Ant. 14.10.22 [14.248]). “All the Jewish people,” while another possible translation of the Greek phrase, does not convey the technical sense of a reference to the nation in English.

[10:22]  sn The long introduction of Cornelius by his messengers is an attempt to commend this Gentile to his Jewish counterpart, which would normally be important to do in the culture of the time.

[10:22]  ¹⁷³ tn Grk “hear words.”

[10:23]  ¹⁷⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:23]  sn When Peter entertained them as guests, he performed a culturally significant act denoting acceptance.

[10:23]  ¹⁷⁵ tn Or “went forth.”

[10:23]  ¹⁷⁶ sn Some of the brothers from Joppa. As v. 45 makes clear, there were Jewish Christians in this group of witnesses.

[10:24]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Grk “On the next day,” but since this phrase has already occurred in v. 23, it would be redundant in English to use it again here.

[10:24]  ¹⁷⁸ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi).

[10:24]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:24]  ¹⁷⁹ tn Normally προσδοκάω (prosdokaw) means “to wait with apprehension or anxiety for something,” often with the implication of impending danger or trouble (L&N 25.228), but in this context the anxiety Cornelius would have felt came from the importance of the forthcoming message as announced by the angel.

[10:25]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Grk “So it happened that when.” 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.

[10:25]  ¹⁸¹ tn Grk “meeting him.” The participle συναντήσας (sunanthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ¹⁸² tn Grk “falling at his feet, worshiped.” The participle πεσών (peswn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ¹⁸³ sn When Cornelius worshiped Peter, it showed his piety and his respect for Peter, but it was an act based on ignorance, as Peter’s remark in v. 26 indicates.

[10:26]  ¹⁸⁴ tn BDAG 271 s.v. ἐγείρω 3 has “raise, help to rise….Stretched out Ac 10:26.”

[10:26]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Although it is certainly true that Peter was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “mere mortal” because the emphasis in context is not on Peter’s maleness, but his humanity. Contrary to what Cornelius thought, Peter was not a god or an angelic being, but a mere mortal.

[10:27]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 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.

[10:27]  ¹⁸⁷ tn Or “many people assembled.”

[10:28]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Here ὡς (Jws) is used like ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect discourse (cf. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5).

[10:28]  ¹⁸⁹ tn This term is used of wanton or callously lawless acts (BDAG 24 s.v. ἀθέμιτος).

[10:28]  ¹⁹⁰ tn Grk “a Jewish man” (ἀνδρὶ ᾿Ιουδαίῳ, andri Ioudaiw).

[10:28]  ¹⁹¹ tn Grk “a foreigner,” but in this context, “a non-Jew,” that is, a Gentile. This term speaks of intimate association (BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.b.α). On this Jewish view, see John 18:28, where a visit to a Gentile residence makes a Jewish person unclean.

[10:28]  ¹⁹² tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo").

[10:28]  ¹⁹³ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts.

[10:28]  sn God has shown me…unclean. Peter sees the significance of his vision as not about food, but about open fellowship between Jewish Christians and Gentiles.

[10:29]  ¹⁹⁴ tn Grk “Therefore when I was sent for.” The passive participle μεταπεμφθείς (metapemfqei") has been taken temporally and converted to an active construction which is less awkward in English.

[10:29]  ¹⁹⁵ tn Grk “ask for what reason.”

[10:30]  ¹⁹⁶ tn Grk “And Cornelius.” 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.

[10:30]  ¹⁹⁷ tn Grk “said.”

[10:30]  ¹⁹⁸ tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” Again, this is the hour of afternoon prayer.

[10:30]  ¹⁹⁹ tn Grk “and behold.” The interjection ἰδού (idou) is difficult at times to translate into English. Here it has been translated as “suddenly” to convey the force of Cornelius’ account of the angel’s appearance.

[10:31]  ²⁰⁰ tn Or “your gifts to the needy.”

[10:31]  ²⁰¹ sn This statement is a paraphrase rather than an exact quotation of Acts 10:4.

[10:32]  ²⁰² tn Or “with a certain Simon Berseus.” Although most modern English translations treat βυρσεῖ (bursei) as Simon’s profession (“Simon the tanner”), it is possible that the word is actually Simon’s surname (“Simon Berseus” or “Simon Tanner”). BDAG 185 s.v. βυρσεύς regards it as a surname.

[10:33]  ²⁰³ tn Grk “you have done well by coming.” The idiom καλῶς ποιεῖν (kalw" poiein) is translated “be kind enough to do someth.” by BDAG 505-6 s.v. καλῶς 4.a. The participle παραγενόμενος (paragenomeno") has been translated as an English infinitive due to the nature of the English idiom (“kind enough to” + infinitive).

[10:33]  ²⁰⁴ tn The translation “we are here in the presence of God” for ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ πάρεσμεν (enwpion tou qeou paresmen) is given by BDAG 773 s.v. πάρειμι 1.a.

[10:33]  ²⁰⁵ tn Or “to hear everything.”

[10:33]  ²⁰⁶ tn The words “to say to us” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Cornelius knows Peter is God’s representative, bringing God’s message.

[10:34]  ²⁰⁷ tn Grk “Opening his mouth Peter said” (a Semitic idiom for beginning to speak in a somewhat formal manner). The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:34]  ²⁰⁸ tn Grk “God is not one who is a respecter of persons,” that is, “God is not one to show partiality” (cf. BDAG 887 s.v. προσωπολήμπτης). L&N 88.239 translates this verse “I realize that God does not show favoritism (in dealing with people).” The underlying Hebrew idiom includes the personal element (“respecter of persons”) so the phrase “in dealing with people” is included in the present translation. It fits very well with the following context and serves to emphasize the relational component of God’s lack of partiality. The latter is a major theme in the NT: Rom 2:11; Eph 2:11-22; Col 3:25; Jas 2:1; 1 Pet 1:17. This was the lesson of Peter’s vision.

[10:35]  ²⁰⁹ sn See Luke 24:47.

[10:35]  ²¹⁰ tn Or “shows reverence for him.”

[10:35]  ²¹¹ tn Grk “works righteousness”; the translation “does what is right” for this phrase in this verse is given by L&N 25.85.

[10:35]  sn Note how faith and response are linked here by the phrase and does what is right.

[10:36]  ²¹² tn The subject and verb (“you know”) do not actually occur until the following verse, but have been repeated here because of the requirements of English word order.

[10:36]  ²¹³ tn Grk “the word.”

[10:36]  ²¹⁴ tn Grk “to the sons.”

[10:36]  ²¹⁵ sn Peace is a key OT concept: Isa 52:7; Nah 1:15; also for Luke: Luke 1:79; 2:14; Acts 9:31. See also the similar phrase in Eph 2:17.

[10:36]  ²¹⁶ tn Or “by.”

[10:36]  ²¹⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[10:36]  ²¹⁸ sn He is Lord of all. Though a parenthetical remark, this is the theological key to the speech. Jesus is Lord of all, so the gospel can go to all. The rest of the speech proclaims Jesus’ authority.

[10:37]  ²¹⁹ tn Or “proclaimed.”

[10:38]  ²²⁰ sn The somewhat awkward naming of Jesus as from Nazareth here is actually emphatic. He is the key subject of these key events.

[10:38]  ²²¹ tn Or “how.” The use of ὡς (Jws) as an equivalent to ὅτι (Joti) to introduce indirect or even direct discourse is well documented. BDAG 1105 s.v. ὡς 5 lists Acts 10:28 in this category.

[10:38]  ²²² tn Grk “power, who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:38]  ²²³ tn The translation “healing all who were oppressed by the devil” is given in L&N 22.22.

[10:38]  sn All who were oppressed by the devil. Note how healing is tied to the cosmic battle present in creation. Christ’s power overcomes the devil and his forces, which seek to destroy humanity.

[10:38]  ²²⁴ sn See Acts 7:9.

[10:39]  ²²⁵ tn Grk “And we.” 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.

[10:39]  ²²⁶ tn Grk “the land of the Jews,” but this is similar to the phrase used as the name of the province of Judea in 1 Macc 8:3 (see BDAG 1093-94 s.v. χώρα 2.b).

[10:39]  ²²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[10:39]  ²²⁸ tn Grk “in Jerusalem, whom they killed.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “him” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[10:39]  ²²⁹ tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the 1st century an idiom for crucifixion). The allusion is to the judgment against Jesus as a rebellious figure, appealing to the language of Deut 21:23. The Jewish leadership has badly “misjudged” Jesus.

[10:40]  ²³⁰ tn The conjunction “but” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied in the context. This is technically asyndeton, or lack of a connective, in Greek.

[10:40]  ²³¹ tn Grk “and granted that he should become visible.” The literal Greek idiom is somewhat awkward in English. L&N 24.22 offers the translation “caused him to be seen” for this verse.

[10:41]  ²³² tn Or “the witnesses God had previously chosen.” See Acts 1:8.

[10:41]  ²³³ sn Ate and drank. See Luke 24:35-49.

[10:42]  ²³⁴ tn Grk “and he.” 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.

[10:42]  ²³⁵ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn,” and such a meaning is highly probable in this context where a reference to the judgment of both the living and the dead is present. The more general meaning “to testify solemnly” does not capture this nuance.

[10:42]  ²³⁶ 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.

[10:42]  ²³⁷ tn Grk “that this one is the one,” but this is awkward in English and has been simplified to “that he is the one.”

[10:42]  ²³⁸ tn Or “designated.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “the one appointed by God as judge” for this phrase.

[10:42]  ²³⁹ sn Jesus has divine authority as judge over the living and the dead: Acts 17:26-31; Rom 14:9; 1 Thess 5:9-10; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5.

[10:43]  ²⁴⁰ tn Or “All the prophets testify about him.” Although modern English translations tend to place “about him” after “testify” (so NIV, NRSV) the phrase “about him” has been left at the beginning of v. 43 for emphatic reasons.

[10:43]  ²⁴¹ sn Forgiveness of sins. See Luke 24:47; also Acts 14:23; 19:4; 9:42; 11:17; 16:31. The gospel is present in the prophetic promise, Rom 1:1-7. The message is in continuity with the ancient hope.

[10:44]  ²⁴² tn Or “came down on.” God now acted to confirm the point of Peter’s speech.

[10:44]  ²⁴³ tn Or “word.”

[10:45]  ²⁴⁴ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[10:45]  ²⁴⁵ tn Or “The Jewish Christians”; Grk “The believers from the circumcision.”

[10:45]  ²⁴⁶ sn The Jewish Christians who were with Peter were greatly astonished because they thought the promise of the Spirit would be limited only to those of Israel. God’s plan was taking on fresh dimensions even as it was a reflection of what the prophets had promised.

[10:45]  ²⁴⁷ tn Or “because.”

[10:45]  ²⁴⁸ tn That is, the gift consisting of the Holy Spirit. Here τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Spirit.

[10:45]  ²⁴⁹ sn The gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out. Compare the account in Acts 2, especially 2:33. Note also Joel 2:17-21 and Acts 11:15-18.

[10:46]  ²⁵⁰ tn Or “extolling,” “magnifying.”

[10:47]  ²⁵¹ tn Grk “just as also we.” The auxiliary verb in English must be supplied. This could be either “have” (NIV, NRSV) or “did” (NASB). “Did” is preferred here because the comparison Peter is making concerns not just the fact of the present possession of the Spirit (“they received the Spirit we now possess”), but the manner in which the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house received the Spirit (“they received the Spirit in the same manner we did [on the day of Pentecost]”).

[10:47]  ²⁵² tn The Greek construction anticipates a negative reply which is indicated in the translation by the ‘tag’ question, “can he?” The question is rhetorical. Peter was saying these Gentiles should be baptized since God had confirmed they were his.

[10:48]  ²⁵³ tn The Greek construction (passive infinitive with accusative subject) could be translated either “he ordered them to be baptized” or “he ordered that they be baptized,” but the implication in English in either case is that Peter was giving orders to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house, telling them to get baptized. It is much more likely in the context that Peter was ordering those Jewish Christians who accompanied him to baptize the new Gentile converts. They would doubtless have still had misgivings even after witnessing the outpouring of the Spirit and hearing the tongues. It took Peter’s apostolic authority (“ordered”) to convince them to perform the baptisms.

[10:48]  ²⁵⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” Jesus’ right to judge as the provider of forgiveness is highlighted here.

[11:1]  ²⁵⁵ tn See BDAG 221 s.v. δέχομαι 5 for this translation of ἐδέξαντο (edexanto) here.

[11:1]  ²⁵⁶ tn Here the phrase “word of God” is another way to describe the gospel (note the preceding verb ἐδέξαντο, edexanto, “accepted”). The phrase could also be translated “the word [message] from God.”

[11:2]  ²⁵⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:2]  ²⁵⁸ tn Or “the Jewish Christians”; Grk “those of the circumcision.” Within the larger group of Christians were some whose loyalties ran along ethnic-religious lines.

[11:2]  ²⁵⁹ tn Or “believers disputed with,” “believers criticized” (BDAG 231 s.v. διακρίνω 5.b).

[11:3]  ²⁶⁰ tn Or “You were a guest in the home of” (according to L&N 23.12).

[11:3]  ²⁶¹ tn Or “and ate with.” It was table fellowship and the possibility of eating unclean food that disturbed them.

[11:4]  ²⁶² tn Or “to them in logical sequence,” “to them in order.” BDAG 490 s.v. καθεξῆς has “explain to someone point by point” for this phrase. This is the same term used in Luke 1:3.

[11:5]  ²⁶³ tn This term describes a supernatural vision and reflects a clear distinction from something imagined (BDAG 718 s.v. ὅραμα 1). Peter repeated the story virtually word for word through v. 13. The repetition with this degree of detail shows the event’s importance.

[11:5]  ²⁶⁴ tn Or “coming down.”

[11:5]  ²⁶⁵ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[11:6]  ²⁶⁶ tn Grk “Staring I looked into it.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:6]  ²⁶⁷ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate.

[11:6]  ²⁶⁸ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[11:7]  ²⁶⁹ tn Or “kill.” Traditionally θῦσον (quson) is translated “kill,” but in the case of animals intended for food, “slaughter” is more appropriate.

[11:8]  ²⁷⁰ tn Possibly there is a subtle distinction in meaning between κοινός (koinos) and ἀκάθαρτος (akaqartos) here, but according to L&N 53.39 it is difficult to determine precise differences in meaning based on existing contexts. The sentiment Peter expressed is like Ezek 4:14.

[11:9]  ²⁷¹ tn Or “declare.” The wording matches Acts 10:15.

[11:11]  ²⁷² tn Grk “And behold.”

[11:11]  ²⁷³ 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.

[11:11]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:11]  ²⁷⁴ tn See BDAG 418 s.v. ἐφίστημι 1 for this meaning for ἐπέστησαν (epesthsan) here.

[11:11]  ²⁷⁵ tn The word “staying” is not in the Greek text but is implied.

[11:12]  ²⁷⁶ sn Six witnesses is three times more than what would normally be required. They could confirm the events were not misrepresented by Peter.

[11:14]  ²⁷⁷ tn Grk “words” (ῥήματα, rJhmata), but in this context the overall message is meant rather than the individual words.

[11:15]  ²⁷⁸ tn Or “came down on.”

[11:15]  ²⁷⁹ tn The words “he did” are not in the Greek text but are implied. They form an ellipsis which must be supplied for the modern English reader. Some modern translations supply “it” rather than “he” because the gender of πνεῦμα (pneuma) in Greek is neuter, but there are sufficient NT contexts that use masculine pronouns to refer to the Spirit to justify the use of a masculine pronoun here in the translation.

[11:15]  ²⁸⁰ sn At the beginning is an allusion to Acts 2 and Pentecost. The beginning is a way to refer to the start of the period of the realization of Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8. Peter was arguing that God gave Gentiles the same benefits he gave the Jews at the start of their mission.

[11:16]  ²⁸¹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[11:16]  ²⁸² tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.

[11:16]  ²⁸³ sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.

[11:17]  ²⁸⁴ tc Codex Bezae (D) and {a few other Western witnesses} here lack ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”), perhaps because these scribes considered the Holy Spirit to be the gift of Christ rather than the gift of God; thus leaving the subject implicit would naturally draw the reader back to v. 16 to see the Lord Jesus as the bestower of the Spirit.

[11:17]  ²⁸⁵ sn That is, the same gift of the Holy Spirit.

[11:17]  ²⁸⁶ tn Or “gave us when we believed”; or “gave us after we believed”; or “gave us who believed”; or “gave them when they believed the same gift as he also gave us.” The aorist dative plural participle πιστεύσασιν (pisteusasin) can be understood in several different ways: (1) It could modify ἡμῖν (Jhmin, “us”) or αὐτοῖς (autois, “them”). Proximity (it immediately follows ἡμῖν) would suggest that it belongs with ἡμῖν, so the last option (“gave them when they believed the same gift he also gave us”) is less likely. (2) The participle could be either adverbial or adjectival, modifying ἡμῖν. This decision is primarily a contextual one. The point Peter made is not whether or not the Gentiles believed, since both groups (“us” and “they”) had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. The point was whether or not the Gentiles received the Spirit when they believed, just as Jewish Christians had received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost when they believed. Translated as an adjectival participle, πιστεύσασιν only affirms the fact of belief, however, and raises somewhat of a theological problem if one realizes, “Would God have given the Gentiles the Spirit if they had not believed?” (In other words, belief in itself is a theological prerequisite for receiving the Spirit. As such, in the case of the Gentiles, it is assumed.) Thus in context it makes more sense to understand the participle πιστεύσασιν as adverbial, related to the time of belief in connection with the giving of the Spirit. (3) The participle πιστεύσασιν as a temporal participle can refer to action antecedent to the action of the main verb ἔδωκεν (edwken) or contemporaneous with it. Logically, at least, the gift of the Spirit followed belief in the case of the original Christians, who had believed before the day of Pentecost. In the case of Cornelius and his household, belief and the reception of the Spirit were virtually simultaneous. One can argue that Peter is “summarizing” the experience of Jewish Christians, and therefore the actions of belief and reception of the Spirit, while historically separate, have been “telescoped” into one (“gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed”), but to be technically accurate the participle πιστεύσασιν should be translated “gave them the same gift as he also gave us after we believed.” A number of these problems can be avoided, however, by using a translation in English that maintains some of the ambiguity of the Greek original. Thus “if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing” is used, where the phrase “after believing” can refer either to “them” or to “us,” or both.

[11:17]  ²⁸⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[11:17]  ²⁸⁸ tn Or “prevent,” “forbid” (BDAG 580 s.v. κωλύω 1.a). Peter’s point is that he will not stand in the way of God.

[11:18]  ²⁸⁹ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ²⁹⁰ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ²⁹¹ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ²⁹² sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ²⁹³ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁴ sn The phrase over Stephen means in connection with Stephen’s death. See Acts 8:1b-3.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁵ tn Or “finally reached.” The translations “went as far as” and “finally reached” for διῆλθον (dihlqon) in this verse are given in L&N 15.17.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁶ sn Phoenicia was an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁷ tn Grk “and Cyprus,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[11:19]  sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁸ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). This was probably the third largest city in the Greco-Roman world (Alexandria in Egypt was the second largest, and Rome the largest) and was the seat of government in Syria. Five miles away was a major temple to Artemis, Apollo, and Astarte, major pagan deities.

[11:19]  map For location see JP1 F2; JP2 F2; JP3 F2; JP4 F2.

[11:19]  ²⁹⁹ tn Grk “word.”

[11:20]  ³⁰⁰ sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.

[11:20]  ³⁰¹ sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.

[11:20]  ³⁰² tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:20]  ³⁰³ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:20]  ³⁰⁴ sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene…began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.

[11:21]  ³⁰⁵ tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[11:21]  ³⁰⁶ tn The participle πιστεύσας (pisteusa") is articular and thus cannot be adverbial. It is adjectival, modifying ἀριθμός (ariqmo"), but has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who believed”).

[11:21]  ³⁰⁷ sn Again, the expression turned is a summary term for responding to the gospel.

[11:22]  ³⁰⁸ tn Grk “Word.”

[11:22]  ³⁰⁹ tn Grk “was heard in the ears,” an idiom. L&N 24.67 states that the idiom means “to hear in secret” (which it certainly does in Matt 10:27), but secrecy does not seem to be part of the context here, and there is no particular reason to suggest the report was made in secret.

[11:22]  ³¹⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:22]  ³¹¹ tc ‡ Most mss read the infinitive “to travel” after “Barnabas.” διελθεῖν (dielqein) is found before ἕως (Jews) in D E Ψ 33 Ï and some versional mss. It is lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B 81 1739 pc and some versional mss. Although the infinitive with ἕως fits Lukan style, it has the appearance of a scribal clarification. The infinitive has the earmarks of a Western expansion on the text and thus is unlikely to be original. NA²⁷ has the infinitive in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[11:22]  ³¹² sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19. Again the Jerusalem church exercised an oversight role.

[11:23]  ³¹³ tn Grk “Antioch, who when.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:23]  ³¹⁴ tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσμένω 1.a.β has “remain true to the Lord” for προσμένειν (prosmenein) in this verse.

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

[11:23]  ³¹⁵ tn Grk “with purpose of heart”; BDAG 869 s.v. πρόθεσις 2.a translates this phrase “purpose of heart, i.e. devotion” here.

[11:24]  ³¹⁶ tn Grk “a significant crowd.”

[11:26]  ³¹⁷ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:26]  ³¹⁸ tn Grk “So it happened that” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[11:26]  ³¹⁹ tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:26]  ³²⁰ tn Grk “a significant crowd.”

[11:26]  ³²¹ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

[11:26]  ³²² sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.

[11:27]  ³²³ tn Grk “In these days,” but the dative generally indicates a specific time.

[11:27]  ³²⁴ tn The word “some” is not in the Greek text, but is usually used in English when an unspecified number is mentioned.

[11:27]  ³²⁵ sn Prophets are mentioned only here and in 13:1 and 21:10 in Acts.

[11:27]  ³²⁶ sn Came down from Jerusalem. Antioch in Syria lies due north of Jerusalem. In Western languages it is common to speak of north as “up” and south as “down,” but the NT maintains the Hebrew idiom which speaks of any direction away from Jerusalem as down (since Mount Zion was thought of in terms of altitude).

[11:27]  ³²⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[11:27]  ³²⁸ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.

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

[11:28]  ³²⁹ tn Grk “getting up, predicted.” The participle ἀναστάς (anasta") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[11:28]  ³³⁰ tn Or “made clear”; Grk “indicated beforehand” (BDAG 920 s.v. σημαίνω 2).

[11:28]  ³³¹ tn Grk “great.”

[11:28]  ³³² sn This famine is one of the firmly fixed dates in Acts. It took place from a.d. 45-48. The events described in chap. 11 of Acts occurred during the early part of that period.

[11:28]  ³³³ tn Or “whole Roman Empire.” While the word οἰκουμένη (oikoumenh) does occasionally refer specifically to the Roman Empire, BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουνένη 2 does not list this passage (only Acts 24:5 and 17:6).

[11:28]  ³³⁴ tn Grk “world, which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the demonstrative pronoun “this” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:28]  ³³⁵ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author. Claudius was the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, known as Claudius, who ruled from a.d. 41-54.

[11:29]  ³³⁶ tn So BDAG 410 s.v. εὐπορέω.

[11:29]  ³³⁷ tn Or “determined,” “resolved.”

[11:29]  ³³⁸ tn Grk “to send [something] for a ministry,” but today it is common to speak of sending relief for victims of natural disasters.

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

[11:30]  ³³⁹ tn Grk “Judea, which they did.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[11:30]  ³⁴⁰ tn The words “their financial aid” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:1]  ³⁴¹ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). His mediocre career is summarized in Josephus, Ant. 18-19. This event took place in a.d. 42 or 43.

[12:1]  ³⁴² tn Or “King Herod had some from the church arrested.”

[12:1]  ³⁴³ tn Or “to cause them injury.”

[12:2]  ³⁴⁴ sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.

[12:3]  ³⁴⁵ tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

[12:3]  ³⁴⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:4]  ³⁴⁷ sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.

[12:4]  ³⁴⁸ tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomeno") and an infinitive (ἀναγαγεῖν, anagagein), but this creates an awkward and lengthy sentence in English. Thus a reference to Herod was introduced as subject and the participle translated as a finite verb (“Herod planned”).

[12:4]  ³⁴⁹ tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”

[12:4]  ³⁵⁰ tn Grk “to bring him out to the people,” but in this context a public trial (with certain condemnation as the result) is doubtless what Herod planned. L&N 15.176 translates this phrase “planning to bring him up for a public trial after the Passover.”

[12:5]  ³⁵¹ tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.

[12:5]  ³⁵² tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.

[12:6]  ³⁵³ tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.

[12:6]  ³⁵⁴ tn Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.

[12:6]  ³⁵⁵ tn Or “were guarding.”

[12:7]  ³⁵⁶ tn Grk “And behold.” 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. The interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.

[12:7]  ³⁵⁷ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ³⁵⁸ tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:7]  ³⁵⁹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ³⁶⁰ tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ³⁶¹ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.

[12:8]  ³⁶² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁶³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁶⁴ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ³⁶⁵ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ³⁶⁶ tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:9]  ³⁶⁷ tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:9]  ³⁶⁸ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ³⁶⁹ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ³⁷⁰ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

[12:10]  ³⁷¹ tn Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.

[12:10]  ³⁷² tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ³⁷³ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[12:11]  ³⁷⁴ tn Grk “And when.” 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.

[12:11]  ³⁷⁵ tn Or “delivered.”

[12:11]  ³⁷⁶ sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.

[12:11]  ³⁷⁷ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:11]  ³⁷⁸ sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).

[12:12]  ³⁷⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:12]  ³⁸⁰ tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

[12:12]  sn John Mark becomes a key figure in Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39.

[12:13]  ³⁸¹ tn Or “responded.”

[12:14]  ³⁸² tn Or “informed.”

[12:14]  ³⁸³ tn The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[12:15]  ³⁸⁴ sn “You’ve lost your mind!” Such a response to the miraculous is not unusual in Luke-Acts. See Luke 24:11; Acts 26:25. The term μαίνομαι (mainomai) can have the idea of being “raving mad” or “totally irrational” (BDAG 610 s.v.). It is a strong expression.

[12:15]  ³⁸⁵ tn Grk “she kept insisting that the situation was thus” (cf. BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a). Most translations supply a less awkward English phrase like “it was so”; the force of her insistence, however, is that “it was Peter,” which was the point under dispute.

[12:15]  ³⁸⁶ tn The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diiscurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.

[12:15]  ³⁸⁷ sn The assumption made by those inside, “It is his angel,” seems to allude to the idea of an attending angel (cf. Gen 48:16 LXX; Matt 18:10; Test. Jacob 1:10).

[12:16]  ³⁸⁸ tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).

[12:16]  ³⁸⁹ sn That they were greatly astonished is a common response in Luke-Acts to God’s work (Luke 8:56; Acts 2:7, 12; 8:13; 9:21; 10:45).

[12:17]  ³⁹⁰ tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:17]  ³⁹¹ tc ‡ Most mss, including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ Ï sy), read αὐτοῖς (autoi", “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (Ì^45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739 pc) lack the pronoun. Although it is possible that the pronoun was deleted because it was seen as superfluous, it is also possible that it was added as a natural expansion on the text, strengthening the connection between Peter and his listeners. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[12:17]  ³⁹² tn Or “led.”

[12:17]  ³⁹³ sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.

[12:18]  ³⁹⁴ tn BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a has “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse.

[12:18]  ³⁹⁵ tn Grk “no little consternation.” The translation given for τάραχος (taraco") in this verse by BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 1 is “mental agitation.” The situation indicated by the Greek word is described in L&N 25.243 as “a state of acute distress and great anxiety, with the additional possible implications of dismay and confusion – ‘great distress, extreme anxiety.’” The English word “consternation” is preferred here because it conveys precisely such a situation of anxiety mixed with fear. The reason for this anxiety is explained in the following verse.

[12:19]  ³⁹⁶ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:19]  ³⁹⁷ tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).

[12:19]  ³⁹⁸ tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrina") here because a possible translation offered by BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω for this verse is “examined,” which could be understood to mean Herod inspected the guards rather than questioned them. The translation used by the NIV, “cross-examined,” also avoids this possible misunderstanding.

[12:19]  ³⁹⁹ tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apacqhnai) in this verse is given by BDAG 95 s.v. ἀπάγω 2.c. Although an explicit reference to execution is lacking here, it is what would usually occur in such a case (Acts 16:27; 27:42; Code of Justinian 9.4.4). “Led away to torture” is a less likely option (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10, 96, 8).

[12:19]  ⁴⁰⁰ tn Grk “and,” but the sequence of events is better expressed in English by “then.” A new sentence is begun in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek, which exceeds normal English sentence length.

[12:19]  ⁴⁰¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Since Herod has been the subject of the preceding material, and the circumstances of his death are the subject of the following verses (20-23), it is best to understand Herod as the subject here. This is especially true since according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352], Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44, and vv. 20-23 here describe his death. Thus the end of v. 19 provides Luke’s transition to explain how Herod got from Jerusalem to Caesarea where he died. In spite of all this evidence, the NRSV translates this phrase “Then Peter went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there,” understanding the referent to be Peter rather than Herod Agrippa I.

[12:19]  sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great), who died at Caesarea in a.d. 44 according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352].

[12:19]  ⁴⁰² 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.

[12:19]  map For location see Map2 C1; Map4 B3; Map5 F2; Map7 A1; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[12:20]  ⁴⁰³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:20]  sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁴ tn Or “was extremely angry.” L&N 33.453 gives the meaning “be angry and quarrel, quarrel angrily” here. However, in L&N 88.180 the alternative “to be violently angry, to be furious” is given. The term is used only once in the NT (BDAG 461 s.v. θυμομαχέω).

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁵ sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.

[12:20]  map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁶ sn Sidon was an ancient Phoenician royal city on the coast between Berytus (Beirut) and Tyre (BDAG 923 s.v. Σιδών).

[12:20]  map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁷ tn Or “with one accord.”

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁸ tn Or “persuading.”

[12:20]  ⁴⁰⁹ tn On the term translated “personal assistant” BDAG 554 s.v. κοιτῶν states, “used as part of a title: ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος the one in charge of the bed-chamber, the chamberlain.” This individual was not just a domestic servant or butler, but a highly respected person who had considerable responsibility for the king’s living quarters and personal affairs. The English word “chamberlain” corresponds very closely to this meaning but is not in common use today. The term “personal assistant,” while it might convey more business associations than management of personal affairs, nevertheless communicates the concept well in contemporary English.

[12:20]  ⁴¹⁰ tn The words “to help them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:20]  ⁴¹¹ tn Or “for a reconciliation.” There were grave political risks in having Herod angry at them. The detail shows the ruler’s power.

[12:21]  ⁴¹² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:21]  sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:21]  ⁴¹³ tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.

[12:21]  ⁴¹⁴ tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.

[12:21]  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.

[12:21]  ⁴¹⁵ tn Or “delivered a public address.”

[12:22]  ⁴¹⁶ tn The translation “crowd” is given by BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος; the word often means a gathering of citizens to conduct public business. Here it is simply the group of people gathered to hear the king’s speech.

[12:22]  ⁴¹⁷ tn The imperfect verb ἐπεφώνει (epefwnei) is taken ingressively in the sequence of events. Presumably the king had started his speech when the crowd began shouting.

[12:22]  ⁴¹⁸ sn The voice of a god. Contrast the response of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:13-15.

[12:23]  ⁴¹⁹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:23]  ⁴²⁰ sn On being struck…down by an angel, see Acts 23:3; 1 Sam 25:28; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Kgs 19:35; 2 Chr 13:20; 2 Macc 9:5.

[12:23]  ⁴²¹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:23]  ⁴²² sn He was eaten by worms and died. Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.343-352), states that Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44. The account by Josephus, while not identical to Luke’s account, is similar in many respects: On the second day of a festival, Herod Agrippa appeared in the theater with a robe made of silver. When it sparkled in the sun, the people cried out flatteries and declared him to be a god. The king, carried away by the flattery, saw an owl (an omen of death) sitting on a nearby rope, and immediately was struck with severe stomach pains. He was carried off to his house and died five days later. The two accounts can be reconciled without difficulty, since while Luke states that Herod was immediately struck down by an angel, his death could have come several days later. The mention of worms with death adds a humiliating note to the scene. The formerly powerful ruler had been thoroughly reduced to nothing (cf. Jdt 16:17; 2 Macc 9:9; cf. also Josephus, Ant. 17.6.5 [17.168-170], which details the sickness which led to Herod the Great’s death).

[12:24]  ⁴²³ sn A metonymy for the number of adherents to God’s word.

[12:24]  ⁴²⁴ tn Or “spreading.”

[12:25]  ⁴²⁵ tc There are a number of variants at this point in the text: εἰς (eis, “to”) in א B Ï sa^ms sy^hmg; ἀπό (apo, “from”) in D E Ψ 36 323 453 614 1175 al; ἐξ (ex, “from”) in Ì⁷⁴ A 33 945 1739 al; ἐξ ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν (ex Ierousalhm ei" Antioceian, “from Jerusalem to Antioch”) in {a few later manuscripts and part of the Itala}. A decision on this problem is very difficult, but for several reasons εἰς can be preferred. It is the most difficult reading by far in light of the context, since Paul and Barnabas were going to Jerusalem in 11:30. It is found in better witnesses, א and B being very strong evidence. The other readings, ἐξ and ἀπό, are different from εἰς yet bear essentially the same meaning as each other; this seems to suggest that scribes had problems with εἰς and tried to choose an acceptable revision. If εἰς is the earliest reading, ἀπό may be a clarification of ἐξ, and ἐξ could have arisen through confusion of letters. Or ἐξ and ἀπό could both have independently arisen from εἰς as a more acceptable preposition. Despite such arguments, however, the case for εἰς is not airtight: either ἐξ or ἀπό could be preferred on other lines of reasoning. The reading ἐξ enjoys the earliest support, and εἰς could have arisen through the same confusion of letters mentioned above. The immediate and wider context seems to mitigate against εἰς as the original reading: The aorist participle πληρώσαντες (plhrwsante", “when they had completed”) seems to signal the end of the mission to Jerusalem with the famine relief, so it would make sense in the context for the team to be coming from Jerusalem (to Antioch) rather than to Jerusalem, and 13:1 certainly presents the scene at Antioch. The later addition εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν after ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ in some mss seems to be a clarification in light of 13:1 (notice that some of the mss that read ἐξ add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [945 1739], and some that read ἀπό also add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [E 323 1175]). Thus, the idea of spatial separation from Jerusalem is strongly implied by the context. This problem is so difficult that some scholars resort to conjectural emendation to determine the original reading. All in all, the reading εἰς should be preferred as original, recognizing that there is a good measure of uncertainty with this solution. For additional discussion, see TCGNT 350-52.

[12:25]  ⁴²⁶ sn That is, from Jerusalem to Antioch (see Acts 11:29-30).

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

[12:25]  ⁴²⁷ tn Grk “fulfilled.”

[12:25]  ⁴²⁸ tn Grk “ministry” or “service.”

[12:25]  ⁴²⁹ tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

[13:1]  ⁴³⁰ sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).

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

[13:1]  ⁴³¹ sn Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”

[13:1]  ⁴³² sn The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.

[13:1]  ⁴³³ sn Herod is generally taken as a reference to Herod Antipas, who governed Galilee from 4 b.c. to a.d. 39, who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who is mentioned a number of times in the gospels.

[13:1]  ⁴³⁴ tn Or “the governor.”

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

[13:1]  ⁴³⁵ tn Or “(a foster brother of Herod the tetrarch).” The meaning “close friend from childhood” is given by L&N 34.15, but the word can also mean “foster brother” (L&N 10.51). BDAG 976 s.v. σύντροφας states, “pert. to being brought up with someone, either as a foster-brother or as a companion/friend,” which covers both alternatives. Context does not given enough information to be certain which is the case here, although many modern translations prefer the meaning “close friend from childhood.”

[13:2]  ⁴³⁶ tn This term is frequently used in the LXX of the service performed by priests and Levites in the tabernacle (Exod 28:35, 43; 29:30; 30:20; 35:19; 39:26; Num 1:50; 3:6, 31) and the temple (2 Chr 31:2; 35:3; Joel 1:9, 13; 2:17, and many more examples). According to BDAG 591 s.v. λειτουργέω 1.b it is used “of other expression of religious devotion.” Since the previous verse described the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch, it is probable that the term here describes two of them (Barnabas and Saul) as they were serving in that capacity. Since they were not in Jerusalem where the temple was located, general religious service is referred to here.

[13:2]  ⁴³⁷ tn Or “Appoint.”

[13:3]  ⁴³⁸ tn The three aorist participles νηστεύσαντες (nhsteusante"), προσευξάμενοι (proseuxamenoi), and ἐπιθέντες (epiqente") are translated as temporal participles. Although they could indicate contemporaneous time when used with an aorist main verb, logically here they are antecedent. On fasting and prayer, see Matt 6:5, 16; Luke 2:37; 5:33; Acts 14:23.

[13:3]  ⁴³⁹ tn Normally English style, which uses a coordinating conjunction between only the last two elements of a series of three or more, would call for omission of “and” here. However, since the terms “fasting and prayer” are something of a unit, often linked together, the conjunction has been retained here.

[13:3]  ⁴⁴⁰ sn The placing of hands on Barnabas and Saul (traditionally known as “the laying on of hands”) refers to an act picturing the commission of God and the church for the task at hand.