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Acts 1:4-5
New English Translation

4 While he was with them,[a] he declared,[b] “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there[c] for what my[d] Father promised,[e] which you heard about from me.[f] 5 For[g] John baptized with water, but you[h] will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 1:4 tn Or “While he was assembling with them,” or “while he was sharing a meal with them.” There are three basic options for translating the verb συναλίζω (sunalizō): (1) “Eat (salt) with, share a meal with”; (2) “bring together, assemble”; (3) “spend the night with, stay with” (see BDAG 964 s.v.). The difficulty with the first option is that it does not fit the context, and this meaning is not found elsewhere. The second option is difficult because of the singular number and the present tense. The third option is based on a spelling variation of συναυλιζόμενος (sunaulizomenos), which some minuscules actually read here. The difference in meaning between (2) and (3) is not great, but (3) seems to fit the context somewhat better here.
  2. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “ordered them”; the command “Do not leave” is not in Greek but is an indirect quotation in the original (see note at end of the verse for explanation).
  3. Acts 1:4 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text (direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context).
  4. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “the,” with the article used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
  5. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “for the promise of the Father.” Jesus is referring to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit (see the following verse).
  6. Acts 1:4 tn Grk “While he was with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for ‘what my Father promised, which you heard about from me.’” This verse moves from indirect to direct discourse. This abrupt change is very awkward, so the entire quotation has been rendered as direct discourse in the translation.
  7. Acts 1:5 tn In the Greek text v. 5 is a continuation of the previous sentence, which is long and complicated. In keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
  8. Acts 1:5 tn The pronoun is plural in Greek.
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Acts 1:8
New English Translation

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts[a] of the earth.”

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 1:8 tn Or “to the ends.”
Acts 1:8 in all English translations
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Acts 2:32-33
New English Translation

32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it.[a] 33 So then, exalted[b] to the right hand[c] of God, and having received[d] the promise of the Holy Spirit[e] from the Father, he has poured out[f] what you both see and hear.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 2:32 tn Or “of him”; Grk “of which [or whom] we are all witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
  2. Acts 2:33 tn The aorist participle ὑψωθείς (hupsōtheis) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…” In the translation the more neutral “exalted” (a shorter form of “having been exalted”) was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.
  3. Acts 2:33 sn The expression the right hand of God represents supreme power and authority. Its use here sets up the quotation of Ps 110:1 in v. 34.
  4. Acts 2:33 tn The aorist participle λαβών (labōn) could be taken temporally: “So then, after he was exalted…and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit.” In the translation the more neutral “having received” was used to preserve the ambiguity of the original Greek.
  5. Acts 2:33 tn Here the genitive τοῦ πνεύματος (tou pneumatos) is a genitive of apposition; the promise consists of the Holy Spirit.
  6. Acts 2:33 sn The use of the verb poured out looks back to 2:17-18, where the same verb occurs twice.
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Acts 2:36-47
New English Translation

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt[a] that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified[b] both Lord[c] and Christ.”[d]

The Response to Peter’s Address

37 Now when they heard this,[e] they were acutely distressed[f] and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized[g] in the name of Jesus Christ[h] for[i] the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.[j] 39 For the promise[k] is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he testified[l] and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse[m] generation!” 41 So those who accepted[n] his message[o] were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people[p] were added.[q]

The Fellowship of the Early Believers

42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship,[r] to the breaking of bread and to prayer.[s] 43 Reverential awe[t] came over everyone,[u] and many wonders and miraculous signs[v] came about by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and held[w] everything in common, 45 and they began selling[x] their property[y] and possessions and distributing the proceeds[z] to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day[aa] they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts,[ab] breaking bread from[ac] house to house, sharing their food with glad[ad] and humble hearts,[ae] 47 praising God and having the good will[af] of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day[ag] those who were being saved.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 2:36 tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.
  2. Acts 2:36 tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.
  3. Acts 2:36 sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.
  4. Acts 2:36 tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.
  5. Acts 2:37 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  6. Acts 2:37 tn Grk “they were pierced to the heart” (an idiom for acute emotional distress).
  7. Acts 2:38 tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.
  8. Acts 2:38 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn In the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism in Messiah Jesus’ name shows how much authority he possesses.
  9. Acts 2:38 tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn humōn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works—an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts—especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.
  10. Acts 2:38 tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou hagiou pneumatos) is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.
  11. Acts 2:39 sn The promise refers to the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus received from the Father in 2:33 and which he now pours out on others. The promise consists of the Holy Spirit (see note in 2:33). Jesus is the active mediator of God’s blessing.
  12. Acts 2:40 tn Or “warned.”
  13. Acts 2:40 tn Or “crooked” (in a moral or ethical sense). See Luke 3:5.
  14. Acts 2:41 tn Or “who acknowledged the truth of.”
  15. Acts 2:41 tn Grk “word.”
  16. Acts 2:41 tn Grk “souls” (here an idiom for the whole person).
  17. Acts 2:41 tn Or “were won over.”
  18. Acts 2:42 sn Fellowship refers here to close association involving mutual involvement and relationships.
  19. Acts 2:42 tn Grk “prayers.” This word was translated as a collective singular in keeping with English style.
  20. Acts 2:43 tn Or “Fear.”
  21. Acts 2:43 tn Grk “on every soul” (here “soul” is an idiom for the whole person).
  22. Acts 2:43 tn In this context the miraculous nature of these signs is implied. Cf. BDAG 920 s.v. σημεῖον 2.a.
  23. Acts 2:44 tn Grk “had.”
  24. Acts 2:45 tn The imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive (“began…”). Since in context this is a description of the beginning of the community of believers, it is more likely that these statements refer to the start of various activities and practices that the early church continued for some time.
  25. Acts 2:45 tn It is possible that the first term for property (κτήματα, ktēmata) refers to real estate (as later usage seems to indicate) while the second term (ὑπάρξεις, huparxeis) refers to possessions in general, but it may also be that the two terms are used together for emphasis, simply indicating that all kinds of possessions were being sold. However, if the first term is more specifically a reference to real estate, it foreshadows the incident with Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.
  26. Acts 2:45 tn Grk “distributing them” (αὐτά, auta). The referent (the proceeds of the sales) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  27. Acts 2:46 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
  28. Acts 2:46 tn Grk “in the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
  29. Acts 2:46 tn Here κατά (kata) is used as a distributive (BDAG 512 s.v. B.1.d).
  30. Acts 2:46 sn The term glad (Grk “gladness”) often refers to joy brought about by God’s saving acts (Luke 1:14, 44; also the related verb in 1:47; 10:21).
  31. Acts 2:46 tn Grk “with gladness and humbleness of hearts.” It is best to understand καρδίας (kardias) as an attributed genitive, with the two nouns it modifies actually listing attributes of the genitive noun which is related to them.
  32. Acts 2:47 tn Or “the favor.”
  33. Acts 2:47 tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.
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