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Esther 3-5

Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

3 Some time later^[a] King Ahasuerus promoted^[b] Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position^[c] above that of all the officials who were with him. ²As a result,^[d] all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow,^[e] nor did he pay him homage.

³Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s commandment?” ⁴And after they had spoken to him day after day^[f] without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted.^[g] Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew.^[h]

⁵When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he^[i] was filled with rage. ⁶But the thought of striking out against^[j] Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed^[k] of the identity of Mordecai’s people.^[l] So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai)^[m] who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

⁷In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year^[n] of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur^[o] (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month.^[p] It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).^[q]

⁸Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people^[r] that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants^[s] throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them.^[t] ⁹If the king is so inclined,^[u] let an edict be issued^[v] to destroy them. I will pay 10,000 talents of silver^[w] to be conveyed to the king’s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.”

¹⁰So the king removed his signet ring^[x] from his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who was hostile toward the Jews. ¹¹The king replied to Haman, “Keep your money,^[y] and do with those people whatever you wish.”^[z]

¹²So the royal scribes^[aa] were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps^[ab] and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to their language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring. ¹³Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that^[ac] they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children,^[ad] on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day^[ae] of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions. ¹⁴A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province; it was to be made known to all the inhabitants,^[af] so that they would be prepared for this day. ¹⁵The messengers^[ag] scurried forth^[ah] with the king’s order.^[ai] The edict was issued in Susa the citadel. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in an uproar.^[aj]

Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People

4 Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he^[ak] tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud^[al] and bitter voice. ²But he went no farther than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. ³Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced^[am] there was considerable^[an] mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow.^[ao] Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic^[ap] of many. ⁴When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior,^[aq] the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them. ⁵So Esther called for Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who had been placed at her service,^[ar] and instructed him to find out the cause and reason for Mordecai’s behavior.^[as] ⁶So Hathach went to Mordecai at the plaza of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷Then Mordecai related to him everything that had happened to him, even the specific amount of money that Haman had offered to pay to the king’s treasuries for the Jews to be destroyed. ⁸He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated^[at] in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people. ⁹So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions^[au] to Esther.

¹⁰Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai: ¹¹“All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable^[av] to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court—that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared.^[aw] Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days.”

¹²When Esther’s reply^[ax] was conveyed to Mordecai, ¹³he^[ay] said to take back this answer to Esther: “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew^[az] who will escape. ¹⁴If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear^[ba] from another source,^[bb] while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be^[bc] that you have achieved royal status^[bd] for such a time as this!”

¹⁵Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶“Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast on my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I^[be] will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law.^[bf] If I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace,^[bg] opposite the king’s quarters.^[bh] The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance.^[bi] ²When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval.^[bj] The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

³The king said to her, “What is on your mind,^[bk] Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you.”

⁴Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined,^[bl] let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for the king.” ⁵The king replied, “Find Haman quickly so that we can do as Esther requests.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. ⁶While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request? It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the kingdom,^[bm] and it shall be done.”

⁷Esther responded,^[bn] “My request and my petition is this: ⁸If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined^[bo] to grant my request and approve my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time^[bp] I will do as the king wishes.”^[bq]

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

⁹Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged.^[br] But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise or tremble in his presence,^[bs] Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai. ¹⁰But Haman restrained himself and went on to his home.

He then sent for his friends to join him,^[bt] along with his wife Zeresh. ¹¹Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth,^[bu] his many sons,^[bv] and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants. ¹²Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited^[bw] only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared. And also tomorrow I am invited^[bx] along with the king. ¹³Yet all this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴Haman’s^[by] wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows 75 feet^[bz] high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.”^[ca]

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Footnotes

Esther 3:1 tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV “After these events.”
Esther 3:1 tn Heb “made great”; NAB “raised…to high rank”; NIV “honored.” sn The promotion of Haman in 3:1 for reasons unexplained contrasts noticeably with 2:19-23, where Mordecai’s contribution to saving the king’s life goes unnoticed. The irony is striking.
Esther 3:1 tn Heb “chair”; KJV, NRSV “seat”; NASB “established his authority.”
Esther 3:2 tn Heb “and” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). Other modern English versions leave the conjunction untranslated here (NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).
Esther 3:2 sn Mordecai did not bow. The reason for Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman is not clearly stated here. Certainly the Jews did not refuse to bow as a matter of principle, as though such an action somehow violated the second command of the Decalogue. Many biblical texts bear witness to their practice of falling prostrate before people of power and influence (e.g., 1 Sam 24:8; 2 Sam 14:4; 1 Kgs 1:16). Perhaps the issue here was that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites, a people who had attacked Israel in an earlier age (see Exod 17:8-16; 1 Sam 15:17-20; Deut 25:17-19).
Esther 3:4 sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.
Esther 3:4 tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”
Esther 3:4 sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 2:10, 20.
Esther 3:5 tn Heb “Haman.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. Repeating the proper name here is redundant according to contemporary English style, although the name is repeated in NASB and NRSV.
Esther 3:6 tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”
Esther 3:6 tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.
Esther 3:6 tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.
Esther 3:6 tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (ʿam, “people”) to עִם (ʿim, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.
Esther 3:7 sn This year would be ca. 474 b.c. The reference to first month and twelfth month indicate that about a year had elapsed between this determination and the anticipated execution.
Esther 3:7 tn The term פּוּר (pur, “lot”) is an Akkadian loanword; the narrator therefore explains it for his Hebrew readers (“that is, the lot”). It is from the plural form of this word (i.e., Purim) that the festival celebrating the deliverance of the Jews takes its name (cf. 9:24, 26, 28, 31).
Esther 3:7 tc The LXX adds the following words: “in order to destroy in one day the race of Mordecai, and the lot fell on the fourteenth day of the month.” The LXX reading is included by NAB.tn Heb “from day to day and from month to month” (so KJV, NASB).
Esther 3:7 tn Since v. 7 seems to interrupt the flow of the narrative, many scholars have suggested that it is a late addition to the text. But there is not enough evidence to warrant such a conclusion. Even though its placement is somewhat awkward, the verse supplies to the reader an important piece of chronological information.
Esther 3:8 tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.
Esther 3:8 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”
Esther 3:8 tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”
Esther 3:9 tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; KJV “If it please the king.”
Esther 3:9 tn Heb “let it be written” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “let it be decreed.”
Esther 3:9 sn The enormity of the monetary sum referred to here can be grasped by comparing this amount (10,000 talents of silver) to the annual income of the empire, which according to Herodotus (Histories 3.95) was 14,500 Euboic talents. In other words Haman is offering the king a bribe equal to two-thirds of the royal income. Doubtless this huge sum of money was to come (in large measure) from the anticipated confiscation of Jewish property and assets once the Jews had been destroyed. That such a large sum of money is mentioned may indicate something of the economic standing of the Jewish population in the empire of King Ahasuerus.
Esther 3:10 sn Possessing the king’s signet ring would enable Haman to act with full royal authority. The king’s ring would be used to impress the royal seal on edicts, making them as binding as if the king himself had enacted them.
Esther 3:11 tn Heb “the silver is given to you”; NRSV “the money is given to you”; CEV “You can keep their money.” C. A. Moore (Esther [AB], 40) understands these words somewhat differently, taking them to imply acceptance of the money on Xerxes’ part. He translates, “Well, it’s your money.”
Esther 3:11 tn Heb “according to what is good in your eyes”; NASB “do with them as you please.”
Esther 3:12 tn Or “secretaries” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).
Esther 3:12 tn Or “princes” (so NLT); CEV “highest officials.”
Esther 3:13 tn The words “stating that” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
Esther 3:13 tn Heb “children and women.” The translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.
Esther 3:13 tc The LXX does not include the words “on the thirteenth day.”
Esther 3:14 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NRSV).
Esther 3:15 tn Heb “runners.” So also in 8:10, 14. Cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “couriers.”
Esther 3:15 tn Or “went forth in haste” (so ASV).
Esther 3:15 tn Heb “with the word of the king.”
Esther 3:15 sn The city of Susa was in an uproar. This final statement of v. 15 is a sad commentary on the pathetic disregard of despots for the human misery and suffering that they sometimes inflict on those who are helpless to resist their power. Here, while common people braced for the reckless loss of life and property that was about to begin, the perpetrators went about their mundane activities as though nothing of importance was happening.
Esther 4:1 tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
Esther 4:1 tn Heb “great.”
Esther 4:3 tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”
Esther 4:3 tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”
Esther 4:3 sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.
Esther 4:3 tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”
Esther 4:4 tn The words “about Mordecai’s behavior” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in translation for the sake of clarity. Cf. NIV, NLT “about Mordecai”; TEV, CEV “what Mordecai was doing.”
Esther 4:5 tn Heb “whom he caused to stand before her”; NASB “whom the king had appointed to attend her.”
Esther 4:5 tn Heb “concerning Mordecai, to know what this was, and why this was.”
Esther 4:8 tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”
Esther 4:9 tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”
Esther 4:11 tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”
Esther 4:11 tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”
Esther 4:12 tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”
Esther 4:13 tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.
Esther 4:13 tn Heb “from all the Jews”; KJV “more than all the Jews”; NIV “you alone of all the Jews.”
Esther 4:14 tn Heb “stand”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT “arise.”
Esther 4:14 tn Heb “place” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); NRSV “from another quarter.” This is probably an oblique reference to help coming from God. D. J. A. Clines disagrees; in his view a contrast between deliverance by Esther and deliverance by God is inappropriate (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther [NCBC], 302). But Clines’ suggestion that perhaps the reference is to deliverance by Jewish officials or by armed Jewish revolt is less attractive than seeing this veiled reference as part of the literary strategy of the book, which deliberately keeps God’s providential dealings entirely in the background.
Esther 4:14 tn Heb “And who knows whether” (so NASB). The question is one of hope, but free of presumption. Cf. Jonah 3:9.
Esther 4:14 tn Heb “have come to the kingdom”; NRSV “to royal dignity”; NIV “to royal position”; NLT “have been elevated to the palace.”
Esther 4:16 tn Heb “I and my female attendants.” The translation reverses the order for stylistic reasons.
Esther 4:16 tn Heb “which is not according to the law” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “contrary to the law.”
Esther 5:1 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”
Esther 5:1 tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.
Esther 5:1 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).
Esther 5:2 tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”
Esther 5:3 tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”
Esther 5:4 tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; NASB “If it please the king.”
Esther 5:6 sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.
Esther 5:7 tn Heb “answered and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
Esther 5:8 tn Heb “if upon the king it is good.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 4, which also occurs in 7:3; 8:5; 9:13.
Esther 5:8 tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”
Esther 5:8 tn Heb “I will do according to the word of the king,” i.e., answer the question that he has posed. Cf. NCV “Then I will answer your question about what I want.”
Esther 5:9 tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”
Esther 5:9 tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”
Esther 5:10 tn Heb “sent and brought.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which a single idea is expressed through two words or phrases), in which case the two verbs could be translated simply as “summoned” (so NAB) or “sent for” (NASB).
Esther 5:11 tn Heb “the glory of his riches” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “the splendor of his riches.”
Esther 5:11 sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.
Esther 5:12 tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”
Esther 5:12 tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”
Esther 5:14 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Esther 5:14 tn Heb “50 cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about 75 feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”
Esther 5:14 tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”

Acts 5:22-42

²²But the officers^[a] who came for them^[b] did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported,^[c] ²³“We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them,^[d] we found no one inside.” ²⁴Now when the commander^[e] of the temple guard^[f] and the chief priests heard this report,^[g] they were greatly puzzled concerning it,^[h] wondering what this could^[i] be. ²⁵But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts^[j] and teaching^[k] the people!” ²⁶Then the commander^[l] of the temple guard^[m] went with the officers^[n] and brought the apostles^[o] without the use of force^[p] (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people).^[q]

²⁷When they had brought them, they stood them before the council,^[r] and the high priest questioned^[s] them, ²⁸saying, “We gave^[t] you strict orders^[u] not to teach in this name.^[v] Look,^[w] you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood^[x] on us!” ²⁹But Peter and the apostles replied,^[y] “We must obey^[z] God rather than people.^[aa] ³⁰The God of our forefathers^[ab] raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree.^[ac] ³¹God exalted him^[ad] to his right hand as Leader^[ae] and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.^[af] ³²And we are witnesses of these events,^[ag] and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey^[ah] him.”

³³Now when they heard this, they became furious^[ai] and wanted to execute them.^[aj] ³⁴But a Pharisee^[ak] whose name was Gamaliel,^[al] a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up^[am] in the council^[an] and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. ³⁵Then he said to the council,^[ao] “Men of Israel,^[ap] pay close attention to^[aq] what you are about to do to these men. ³⁶For some time ago^[ar] Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about 400 men joined him. He^[as] was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it.^[at] ³⁷After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census,^[au] and incited people to follow him in revolt.^[av] He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people,^[aw] it will come to nothing,^[ax] ³⁹but if^[ay] it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found^[az] fighting against God.” He convinced them,^[ba] ⁴⁰and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten.^[bb] Then^[bc] they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. ⁴¹So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy^[bd] to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.^[be] ⁴²And every day both in the temple courts^[bf] and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news^[bg] that Jesus was the Christ.^[bh]

Footnotes

Acts 5:22 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (hupēretēs) generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants, like attendants to a king, the officers of the Sanhedrin (as here), assistants to magistrates, and (especially in the Gospel of John) Jewish guards in the Jerusalem temple (see L&N 35.20).
Acts 5:22 tn The words “for them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
Acts 5:22 tn Grk “reported, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
Acts 5:23 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.
Acts 5:24 tn Or “captain.”
Acts 5:24 tn Grk “the official of the temple,” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
Acts 5:24 tn Grk “heard these words.”
Acts 5:24 tn Grk “concerning them,” agreeing with the plural antecedent “these words.” Since the phrase “these words” was translated as the singular “this report,” the singular “concerning it” is used here.
Acts 5:24 tn The optative verb here expresses confused uncertainty.
Acts 5:25 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
Acts 5:25 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
Acts 5:26 tn Or “captain.”
Acts 5:26 tn Grk “the official [of the temple],” a title for the commander of the Jewish soldiers guarding the temple (thus the translation, “the commander of the temple guard”). See L&N 37.91.
Acts 5:26 tn The Greek term ὑπηρέτης (hupēretēs) generally means “servant,” but in the NT is used for many different types of servants. See the note on the word “officers” in v. 22.
Acts 5:26 tn Grk “brought them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 5:26 tn Or “without violence.” It is clear, as well, that the apostles did not resist arrest.
Acts 5:26 tn Grk “for they feared lest they be stoned by the people.” The translation uses a less awkward English equivalent. This is an explanatory note by the author.
Acts 5:27 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
Acts 5:27 tn Or “interrogated,” “asked.”
Acts 5:28 tc ‡ The majority of mss, including a few significant witnesses (א² D E [Ψ] 1739 M sy sa), have the negative particle οὐ (ou) here, effectively turning the high priest’s words into a question: “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this name?” But the earliest and most significant mss, along with some others (P⁷⁴ א* A B 1175 lat bo), lack the particle, making this a strong statement rather than a question. Scribes may have been tempted to omit the particle to strengthen the contrast between official Judaism and the new faith, but the fact that v. 27 introduces the quotation with ἐπηρώτησεν (epērōtēsen, “he questioned”) may well have prompted scribes to add οὐ to convert the rebuke into a question. Further, that excellent witnesses affirm the shorter reading is sufficient ground for accepting it as most probably authentic. NA²⁸ includes the particle in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
Acts 5:28 tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).
Acts 5:28 sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.
Acts 5:28 tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
Acts 5:28 sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
Acts 5:29 tn Grk “apostles answered and said.”
Acts 5:29 sn Obey. See 4:19. This response has Jewish roots (Dan 3:16-18; 2 Macc 7:2; Josephus, Ant. 17.6.3 [17.159]).
Acts 5:29 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anthrōpois) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
Acts 5:30 tn Or “ancestors”; Grk “fathers.”
Acts 5:30 tn Or “by crucifying him” (“hang on a tree” is by the time of the first 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.
Acts 5:31 tn Grk “This one God exalted” (emphatic).
Acts 5:31 tn Or “Founder” (of a movement).
Acts 5:31 tn Or “to give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.”
Acts 5:32 tn Or “things.” They are preaching these things even to the hostile leadership.
Acts 5:32 sn Those who obey. The implication, of course, is that the leadership is disobeying God.
Acts 5:33 sn The only other use of this verb for anger (furious) is Acts 7:54 after Stephen’s speech.
Acts 5:33 sn Wanted to execute them. The charge would surely be capital insubordination (Exod 22:28).
Acts 5:34 sn A Pharisee was a member of one of the most important and influential religious and political parties of Judaism in the time of Jesus. There were more Pharisees than Sadducees (according to Josephus, Ant. 17.2.4 [17.42] there were more than 6,000 Pharisees at about this time). Pharisees differed with Sadducees on certain doctrines and patterns of behavior. The Pharisees were strict and zealous adherents to the laws of the OT and to numerous additional traditions such as angels and bodily resurrection.
Acts 5:34 sn Gamaliel was a famous Jewish scholar and teacher mentioned here in v. 34 and in Acts 22:3. He had a grandson of the same name and is referred to as “Gamaliel the Elder” to avoid confusion. He is quoted a number of times in the Mishnah, was given the highest possible title for Jewish teachers, Rabba (cf. John 20:16), and was highly regarded in later rabbinic tradition.
Acts 5:34 tn Grk “standing up in the council, ordered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
Acts 5:34 tn Or “the Sanhedrin” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
Acts 5:35 tn Grk “said to them”; the referent (the council) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 5:35 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anēr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is highly unlikely that this is a generic usage, since Gamaliel was addressing the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high council, which would have been exclusively male.
Acts 5:35 tn Or “men, be careful.”
Acts 5:36 tn Grk “For before these days.”
Acts 5:36 tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “he,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point.
Acts 5:36 tn Grk “and they came to nothing.” Gamaliel’s argument is that these two insurrectionists were taken care of by natural events.
Acts 5:37 tn Or “registration.”
Acts 5:37 tn The verb ἀφίστημι (aphistēmi) as a transitive means “cause to revolt” as used in Josephus, Ant. 8.7.5 (8.198), 20.5.2 (20.102); see BDAG 157 s.v. 1.
Acts 5:38 tn Here ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
Acts 5:38 tn Or “it will be put to an end.”
Acts 5:39 tn This is expressed in a first class condition, in contrast to the condition in v. 38b, which is third class. As such, v. 39 is rhetorically presented as the more likely option.
Acts 5:39 tn According to L&N 39.32, the verb εὑρεθῆτε (heurethēte, an aorist passive subjunctive) may also be translated “find yourselves”—“lest you find yourselves fighting against God.” The Jewish leader Gamaliel is shown contemplating the other possible alternative about what is occurring.
Acts 5:39 tn Grk “They were convinced by him.” This passive construction was converted to an active one (“He convinced them”) in keeping with contemporary English style. The phrase “He convinced them” is traditionally placed in Acts 5:40 by most English translations; the standard Greek critical text (represented by NA²⁸ and UBS⁵) places it at the end of v. 39.
Acts 5:40 sn Had them beaten. The punishment was the “forty lashes minus one,” see also Acts 22:19; 2 Cor 11:24; Mark 13:9. The apostles had disobeyed the religious authorities and took their punishment for their “disobedience” (Deut 25:2-3; m. Makkot 3:10-14). In Acts 4:18 they were warned. Now they are beaten. The hostility is rising as the narrative unfolds.
Acts 5:40 tn The word “Then” is supplied as the beginning of a new sentence in the translation. The construction in Greek has so many clauses (most of them made up of participles) that a continuous English sentence would be very awkward.
Acts 5:41 sn That is, considered worthy by God. They “gloried in their shame” of honoring Jesus with their testimony (Luke 6:22-23; 2 Macc 6:30).
Acts 5:41 sn The name refers to the name of Jesus (cf. 3 John 7).
Acts 5:42 tn Grk “temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper and has been translated accordingly.
Acts 5:42 tn Grk “teaching and evangelizing.” They were still obeying God, not men (see 4:18-20; 5:29).
Acts 5:42 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:31.

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Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

Esther Decides to Risk Everything in order to Help Her People

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

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