Acts 11:19–20

Activity in the Church at Antioch

11:19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen40 went as far as41 Phoenicia,42 Cyprus,43 and Antioch,44 speaking the message45 to no one but Jews. 11:20 But there were some men from Cyprus46 and Cyrene47 among them who came48 to Antioch49 and began to speak to the Greeks50 too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus.

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40	sn The phrase over Stephen means in connection with Stephen’s death. See Acts 8:1b–3.
41	tn Or “finally reached.” The translations “went as far as” and “finally reached” for διῆλθον (diēlthon) in this verse are given in L&N 15.17.
42	sn Phoenicia was an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.
43	tn Grk “and Cyprus,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
44	sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). This was probably the third largest city in the Greco-Roman world (Alexandria in Egypt was the second largest, and Rome the largest) and was the seat of government in Syria. Five miles away was a major temple to Artemis, Apollo, and Astarte, major pagan deities. map For location see JP1-F2; JP2-F2; JP3-F2; JP4-F2.
45	tn Grk “word.”
46	sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
47	sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.
48	tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
49	sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
50	sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene … began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.