Paragraph 28:23–29
28:23a
So they set a day to meet with Paul: The Greek phrase here is literally “So, having set for him a day.” It indicates that the Jewish leaders living in Rome chose the day. Other ways to translate this Greek phrase are:
When they had set a day for Paul (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
When they had appointed a day for him (Revised Standard Version)
28:23b
many people came: In 28:17 Luke refers to “the leaders of the Jews” and here he describes them with the Greek word that can mean “many” or “more.” There are three ways to interpret the Greek word:
(1) It indicates more than previously. For example:
a larger number of influential Jews (God’s Word)
(New International Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Century Version)
(2) It indicates a large number and implies more than previously. For example:
a large number of people came (New Living Translation (2004))
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, King James Version)
(3) It indicates most of the previous group. For example:
a large number of them (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), but interpretation (2) is also possible. Interpretation (3) is possible but seems unlikely here, because it implies that the Jewish leaders in Rome were not very interested in what Paul has to say, but 28:22 indicates that they were interested.
the place he was staying: This refers to a place that someone other than the owner or his family lived. 28:30 further describes it as a rented place, either a whole house or an apartment in an apartment building. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
the place/house/apartment where he lived
-or-
his house (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
his lodging (New American Standard Bible)
28:23c
He expounded: The Greek tense on expounded indicates that Paul took some time to expound. Other ways to translate this are:
he was explaining to them (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
he thoroughly explained ⌊his actions⌋
evening: Here this probably refers to at sunset or near that time rather than a long time after dark.
testifying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as testifying means here “testify” or “proclaim the truth earnestly.” Paul had an important message for both Jews and Greeks. Other ways to translate this word are:
faithfully reported
-or-
spoke truthfully about
the kingdom of God: This phrase usually refers to God’s activity of ruling his people and caring for them as their king. See how you translated this phrase in 1:3 or 19:8.
28:23d
persuading them about Jesus: This indicates that Paul told the Jews his reasons for believing that Jesus was the savior that God promised. He used the Old Testament (28:23e) as a basis for his reasons. The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as persuading them does not imply that Paul was successful in convincing them. For example:
tried to convince them about Jesus (New International Version)
about Jesus: This implies here that Paul explained that Jesus was the Messiah/Christ that God promised. In some languages a literal translation would not clearly imply that. If so, you may want to:
• Include the implied information in your translation. For example:
that Jesus ⌊was the promised Christ/savior⌋
-or-
that Jesus ⌊was the Messiah whom God had promised to send⌋
-or-
that Jesus ⌊was the person whom God had promised would save people⌋
• Translate literally and explain the implied information in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Paul tried to convince them that Jesus was the savior whom God had promised to send. He used verses from the Old Testament (the Law of Moses and the Prophets) to show that Jesus was that savior.
28:23e
from the Law of Moses and the Prophets: The phrase the Law of Moses refers to the first five books of the Old Testament. Moses wrote those books. The phrase the Prophets refers to Old Testament books that prophets wrote or were about prophets, for example: 1 & 2 Samuel and Isaiah. The two phrases together refer to the whole Old Testament here. Paul showed that Jesus fulfilled the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Christ/Messiah. Other ways to translate these phrases are:
by quoting from the Law of Moses and the writings of the prophets (Good News Translation)
-or-
He used the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
by appealing to the law of Moses and the prophets (Revised English Bible)
-or-
from ⌊what the prophets had said in⌋ the Scriptures
the Prophets: A prophet was a person who received messages from God. The message from God may be in words or visions. It may reveal something about a past, present, or future event, or it may reveal someone’s thoughts, motives, or attitudes. It is not like a sermon, prepared by the preacher’s study of the Bible, but God may inspire a preacher with a prophecy during a sermon. The person speaks the prophecy to the people or writes it down for their use. The Berean Standard Bible capitalizes “prophets” because here the word refers only to the Old Testament prophets. Here are some ways to translate Prophets:
the spokesmen for God
-or-
the men who speaks God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers
See how you translated this word in 2:16 or 26:27.
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