translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: ACT

label: NET translator note

text: BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “ go, travel through ” for this verse.


text: Grk “he went in to them”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Although the word διελέξατο ( dielexato ; from διαλέγομαι , dialegomai ) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:2 . As G. Schrenk ( TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21 .


text: BDAG 772 s.v. παρατίθημι 2.b has “ demonstrate, point out ” here.


text: 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 .


text: The Greek words used here ( καὶ ὅτι , kai {oti , “and that”) mark the switch from indirect to direct discourse. Contemporary English requires the use of an introductory verb of speaking or saying to make this transition.


text: 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 . The identification of the Messiah with Jesus indicates Paul was proclaiming the fulfillment of messianic promise.


text: Or “convinced.”


text: Or “a large crowd.”


text: Or “of devout Greeks,” but this is practically a technical term for 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, 743-44. Luke frequently mentions such people ( Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:17; 18:7 ).


text: Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).


text: Grk “becoming jealous.” The participle ζηλώσαντες ( zhlwsante" ) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. So elsewhere in Acts ( 5:17; 7:9; 13:45 ).


text: Literally ἀγοραῖος ( agoraio" ) refers to the crowd in the marketplace, although BDAG 14-15 s.v. ἀγοραῖος 1 gives the meaning, by extension, as “ rabble .” Such a description is certainly appropriate in this context. L&N 15.127 translates the phrase “worthless men from the streets.”


text: On this term, which is a NT hapax legomenon , see BDAG 745 s.v. ὀχλοποιέω .


text: BDAG 458 s.v. θορυβέω 1 has “ set the city in an uproar , start a riot in the city ” for the meaning of ἐθορύβουν ( eqoruboun ) in this verse.


text: Grk “them”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος 2 has “in a Hellenistic city, a convocation of citizens called together for the purpose of transacting official business, popular assembly προάγειν εἰς τὸν δ . Ac 17:5 .”


text: See BDAG 977-78 s.v. σύρω on this verb. It was used in everyday speech of dragging in fish by a net, or dragging away someone’s (presumably) dead body (Paul in Acts 14:19 ).


text: L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης ( politarch" ) as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official’” (see also BDAG 845 s.v.).


text: Or “rebellion.” BDAG 72 s.v. ἀναστατόω has “ disturb, trouble, upset ,” but in light of the references in the following verse to political insurrection, “stirred up rebellion” would also be appropriate.


text: Or “the empire.” This was a way of referring to the Roman empire (BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 2.b). sn Throughout the world. Note how some of those present had knowledge of what had happened elsewhere. Word about Paul and his companions and their message was spreading.


text: Grk “whom.” Because of the awkwardness in English of having two relative clauses follow one another (“who have stirred up trouble…whom Jason has welcomed”) the relative pronoun here (“whom”) has been replaced by the conjunction “and,” creating a clause that is grammatically coordinate but logically subordinate in the translation.


text: Grk “and they.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί ( kai ) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.


text: Or “the emperor’s” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).


text: The word “named” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for clarity.


text: Grk “They troubled the crowd and the city officials”; but this could be understood to mean “they bothered” or “they annoyed.” In reality the Jewish instigators managed to instill doubt and confusion into both the mob and the officials by their false charges of treason. Verse 8 suggests the charges raised again Paul, Silas, Jason, and the others were false.


text: L&N 37.93 defines πολιτάρχης ( politarch" ) as “a public official responsible for administrative matters within a town or city and a member of the ruling council of such a political unit – ‘city official.’”


text: Grk “And after.” 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.


text: Grk “they”; the referent (the city officials) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: That is, “a payment” or “a pledge of security” (BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 1) for which “bail” is the most common contemporary English equivalent.


text: Grk “who arriving there, went to.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun ( οἵτινες , Joitine" ) has been left untranslated and a new English sentence begun. The participle παραγενόμενοι ( paragenomenoi ) has been taken temporally.


text: Grk “These”; the referent (the Jews in the synagogue at Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Or “more willing to learn.” L&N 27.48 and BDAG 404 s.v. εὐγενής 2 both use the term “open-minded” here. The point is that they were more receptive to Paul’s message.


text: Or “willingly,” “readily”; Grk “with all eagerness.”


text: Grk “who received.” Here the relative pronoun (“who”) has been translated as a pronoun (“they”) preceded by a semicolon, which is less awkward in contemporary English than a relative clause at this point.


text: This verb (BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω 1) refers to careful examination.


text: BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “ every day ” for this phrase in this verse.


text: Grk “not a few”; this use of negation could be misleading to the modern English reader, however, and so has been translated as “quite a few” (which is the actual meaning of the expression).


text: Or “respected.”


text: Grk “that the word of God had also been proclaimed by Paul.” This passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: BDAG 911 s.v. σαλεύω 2 has “ incite ” for σαλεύοντες ( saleuonte" ) in Acts 17:13 . sn Inciting. Ironically, it was the Jews who were disturbing the peace, not the Christians.


text: Grk “to the sea.” Here ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ( {ew" epi thn qalassan ) must mean “to the edge of the sea,” that is, “to the coast.” Since there is no mention of Paul taking a ship to Athens, he presumably traveled overland. The journey would have been about 340 mi (550 km).


text: Grk “remained there”; the referent (Berea) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: For location see JP1-C2 ; JP2-C2 ; JP3-C2 ; JP4-C2 .


text: Grk “greatly upset within him,” but the words “within him” were not included in the translation because they are redundant in English. See L&N 88.189. The term could also be rendered “infuriated.” sn His spirit was greatly upset. See Rom 1:18-32 for Paul’s feelings about idolatry. Yet he addressed both Jews and Gentiles with tact and reserve.


text: Or “when he saw.” The participle θεωροῦντος ( qewrounto" ) has been translated as a causal adverbial participle; it could also be translated as temporal.


text: Although the word διελέξατο ( dielexato ; from διαλέγομαι , dialegomai ) is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense comes from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. However, there does not seem to be contextual evidence for this kind of debate in Acts 17:17 . As G. Schrenk ( TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21 .


text: Or “and the devout,” but this is practically a technical term for 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, 743-44, and the note on the phrase “God-fearing Greeks” in 17:4 .


text: BDAG 956 s.v. συμβάλλω 1 has “ converse, confer ” here.


text: Grk “saying.”


text: Or “ignorant show-off.” The traditional English translation of σπερμολόγος ( spermologo" ) is given in L&N 33.381 as “foolish babbler.” However, an alternate view is presented in L&N 27.19, “(a figurative extension of meaning of a term based on the practice of birds in picking up seeds) one who acquires bits and pieces of relatively extraneous information and proceeds to pass them off with pretense and show – ‘ignorant show-off, charlatan.’” A similar view is given in BDAG 937 s.v. σπερμολόγος : “in pejorative imagery of persons whose communication lacks sophistication and seems to pick up scraps of information here and there scrapmonger, scavenger…Engl. synonyms include ‘gossip’, ‘babbler’, chatterer’; but these terms miss the imagery of unsystematic gathering.”


text: The meaning of this phrase is not clear. Literally it reads “strange deities” (see BDAG 210 s.v. δαιμόνιον 1). The note of not being customary is important. In the ancient world what was new was suspicious. The plural δαιμονίων ( daimoniwn , “deities”) shows the audience grappling with Paul’s teaching that God was working through Jesus.


text: Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Or “to the council of the Areopagus.” See also the term in v. 22 . sn The Areopagus has been traditionally understood as reference to a rocky hill near the Acropolis in Athens, although this place may well have been located in the marketplace at the foot of the hill (L&N 93.412; BDAG 129 s.v. ῎Αρειος πάγος ). This term does not refer so much to the place, however, as to the advisory council of Athens known as the Areopagus , which dealt with ethical, cultural, and religious matters, including the supervision of education and controlling the many visiting lecturers. Thus it could be translated the council of the Areopagus . See also the term in v. 22 .


text: BDAG 684 s.v. ξενίζω 2 translates the substantival participle ξενίζοντα ( xenizonta ) as “ astonishing things Ac 17:20 .”


text: Grk “these things”; but since the referent (“surprising things”) is so close, the repetition of “these things” sounds redundant in English, so the pronoun “they” was substituted in the translation.


text: The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν ( hukairoun ) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.


text: BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “ used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21 .”


text: Grk “standing…said.” The participle ζηλώσαντες ( zhlwsante" ) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.


text: The term δεισιδαιμονεστέρους ( deisidaimonesterou" ) is difficult. On the one hand it can have the positive sense of “devout,” but on the other hand it can have the negative sense of “superstitious” (BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαίμων ). As part of a laudatory introduction (the technical rhetorical term for this introduction was capatatio ), the term is probably positive here. It may well be a “backhanded” compliment, playing on the ambiguity.


text: BDAG 513 s.v. κατά B.6 translates the phrase κατὰ πάντα ( kata panta ) as “ in all respects. ”


text: Or “your sanctuaries.” L&N 53.54 gives “sanctuary” (place of worship) as an alternate meaning for the word σεβάσματα ( sebasmata ).


text: Grk “on which was written,” but since it would have been carved in stone, it is more common to speak of an “inscription” in English. To simplify the English the relative construction with a passive verb (“on which was inscribed”) was translated as a prepositional phrase with a substantive (“inscription”).


text: BDAG 13 s.v. ἀγνοέω 1.b has “Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον = they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23 .” Paul, in typical Jewish Christian style, informs them of the true God, of whom their idols are an ignorant reflection.


text: Grk “all the things that are in it.” The speech starts with God as Creator, like 14:15 .


text: Or “because he is.” The participle ὑπάρχων ( Juparcwn ) could be either adjectival, modifying οὗτος ( Joutos , “who is Lord…”) or adverbial of cause (“because he is Lord…”). Since the participle διδούς ( didou" ) in v. 25 appears to be clearly causal in force, it is preferable to understand ὑπάρχων as adjectival in this context.


text: L&N 57.45 has “nor does he need anything more that people can supply by working for him.”


text: Grk “he himself gives to all [people] life and breath and all things.”


text: Or “mankind.” BDAG 276 s.v. ἔθνος 1 has “ every nation of humankind Ac 17:26 .”


text: Grk “to live over all the face of the earth.”


text: BDAG 884-85 s.v. προστάσσω has “( οἱ ) προστεταγμένοι καιροί (the) fixed times Ac 17:26 ” here, but since the following phrase is also translated “fixed limits,” this would seem redundant in English, so the word “set” has been used instead.


text: Grk “the boundaries of their habitation.” L&N 80.5 has “fixed limits of the places where they would live” for this phrase.


text: See BDAG 1097-98 s.v. ψηλαφάω , which lists “ touch, handle ” and “ to feel around for, grope for ” as possible meanings.


text: The participle ὑπάρχοντα ( Juparconta ) has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.


text: According to L&N 15.1, “A strictly literal translation of κινέω in Ac 17:28 might imply merely moving from one place to another. The meaning, however, is generalized movement and activity; therefore, it may be possible to translate κινούμεθα as ‘we come and go’ or ‘we move about’’ or even ‘we do what we do.’”


text: Or “the divine being.” BDAG 446 s.v. θεῖος 1.b has “ divine being, divinity ” here.


text: Or “a likeness.” Again idolatry is directly attacked as an affront to God and a devaluation of him.


text: Grk “by the skill and imagination of man,” but ἀνθρώπου ( anqrwpou ) has been translated as an attributive genitive.


text: Or “craftsmanship” (cf. BDAG 1001 s.v. τέχνη ).


text: Or “thought.” BDAG 336 s.v. ἐνθύμησις has “ thought, reflection, idea ” as the category of meaning here, but in terms of creativity (as in the context) the imaginative faculty is in view.


text: Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”


text: Or “times when people did not know.”


text: Here ἀνθρώποις ( anqrwpoi" ) has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).


text: Or “fixed.”


text: Or “appointed.” BDAG 723 s.v. ὁρίζω 2.b has “of persons appoint, designate, declare : God judges the world ἐν ἀνδρὶ ᾧ ὥρισεν through a man whom he has appointed Ac 17:31 .” sn A man whom he designated. Jesus is put in the position of eschatological judge. As judge of the living and the dead, he possesses divine authority ( Acts 10:42 ).


text: The participle ἀναστήσας ( anasthsa" ) indicates means here.


text: The participle ἀκούσαντες ( akousante" ) has been taken temporally.


text: L&N 33.408 has “some scoffed (at him) Ac 17:32 ” for ἐχλεύαζον ( ecleuazon ) here; the imperfect verb has been translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to scoff”).


text: Grk “left out of their midst”; the referent (the Areopagus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Although the Greek word here is ἀνήρ ( anhr ), which normally refers to males, husbands, etc., in this particular context it must have a generic force similar to that of ἄνθρωπος ( anqrwpo" ), since “a woman named Damaris” is mentioned specifically as being part of this group (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. ἀνήρ 1.a).


text: Grk “joining him, believed.” The participle κολληθέντες ( kollhqente" ) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. On the use of this verb in Acts, see 5:13; 8:29; 9:26; 10:28 .


text: Grk “among whom.” Due to the length of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been translated as a third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.


text: Grk “the Areopagite” (a member of the council of the Areopagus). The noun “Areopagite” is not in common usage today in English. It is clearer to use a descriptive phrase “a member of the Areopagus” (L&N 11.82). However, this phrase alone can be misleading in English: “Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris” could be understood to refer to three people (Dionysius, an unnamed member of the Areopagus, and Damaris) rather than only two. Converting the descriptive phrase to a relative clause in English (“who was a member of the Areopagus”) removes the ambiguity.


text: Grk “and a woman”; but this καί ( kai ) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.