As in other instances, the expression the God of this people of Israel may need to be semantically restructured as “the God whom this people of Israel worships.”

There is a particularly difficult problem of inclusive and exclusive first person plural in the expression our ancestors. The difficulty is that Paul has addressed both the Israelites and the Gentiles. If he were addressing only Israelites, our would be translated as inclusive in a language which makes a distinction between inclusive and exclusive first person plural. If he were addressing Gentiles, then our would be exclusive. But since he is addressing both groups, there are serious difficulties. This may be dealt with, however, in some instances as “chose the ancestors of the Jews of whom I am one.” That is to say, one specifies who the ancestors are, but then it is necessary for Paul to identify himself as a Jew if one is to represent properly the significance of our.

Made … a great nation may refer either to the numerical increase of the Israelites or to their increase in power, but the former of these seems more probable inasmuch as the Israelites remained slaves while in Egypt. During the time they lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt (see New English Bible “when they were still living as aliens in Egypt”) is the correct meaning of the Greek phrase used by Luke; a literal rendering such as “during their stay” fails to carry the full implications of the phrase.

By his great power is literally “with a high arm,” a Semitic idiom indicating great strength or power. In many languages it is difficult to speak of “power” as an instrument, that is, by his great power. Generally the equivalent is represented as a causal clause “because he was so strong” or “by means of his being so strong.”

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 .