It is not certain precisely how the phrase the crowd in the city is to be translated. The Greek expression is a reference to the population of the city and does not mean merely some crowd which happened to gather in the city square. Rather, it is a reference to the many people in the city who were divided into two groups, one for the Jews and the other for the apostles. An equivalent of the crowd in the city may be translated in some languages as “the many people in the city” or “all the people of the city.”

The verb was divided does not refer to “divided thoughts” but to “divided loyalties.” In some languages this can be indicated as “the many people in the city separated into two groups.”

The expression were for the Jews may be rendered as “approved of what the Jews were saying” or “joined sides with the Jews.” Similarly, the expression for the apostles must be parallel with the phrase chosen to express for the Jews.

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 .