In this sentence him is an emphatic initial position. This emphasis is difficult, if not impossible, to indicate in an English sentence, and the Good News Translation has sought to make this emphasis by translating the clause but God raised him from death … as a contrast to the preceding statement about his being put to death.

Caused (literally “gave”) is translated allow in 2.27, but in the present passage “to give” has the extended meaning of “to cause.” “To allow” (see New English Bible and Jerusalem Bible) is not strong enough in the present context, since God brought Jesus back to life and thereby caused him (not merely “allowed” him) to appear.

The rendering of to appear may be in some languages “to show himself to us.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .