Acts 16:31–34

Footnotes

1. 112 Grk “said.”
2. 113 Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.
3. 114 The majority of add Χριστόν (Christon, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 𝔐 sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν (ton kurion Iēsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; 𝔓74vid א A B 33 81 bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.
4. 115 Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.
5. 116 The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rhēma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logos tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
6. 117 Grk “And at.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
7. 118 Grk “taking them … he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
8. 119 On this phrase λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”
9. 120 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
10. 121 All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.
11. 122 Or “immediately.”
12. 123 Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13. 124 Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.
14. 125 Or “he was overjoyed.”
15. 126 The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.
16. 127 The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.