Sent a message may be translated as “sent someone with a message.” One must avoid the implications of telegraphic communication in biblical times.

The verb asking may introduce direct discourse—for example, “ask the elders of the church, Please come to meet me.”

Elders is one of the terms used in the New Testament to describe church leaders; it is a term taken over from Judaism, in which the elders were the recognized leaders of the Jewish religious community. In verse 28 these same men are described in other terms. It is quite doubtful that at this time elders (or any similar term) had acquired a technical sense in its use in the church, and it is impossible to formulate any theory of church organization on the basis of this term as used here.

In general, elders is translated as “older leaders.” This is because the Greek term generally rendered “elders” has two important components of meaning, age and leadership.

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 .