16:27a–c

he drew his sword: Here the word drew refers to removing a sword from its sheath (a container that covers the blade). For example:

he pulled out his sword (Good News Translation)

sword: A sword is a hand-held weapon. The swords of that time were 60–120 centimeters (2–4 feet) long and made of metal. The picture shows some of the various kinds of swords used at that time.
If people in your area are not familiar with swords, you may want to:

• Explain the word in your translation. For example:

long knife
-or-
cutting weapon
-or-
war machete/bush-knife

• Use the common language word.

was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped: The jailer probably decided to kill himself because he was ashamed that the prisoners escaped or he feared that the city officials would publicly humiliate him. The city officials probably would not have held him responsible because the earthquake caused the doors to open, but he had just woken up and was perhaps not thinking clearly.

In some languages the reason he was going to kill himself would be unclear. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in a footnote. Some example footnotes are:

He thought about killing himself because of the shame of letting the prisoners escape. Or he may have feared that the city officials would publicly humiliate him or even execute him. Roman ideals allowed suicide as an honorable alternative.

kill himself: The jailer would probably have plunged his sword into his heart.

General Comment on 16:27a–c

The reason for killing himself is told after telling he wanted to kill himself. In some languages having the reason first is necessary or more natural. For example:

27aThe jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, 27che thought the prisoners had escaped so 27bhe drew his sword and was about to kill himself.

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Paragraph 17:19–21

17:19a

So they took Paul and brought him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as took refers to taking hold of something. Here it probably refers to telling Paul to come with them. They may have taken hold of him, but the context indicates that they did so in a friendly manner. They did not force him to come. They then led him to the meeting of the Areopagus. Other ways to translate these clauses are:

They got Paul and took him (New Century Version)
-or-
They brought Paul (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
They invited/motioned to Paul ⌊to come⌋ and led him

So they: The pronoun they probably refers to all or some of the philosophers (17:18a).

to the Areopagus: This phrase in Greek is literally “to the hill of Ares.” The city council met on this hill and the phrase “hill of Ares” became an idiom for the city council. So many English versions combine the two Greek words Areion Pagos, spell it as English speakers would say it, and capitalize it. You might want to indicate that this refers to a group of people. For example:

to a meeting of the Areopagus (New International Version)
-or-
before the city council, the Areopagus (Good News Translation)
-or-
to the Council of the Areopagus (Revised English Bible)
-or-
to the high council of the city (New Living Translation (2004))

17:19b

where they asked him: The pronoun they refers to same people as in 17:19a.

asked: The first sentence of the quote is a real question but the second sentence is a statement. Although the Greek word is often translated as “said,” in some languages it is natural to use asked here, like in the Berean Standard Bible.

17:19c

May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?: This is a real question. The philosophers had already heard Paul before. But they wanted Paul to start from the beginning and explain his whole teaching again. This would help them understand it. This would also allow the council to hear the whole teaching. Then the council could decide if the teaching was dangerous or not. Other ways to translate this question are:

May we know what this new teaching of yours really is? (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
Could you tell us these new ideas that you’re teaching? (God’s Word)
-or-
This new teaching of yours, may we hear/know what it is?
-or-
May we hear/know this new teaching that you are proclaiming?

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

18:17a

the crowd:
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the crowd is literally “they.” The pronoun “they” probably refers to people at the court: Greeks and a few Romans. It is unlikely that the pronoun refers to the Jews (18:14–16). The Jews would probably not beat one of their own people in front of the Roman judge. Refer in a general way to the Greeks and Romans. For example:

the whole crowd of people (Easy English Bible)

seized: The Greek word is literally “seized.” (The New International Version translation indicates that the people changed from polite behavior to wanting to fight.) For example:

grabbed (Good News Translation)

the synagogue leader: This phrase indicates that Sosthenes was the leader over the Jews. They were members of the synagogue. For example:

the leader of the synagogue (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Jewish leader (Contemporary English Version)

18:17b

beat him: The people probably beat Sosthenes with their fists. Some languages must say what they beat him with. For example:

beat him ⌊with their fists⌋

in front of the judgment seat: This phrase in Greek is literally “before the judgment seat.” The Jews had not yet left the area where Gallio judged people. The court police had forced the Jews away from being directly in front of him. This phrase indicates that he was still able to see them. For example:

in the court area
-or-
with Gallio watching

judgment seat: See how you translated this word in 18:12.

18:17c

none of this was of concern to Gallio: This clause indicates that Gallio knew that people were beating Sosthenes but did not care. He allowed them to continue beating Sosthenes. Other ways to translate this clause are:

But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things. (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
But none of this mattered to Gallio. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
But that did not bother Gallio a bit. (Good News Translation)

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Section 19:21–41

Demetrius started a riot against Paul

In this section, Paul decided that he would travel to Jerusalem, but he would go to Macedonia and Achaia first. He sent two believers to Macedonia so that they could tell the churches that he was coming. He stayed in Ephesus a bit longer.

In Ephesus, a man named Demetrius made small silver models of the temple of Artemis. He sold them to people who wanted to worship Artemis. While Paul stayed in Ephesus, Demetrius gathered other similar workers and complained that Paul was leading people away from worshiping Artemis. The workers became angry and caused the whole city to become upset. They grabbed two of Paul’s traveling companions and brought them to the amphitheater. Many people followed the workers there. The workers probably wanted the city leader to force Paul to leave Ephesus.

In the amphitheater, the crowd was confused and shouting various things. The Jews had Alexander step forward to address the crowd. But the crowd rejected him and would not let him speak. Finally the city clerk quieted the crowd. He reassured them about Artemis. He told them that Demetrius should take Paul to court if he wanted to accuse him about something. He warned the crowd that they could be accused of rioting. Then he dismissed the crowd.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

The Riot in Ephesus (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
A riot started in Ephesus ⌊regarding Paul⌋

Paragraph 19:21–22

19:21a

After these things had happened: This phrase may refer to the events regarding the evil spirit (19:13–19) or to all of the events in Ephesus (19:1–19). Translate so that it allows either interpretation. For example:

Now after these events (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
After all this had happened (New International Version)

Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem: This clause in Greek is literally “Paul decided in the spirit to go to Jerusalem.” There are two ways to interpret the phrase “the spirit”:

(1) It refers to Paul’s own spirit. Paul himself decided to go to Jerusalem. For example:

Paul made up his mind to go back to Jerusalem (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, King James Version)

(2) It refers to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit caused Paul to decide to go to Jerusalem.

Paul felt compelled by the Spirit (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia: Paul wanted to visit the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. They wanted to help the poor believers in Jerusalem. So Paul would go to the believers in Macedonia and Achaia and collect money. He would take the money to Jerusalem and give it to the believers there and in other parts of Judea.

From Ephesus, Macedonia and Achaia are in the opposite direction to that of going to Jerusalem. Paul would make a much longer journey by going to Macedonia and Achaia first.

had passed through: This phrase indicates that Paul would stop for only a short visit. Then he would go to the next place. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

travel through (Good News Translation)
-or-
visit (Contemporary English Version)

Macedonia and Achaia: These two names refer to provinces of Greece. (At this time Romans ruled Macedonia and Achaia.) For example:

⌊the provinces of⌋ Macedonia and Achaia

Luke already referred to Macedonia four times in Acts. He already referred to Achaia twice in Acts. You may have already indicated that these names refer to provinces. You may not need to indicate again that they refer to provinces here.

General Comment on 19:21a

In some languages, what Paul decided must be in direct speech. For example:

Paul said, “I have decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia.

If you do this in your language, you will not need to translate the phrase “he said” in 19:21b. You will also not need to begin 19:21b with a quote mark.

19:21b

After I have been there: The word there refers to Jerusalem.

he said: The Berean Standard Bible placed the phrase he said in the middle of the spoken words. Place it where it would be most natural in your language.

I must see Rome as well: The word must indicates that Paul knew that it was necessary for him to visit Rome.

see: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as see is literally “see.” Here it indicates that Paul wanted to go to Rome, but he was not planning to live there for a long time. He probably wanted to go there to encourage the believers, preach the gospel, and evangelize.

Rome: Rome was (and is) a large city. In some languages, people are not familiar with this name. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in your translation. For example:

⌊the city of⌋ Rome

Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire and its most important city. It was a well-known city. The Roman people were named with this city’s name. For readers at that time, the name would not need to be explained as referring to a city. Also, Luke mentioned Rome in 18:2. So you may not need or want to explain the name in your translation.

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

20:12

were greatly relieved: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as were…relieved refers to becoming encouraged or cheerful. The people were greatly relieved because Eutychus was alive again. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

were greatly encouraged (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
were greatly comforted (New International Version)
-or-
were very happy (Contemporary English Version)

greatly: This word in Greek is literally “not moderately.” It is an idiom that means greatly.

to take the boy home alive: This clause in Greek is literally “(They) led the boy away living.” It indicates that the people took Eutychus away from the meeting place. Eutychus probably walked. For example:

they took the lad away alive (Revised Standard Version)

They probably took him home. So the Berean Standard Bible adds the word home.

boy: The Greek word is literally “boy.” Luke also called him a young man in 20:9. So Eutychus was probably thirteen to nineteen years old.

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

21:38a–b

Aren’t you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the ‘Assassins’ into the wilderness?: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) The commander asked if Paul was that Egyptian and expected Paul to answer “yes.” The position of “not” in the Greek indicates this kind of question. The question in the Berean Standard Bible expects the answer “yes I am that Egyptian.” For example:

Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt…? (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)

(2) The commander asked believing that Paul was not that Egyptian. The word “not” together with the word “then” indicates “not” is emphasized. For example:

Then you are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a revolution…? (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation. It is supported by the Greek grammar.

Other ways to translate this question according to interpretation (1) are:

You are the Egyptian who started a revolt and led 4000 men into the desert some time ago, are you not?
-or-
You must be the Egyptian who started a revolt and led 4000 men into the desert some time ago. ⌊Am I right?⌋

21:38a

The Greek conjunction that probably means “then” here introduces this verse. It indicates that the commander concluded that Paul was that Egyptian because he spoke Greek and the Jews were beating him. For example:

Therefore
-or-
Then (New Revised Standard Version)

But the Berean Standard Bible and many English versions omit the conjunction and allow the context to indicate that meaning.

the Egyptian: Here the word Egyptian refers to a man from the country of Egypt. He was probably a Jew that was born there.

Some languages do not use an ending meaning “person of” like the English “-ian.” For example:

the person/man/one from Egypt
-or-
the Egypt man

incited a rebellion: This phrase refers to trying to overthrow a government. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

started a revolution (Good News Translation)
-or-
led a rebellion (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
battled the government

some time ago: This phrase probably refers to three to five years before this time. Translate in a way that implies or allow that amount of time.

21:38b

four thousand: Some languages do not have large number words like thousand. If so, you may want to use numerals from the common language. For example:

4,000 (New Living Translation (2004))

members of the ‘Assassins’: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ‘Assassins’ describes extreme Jewish nationalists. They opposed Roman rule over the Jews and assassinated Jews who favored Roman rule. Their name was sicarii, “men of the sica dagger.” This dagger was curved and had a blade about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long.

To translate this word you may want to:

• Use their original name. For example:

Sicarii/Sikari

You may then want to explain this name in a footnote. An example footnote is:

The group of men called “Sicarii/Sikari” opposed Roman rule over the Jews and assassinated Jews who favored Roman rule. Their name means “men of the sica/sika dagger.” This dagger was curved and had a blade about 40 centimeters long.

• Translate the meaning of the name. For example:

assassins (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
cut-throats (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
murderers/killers
-or-

⌊men of the group called⌋ the Dagger Men/Killers

Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, capitalize the first letter to indicate it was the name of a specific group. For example:

the Assassins (Revised Standard Version)

wilderness: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as wilderness refers to a place that is empty, desolate, or uninhabited. Other ways to translate this word are:

desert (New International Version)
-or-
desolate region
-or-
empty land

This word occurs in Matthew 3:1, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:2, and John 1:23. If you have translated any of these verses, see how you translated the word there.

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.