The expression translated as serious trouble is literally, in Greek, “not a little trouble.” Luke is particularly fond of these negative statements as a means of providing strong emphasis. By translating literally “not a little” one is, however, very likely to miss the emphasis implied in Luke’s usage. Moreover, from the standpoint of the structure of the meaning, it is more difficult for people to understand “not a little” than a positive expression such as “very much” or “serious.”

On the Way of the Lord see verse 9.

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 .