1
Κατ’ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας.
Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some from the assembly to mistreat them,
first here Herod Ἡρῴδης Hērōdēs
2
ἀνεῖλεν δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννου μαχαίρῃ.
and he did away with James the brother of John by the sword.
first here James Ἰάκωβος Iakōbos
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
Why this rendering
Acts.12.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀνεῖλεν δὲ Ἰάκωβον … μαχαίρῃ — the first martyrdom among the Twelve is one verse, five words. The base text records no trial, no speech, no burial — set beside the sixty verses chapter 7 gave Stephen, the silence is itself style. James the brother of John is the label of 1:13 unchanged. V.3's days of Unleavened Bread (ἡμέραι τῶν ἀζύμων) and v.4's after the Passover (μετὰ τὸ πάσχα) fix the time — the feast Luke 22:1 doubled in name, the feast of Unleavened Bread called Passover. At the feast at which Jesus was seized, Peter is seized. τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις, four squads of four, is the Roman night watch in four shifts — v.6 spells it out (between two soldiers, two chains, guards before the door).
Rendering options · 1
Adopted one verse, five words — “did away with … by the sword”
Basis The base text's brevity is not lengthened. Beheaded would add a method the text does not give — it says only by the sword.
3
⸂ἰδὼν δὲ⸃ ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστιν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον (ἦσαν ⸀δὲ ἡμέραι τῶν ἀζύμων),
And seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, he went on to seize Peter also — they were the days of Unleavened Bread —
first here Jews Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
4
ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν, βουλόμενος μετὰ τὸ πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ λαῷ.
whom, having seized, he put in prison, handing him over to four squads of four soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
5
ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος ἐτηρεῖτο ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ· προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν ⸀ἐκτενῶς γινομένη ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ⸀περὶ αὐτοῦ.
So Peter was being kept in the prison; but prayer was being made earnestly by the assembly to God for him.
6
Ὅτε δὲ ἤμελλεν ⸂προαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν⸃ ὁ Ἡρῴδης, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἦν ὁ Πέτρος κοιμώμενος μεταξὺ δύο στρατιωτῶν δεδεμένος ἁλύσεσιν δυσίν, φύλακές τε πρὸ τῆς θύρας ἐτήρουν τὴν φυλακήν.
Now when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were keeping the prison.
7
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη, καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι· πατάξας δὲ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Πέτρου ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει· καὶ ἐξέπεσαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the cell; and striking Peter’s side he woke him, saying, “Rise quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.
Why this rendering
Acts.12.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη, καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν — an angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone. The two words of the shepherds at Luke 2:9 (an angel of the Lord stood by them and the glory of the Lord shone around) — ἐφίστημι and light; this edition renders ἐφίστημι as stood by when an angel or a man arrives, and came upon when the arrival is hostile (4:1; 6:12). The night of the birth and the night of the prison share a sentence-shape. The four commands of v.8 (gird yourself, put on your sandals, wrap your garment, follow me) echo the night of the Exodus (Ex 12:11, your waist girded, your sandals on your feet) — at Passover, in Passover dress, he goes out. And v.9 — Peter supposed he was seeing a vision: in chapter 10 the vision was real; now the real is taken for a vision. V.11 ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενος, coming to himself — into himself — is the picture of the prodigal at Luke 15:17, εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἐλθών, when he came to himself.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “stood by” — as fixed for ἐφίστημι
Basis The same word as the shepherds' night lets the two nights see each other.
8
εἶπεν ⸀δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτόν· ⸀Ζῶσαι καὶ ὑπόδησαι τὰ σανδάλιά σου· ἐποίησεν δὲ οὕτως. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· Περιβαλοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι.
And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he says to him, “Wrap your garment around you and follow me.”
9
καὶ ἐξελθὼν ⸀ἠκολούθει, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστιν τὸ γινόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν.
And going out he was following, and he did not know that what was happening through the angel was real, but supposed he was seeing a vision.
10
διελθόντες δὲ πρώτην φυλακὴν καὶ δευτέραν ἦλθαν ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν σιδηρᾶν τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἥτις αὐτομάτη ἠνοίγη αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐξελθόντες προῆλθον ῥύμην μίαν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ.
And passing through the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them of itself; and going out they went on through one street, and at once the angel departed from him.
11
καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ⸂ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενος⸃ εἶπεν· Νῦν οἶδα ἀληθῶς ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλεν ⸀ὁ κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξείλατό με ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρῴδου καὶ πάσης τῆς προσδοκίας τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.
And Peter, coming to himself, said, “Now I know truly that the Lord sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.”
12
Συνιδών τε ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ⸀τῆς Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Μάρκου, οὗ ἦσαν ἱκανοὶ συνηθροισμένοι καὶ προσευχόμενοι.
And realizing it, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John who is called Mark, where many were gathered together and praying.
first here Mary Μαρία Maria
13
κρούσαντος δὲ ⸀αὐτοῦ τὴν θύραν τοῦ πυλῶνος προσῆλθε παιδίσκη ὑπακοῦσαι ὀνόματι Ῥόδη,
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer,
14
καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ Πέτρου ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς οὐκ ἤνοιξεν τὸν πυλῶνα, εἰσδραμοῦσα δὲ ἀπήγγειλεν ἑστάναι τὸν Πέτρον πρὸ τοῦ πυλῶνος.
and recognizing Peter’s voice, from joy she did not open the gateway but ran in and reported that Peter was standing before the gateway.
15
οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπαν· Μαίνῃ. ἡ δὲ διϊσχυρίζετο οὕτως ἔχειν. οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον· Ὁ ἄγγελός ⸂ἐστιν αὐτοῦ⸃.
And they said to her, “You are mad.” But she kept insisting that it was so. And they were saying, “It is his angel.”
Why this rendering
Acts.12.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ὁ ἄγγελός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ — it is his angel. Those gathered were praying for Peter (vv.5, 12), and told that Peter is at the gate they say you are mad (μαίνῃ — fixed as mad at John 10:20), and then it is his angel — the belief of the time that a person's guardian angel takes that person's likeness stands in the base text as it is, and the author neither approves nor corrects. Neither does this edition gloss it — it renders his angel only. While his angel is at the gate, the real angel has already come and gone at v.7. V.13 τὴν θύραν τοῦ πυλῶνος, the door of the gateway — two words in one place, the θύρα and πυλών this edition keeps apart as door and gateway. V.14 ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς οὐκ ἤνοιξεν — from joy she did not open: the shape of Luke 24:41, from joy they did not believe — joy shuts the door.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “It is his angel” — without gloss
Basis What the author leaves unexplained the translation leaves unexplained; guardian angel is not in the text.
16
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐπέμενεν κρούων· ἀνοίξαντες δὲ εἶδαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξέστησαν.
But Peter kept on knocking; and opening, they saw him and were beside themselves.
17
κατασείσας δὲ αὐτοῖς τῇ χειρὶ σιγᾶν διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς πῶς ὁ κύριος αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς, εἶπέν ⸀τε· Ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ταῦτα. καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐπορεύθη εἰς ἕτερον τόπον.
And motioning to them with his hand to keep silence, he told them how the Lord had led him out of the prison, and he said, “Report these things to James and to the brothers.” And going out he went to another place.
18
Γενομένης δὲ ἡμέρας ἦν τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐν τοῖς στρατιώταις, τί ἄρα ὁ Πέτρος ἐγένετο.
Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
19
Ἡρῴδης δὲ ἐπιζητήσας αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ εὑρὼν ἀνακρίνας τοὺς φύλακας ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαχθῆναι, καὶ κατελθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ⸀εἰς Καισάρειαν διέτριβεν.
And Herod, having searched for him and not found him, examined the guards and ordered them to be led away to execution; and going down from Judea to Caesarea, he stayed there.
first here Judea Ἰουδαία Ioudaia
first here Caesarea Καισάρεια Kaisareia
20
Ἦν ⸀δὲ θυμομαχῶν Τυρίοις καὶ Σιδωνίοις· ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ παρῆσαν πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ πείσαντες Βλάστον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος τοῦ βασιλέως ᾐτοῦντο εἰρήνην διὰ τὸ τρέφεσθαι αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλικῆς.
Now he was furious with the Tyrians and Sidonians; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus, who was over the king’s bedchamber, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed from the king’s.
first here Sidon Σιδώνιος Sidōnios
21
τακτῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἐνδυσάμενος ἐσθῆτα βασιλικὴν ⸀καὶ καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐδημηγόρει πρὸς αὐτούς·
And on an appointed day Herod, having put on royal clothing and sat on the judgement seat, was making a speech to them.
22
ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐπεφώνει· ⸂Θεοῦ φωνὴ⸃ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου.
And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
23
παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος κυρίου ἀνθ’ ὧν οὐκ ἔδωκεν ⸀τὴν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ γενόμενος σκωληκόβρωτος ἐξέψυξεν.
And at once an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give the glory to God; and becoming worm-eaten, he breathed his last.
Why this rendering
Acts.12.23 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος κυρίου — an angel of the Lord struck him. The same verb with which the angel struck (πατάξας) Peter's side at v.7 — in one chapter the same hand wakes one man and kills another. πατάσσω is the verb of Luke 22:49-50 (strike with the sword) and Matt 26:31 (I will strike the shepherd), fixed as strike. ἀνθ’ ὧν οὐκ ἔδωκεν τὴν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ — because he did not give the glory to God: accepting v.22's the voice of a god is the cause. σκωληκόβρωτος, worm-eaten, is unique in the New Testament. ἐξέψυξεν, he breathed his last, is the verb of Ananias and Sapphira at 5:5, 10 — the three who die by this verb in Acts all accepted a lie before God. And v.24 — but the word of God was growing and multiplying: while the king is eaten by worms the word grows. The summary sentence of 6:7 and 19:20 is set at this point of contrast.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “struck” — the same verb as v.7
Basis πατάσσω = strike, as fixed. V.7's striking … he woke him and v.23's struck must be one word for the chapter's two blows to be seen.
24
Ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ ⸀θεοῦ ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο.
But the word of God was growing and multiplying.
25
Βαρναβᾶς δὲ καὶ Σαῦλος ὑπέστρεψαν, ⸀εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ πληρώσαντες τὴν διακονίαν, ⸀συμπαραλαβόντες Ἰωάννην τὸν ἐπικληθέντα Μᾶρκον.
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled the service, taking along with them John who was called Mark.
first here Jerusalem Ἰερουσαλήμ Ierousalēm