19:29a

Soon the whole city was in disarray: This clause in Greek is literally “And the city was filled with confusion/uproar.” It indicates that more and more people were shouting and unsure what the problem was. It also indicates that the people were upset or troubled. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The city was filled with the confusion and uproar
-or-

⌊That caused⌋ a disturbance to spread all through the city
-or-
All/Most of the people in the city became troubled and angry
-or-

⌊That caused⌋ most people throughout the city to become disturbed

19:29b

Only some people in the crowd grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, but the whole crowd rushed to the theater.

rushed together: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as together refers to a group of people having the same idea or purpose. For example:

rushed as one man (New International Version)

the theatre: This word refers to a large outdoor structure where thousands of people could hear the person speaking before them. It was usually half of a circle in shape. Below is the amphitheater of Ephesus as it looks today.

It was a place where people gathered for public meetings or to watch people perform dramas. The amphitheater in Ephesus is a half-circle and more than twenty thousand people could sit in it.

In some languages people are not familiar with this kind of structure. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

the city meeting place
-or-
the place where the people of the city gathered ⌊for large meetings⌋

• Use the word for amphitheater from the common language in your area. If people are not familiar with this word, you may want to explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This word refers to a large outdoor structure where thousands of people could hear the person speaking before them.

19:29c

dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dragging with them indicates that the people grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus and took them with them to the theater. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The mob grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus…and rushed with them to the theater. (Good News Translation)
-or-
they grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus and brought them along
-or-

Gaius and Aristarchus, who were from Macedonia, the people seized them and took them

19:29d

Paul’s traveling companions: Gaius and Aristarchus traveled with Paul from Macedonia to Ephesus.

from Macedonia: The Greek word is literally “Macedonians.” It indicates that Gaius and Aristarchus normally lived in the province of Macedonia. It may imply that Macedonia was their native province.

General Comment on 19:29d

19:29d is additional information about Gaius and Aristarchus. In some languages it is more natural to have this information in a separate sentence. For example:

29b–cThe people seized Gaius and Aristarchus and rushed as one man into the theater. 29dThese two men were from Macedonia and had traveled with Paul.
-or-

29d
Two men from Macedonia, Gaius and Aristarchus, had traveled with Paul from their home province. 29b–cThe people seized them and rushed as one man into the theater.

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