Acts 14:11–15

14:11 So when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted31 in the Lycaonian language,32 “The gods have come down to us in human form!”33 14:12 They began to call34 Barnabas Zeus35 and Paul Hermes,36 because he was the chief speaker. 14:13 The priest of the temple37 of Zeus,38 located just outside the city, brought bulls39 and garlands40 to the city gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices to them.41 14:14 But when the apostles42 Barnabas and Paul heard about43 it, they tore44 their clothes and rushed out45 into the crowd, shouting,46 14:15 “Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures47 just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn48 from these worthless49 things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth,50 the sea, and everything that is in them.

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31	tn Grk “they lifted up their voice” (an idiom).
32	tn Grk “in Lycaonian, saying.” The word “language” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
33	tn So BDAG 707 s.v. ὁμοιόω 1. However, L&N 64.4 takes the participle ὁμοιωθέντες (homoiōthentes) as an adjectival participle modifying θεοί (theoi): “the gods resembling men have come down to us.” sn The gods have come down to us in human form. Greek culture spoke of “divine men.” In this region there was a story of Zeus and Hermes visiting the area (Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.611–725). The locals failed to acknowledge them, so judgment followed. The present crowd was determined not to make the mistake a second time.
34	tn The imperfect verb ἐκάλουν (ekaloun) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
35	sn Zeus was the chief Greek deity, worshiped throughout the Greco-Roman world (known to the Romans as Jupiter).
36	sn Hermes was a Greek god who (according to Greek mythology) was the messenger of the gods and the god of oratory (equivalent to the Roman god Mercury).
37	tn The words “the temple of” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. The translation “the priest of (the temple/shrine of) Zeus located before the city” is given for this phrase by BDAG 426 s.v. Ζεύς.
38	sn See the note on Zeus in the previous verse.
39	tn Or “oxen.”
40	tn Or “wreaths.” sn Garlands were commonly wreaths of wool with leaves and flowers woven in, worn on a person’s head or woven around a staff. They were an important part of many rituals used to worship pagan gods. Although it was an erroneous reaction, the priest’s reaction shows how all acknowledged their power and access to God.
41	tn The words “to them” are not in the Greek text, but are clearly implied by the response of Paul and Barnabas in the following verse.
42	sn The apostles Barnabas and Paul. This is one of only two places where Luke calls Paul an apostle, and the description here is shared with Barnabas. This is a nontechnical use here, referring to a commissioned messenger.
43	tn The participle ἀκούσαντες (akousantes) is taken temporally.
44	tn Grk “tearing their clothes they rushed out.” The participle διαρρήξαντες (diarrēxantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. This action is a Jewish response to blasphemy (m. Sanhedrin 7.5; Jdt 14:16–17).
45	tn So BDAG 307 s.v. ἐκπηδάω 1, “rush (lit. ‘leap’) out … εἰς τὸν ὄχλον into the crowd Ac 14:14.”
46	tn Grk “shouting and saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes, in v. 15) has not been translated because it is redundant. sn What follows is one of two speeches in Acts to a purely pagan audience (Acts 17 in Athens is the other). So Paul focused on God as Creator, a common link.
47	tn Grk “with the same kinds of feelings,” L&N 25.32. BDAG 706 s.v. ὁμοιοπαθής translates the phrase “with the same nature τινί as someone.” In the immediate context, the contrast is between human and divine nature, and the point is that Paul and Barnabas are mere mortals, not gods.
48	tn Grk “in order that you should turn,” with ἐπιστρέφειν (epistrephein) as an infinitive of purpose, but this is somewhat awkward contemporary English. To translate the infinitive construction “proclaim the good news, that you should turn,” which is much smoother English, could give the impression that the infinitive clause is actually the content of the good news, which it is not. The somewhat less formal “to get you to turn” would work, but might convey to some readers manipulativeness on the part of the apostles. Thus “proclaim the good news, so that you should turn,” is used, to convey that the purpose of the proclamation of good news is the response by the hearers. The emphasis here is like 1 Thess 1:9–10.
49	tn Or “useless,” “futile.” The reference is to idols and idolatry, worshiping the creation over the Creator (Rom 1:18–32). See also 1 Kgs 16:2, 13, 26; 2 Kgs 17:15; Jer 2:5; 8:19; 3 Macc 6:11.
50	tn Grk “and the earth, and the sea,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before “the earth” and “the sea” since contemporary English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

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