translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: ACT

label: NET study note

text: Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). map For location see JP1-F2 ; JP2-F2 ; JP3-F2 ; JP4-F2 .


text: Simeon may well have been from North Africa, since the Latin loanword Niger refers to someone as “dark-complexioned.”


text: The Cyrenian refers to a native of the city of Cyrene, on the coast of northern Africa west of Egypt.


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: Seleucia was the port city of Antioch in Syria.


text: Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.


text: Salamis was a city on the southeastern coast of the island of Cyprus. This was a commercial center and a center of Judaism.


text: See the note on synagogue in 6:9 .


text: John refers here to John Mark (see Acts 12:25 ).


text: Paphos. A city on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. It was the seat of the Roman proconsul.


text: Named Bar-Jesus. “Jesus” is the Latin form of the name “Joshua.” The Aramaic “ bar ” means “son of,” so this man was surnamed “son of Joshua.” The scene depicts the conflict between Judaism and the emerging new faith at a cosmic level, much like the Simon Magus incident in Acts 8:9-24 . Paul’s ministry looks like Philip’s and Peter’s here.


text: The proconsul was the Roman official who ruled over a province traditionally under the control of the Roman senate.


text: The proconsul…wanted to hear the word of God. This description of Sergius Paulus portrays him as a sensitive, secular Gentile leader.


text: A parenthetical note by the author.


text: This qualifying clause in the narrative indicates who represented God in the dispute.


text: “You who…paths of the Lord?” This rebuke is like ones from the OT prophets: Jer 5:27 ; Gen 32:11 ; Prov 10:7 ; Hos 14:9 . Five separate remarks indicate the magician’s failings. The closing rhetorical question of v. 10 (“ will you not stop…? ”) shows how opposed he is to the way of God.


text: The term translated mistiness here appears in the writings of the physician Galen as a medical technical description of a person who is blind. The picture of judgment to darkness is symbolic as well. Whatever power Elymas had, it represented darkness. Magic will again be an issue in Acts 19:18-19 . This judgment is like that of Ananias and his wife in Acts 5:1-11 .


text: See the note on proconsul in v. 8 .


text: He believed. The faith of the proconsul in the face of Jewish opposition is a theme of the rest of Acts. Paul has indeed become “a light to the Gentiles” ( Acts 13:47 ).


text: Paphos was a city on the southwestern coast of the island of Cyprus. See Acts 13:6 .


text: Perga was a city in Pamphylia near the southern coast of Asia Minor. The journey from Paphos to Perga is about 105 mi (175 km).


text: Pamphylia was a province in the southern part of Asia Minor.


text: That is, John Mark.


text: Returned to Jerusalem. John Mark had originally accompanied them from Jerusalem (see Acts 12:25 ). John Mark’s decision to leave became an issue later for Barnabas and Paul ( Acts 15:36-39 ). map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Perga was a city in Pamphylia near the southern coast of Asia Minor.


text: See the note on synagogue in 6:9 .


text: After the reading from the law and the prophets. In the 1st century Jewish synagogue, it was customary after the reading of the Torah ( law ) and prophets for men to give exhortation from the scriptures.


text: Here uplifted arm is a metaphor for God’s power by which he delivered the Israelites from Egypt. See Exod 6:1, 6; 32:11 ; Deut 3:24; 4:34 ; Ps 136:11-12 .


text: Seven nations. See Deut 7:1 .


text: The expression raised up refers here to making someone king. There is a wordplay here: “raising up” refers to bringing someone onto the scene of history, but it echoes with the parallel to Jesus’ resurrection.


text: A quotation from Ps 89:20 .


text: A quotation from 1 Sam 13:14 .


text: The phrase this man is in emphatic position in the Greek text.


text: John refers here to John the Baptist.


text: No basis. Luke insists on Jesus’ innocence again and again in Luke 23:1-25 .


text: That is, everything that was written in OT scripture.


text: See the note on the phrase “raised up” in v. 22 , which is the same Greek verb used here.


text: Those who had accompanied him refers to the disciples, who knew Jesus in ministry. Luke is aware of resurrection appearances in Galilee though he did not relate any of them in .


text: You are my Son. The key to how the quotation is used is the naming of Jesus as “Son” to the Father. The language is that of kingship, as indicates. Here is the promise about what the ultimate Davidic heir would be.


text: A quotation from Isa 55:3 . The point of this citation is to make clear that the promise of a Davidic line and blessings are made to the people as well.


text: A quotation from Ps 16:10 .


text: The one whom God raised up refers to Jesus.


text: This one refers here to Jesus.


text: The speech closes with a warning, “ Watch out ,” that also stresses culpability.


text: A quotation from Hab 1:5 . The irony in the phrase even if someone tells you , of course, is that Paul has now told them. So the call in the warning is to believe or else face the peril of being scoffers whom God will judge. The parallel from Habakkuk is that the nation failed to see how Babylon’s rising to power meant perilous judgment for Israel.


text: See the note on synagogue in 6:9 .


text: 33 81 323 945 1175 1739 al sa), read κυρίου . The external evidence favors κυρίου , though not decisively. Internally, the mention of “God” in v. 43 , and especially “the word of God” in v. 46 , would provide some temptation for scribes to assimilate the wording in v. 44 to these texts. 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 ; Luke 22:61 , Acts 11:16 , 1 Pet 1:25 ) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου ( logo" tou kuriou ; here and in vv. 48 and 49 ; Acts 8:25; 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.


text: They were filled with jealousy. Their foolish response to the gospel is noted again (see Acts 5:17 ). The same verb is used in Acts 7:9; 17:5 .


text: This turning to the Gentiles would be a shocking rebuke to 1st century Jews who thought they alone were the recipients of the promise.


text: Paul alludes here to the language of the Servant in Isaiah, pointing to Isa 42:6; 49:6 . He and Barnabas do the work of the Servant in Isaiah.


text: An allusion to Isa 42:6 and 49:6 . The expression the ends of the earth recalls Luke 3:6 and Acts 1:8 . Paul sees himself and Barnabas as carrying out the commission of Luke 24:27 . (See 2 Cor 6:2 , where servant imagery also appears concerning Paul’s message.)


text: Note the contrast to v. 46 in regard to eternal life.


text: Shaking the dust off their feet was a symbolic gesture commanded by Jesus to his disciples, Matt 10:14 ; Mark 6:11 ; Luke 9:5 . It shows a group of people as culpable before God.


text: Iconium was a city in Lycaonia about 90 mi (145 km) east southeast of Pisidian Antioch. It was the easternmost city of Phrygia.


text: The citizens of Pisidian Antioch were not discouraged by the persecution, but instead were filled with joy .