Paragraph 4:5–7
4:5
The next day: The next day refers to the day after the religious leaders had arrested Peter and John.
rulers: This word here refers to the high priest and the other priests who ruled the Jewish people. For example:
leading ⌊priests⌋
-or-
⌊religious⌋ leaders
elders: Here this word refers to respected leaders in the community. They were probably not religious leaders. They were generally older men.
In some cultures a term like “old men” may not imply that the men were leaders. If that is true in your language, you may need to use a different term. Here are some other ways to translate this word:
⌊other⌋ leaders
-or-
important men
-or-
leading men among the people
scribes: This phrase refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. The scribes original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
experts on the law
assembled in Jerusalem: All of the leaders were probably already in Jerusalem and met in the meeting place for this group. Your translation should not indicate that they came from other towns for this meeting.
assembled: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as assembled indicates that they gathered together intentionally, rather than just meeting by chance. Probably the high priest summoned all of the other members of the Sanhedrin to assemble together, or it could have been a regularly scheduled meeting. Here are some other ways to translate this word:
met (New International Version)
-or-
gathered (English Standard Version)
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