1
⸂Πέτρος δὲ⸃ καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀνέβαινον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ὥραν τῆς προσευχῆς τὴν ἐνάτην,
Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth.
first here Peter Πέτρος Petros
first here John Ἰωάννης Iōannēs
2
καί τις ἀνὴρ χωλὸς ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχων ἐβαστάζετο, ὃν ἐτίθουν καθ’ ἡμέραν πρὸς τὴν θύραν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν λεγομένην Ὡραίαν τοῦ αἰτεῖν ἐλεημοσύνην παρὰ τῶν εἰσπορευομένων εἰς τὸ ἱερόν,
And a certain man, lame from his mother’s womb, was being carried, whom they used to set day by day at the door of the temple called Beautiful, to ask alms from those going into the temple.
Why this rendering
Acts.3.2 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἐλεημοσύνη, alms, is the word of Luke 11:41 and 12:33; in Acts it comes three times in this chapter (vv.2, 3, 10) and then passes to Cornelius (10:2, 4, 31) and Tabitha (9:36) — for Luke, almsgiving is the mark of piety. τὴν λεγομένην Ὡραίαν, called Beautiful (feminine, agreeing with the door, θύρα), becomes at v.10 τῇ Ὡραίᾳ Πύλῃ, the Beautiful Gate — the same door named by two words, θύρα and πύλη. The two words this edition keeps apart in the Gospels (door against gate — Matt 7:13, the narrow gate) stand here, unusually, side by side for one object. ὑπάρχων, being (in a state), is a favourite verb of Luke — it returns at once in v.6, ὑπάρχει, I do not have.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted v.2 “door” (θύρα) · v.10 “gate” (πύλη) — two words as the base text has them
Basis Naming one object with two words is the author's doing; making them one is not the translator's. The Gospel fixings (door / gate) are kept.
“Beautiful Gate” both times
Basis Tradition uses Beautiful Gate for both verses.
Rejected Where the base text divides words, this edition divides renderings.
3
ὃς ἰδὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην μέλλοντας εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἠρώτα ἐλεημοσύνην ⸀λαβεῖν.
He, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked to receive alms.
4
ἀτενίσας δὲ Πέτρος εἰς αὐτὸν σὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ εἶπεν· Βλέψον εἰς ἡμᾶς.
But Peter, gazing fixedly at him, with John, said, “Look at us.”
5
ὁ δὲ ἐπεῖχεν αὐτοῖς προσδοκῶν τι παρ’ αὐτῶν λαβεῖν.
And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.
6
εἶπεν δὲ Πέτρος· Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι, ὃ δὲ ἔχω τοῦτό σοι δίδωμι· ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου ⸀περιπάτει.
But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have; but what I have, this I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, walk.”
first here Jesus Ἰησοῦς Iēsous
first here Christ Χριστός Christos
first here Nazorean Ναζωραῖος Nazōraios
Why this rendering
Acts.3.6 Observation
Syntactic observation
Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι — silver and gold I do not have — and the verb of having is not εἰμί but ὑπάρχω: not a statement of ownership but of what is at hand, which is why the verb changes at ὃ δὲ ἔχω, what I have (ὑπάρχω against ἔχω). And there is one command only — περιπάτει, walk. The Gospels' healing command had three (Mark 2:9, rise, take up your mat and walk; John 5:8 the same three). Here only walk remains, and at v.7 Peter takes the hand and raises him — the first verb, ἐγείρω, is done by hand instead of said: one word fewer, one hand more. ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι, in the name, is the axis of the chapter — v.16 takes it up: his name made him firm.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “walk” — the single command kept single
Basis Rise and walk would put back into speech the verb the author moved into the hand. One word in the base text, one in the rendering.
7
καὶ πιάσας αὐτὸν τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς ἤγειρεν ⸀αὐτόν· παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐστερεώθησαν ⸂αἱ βάσεις αὐτοῦ⸃ καὶ τὰ ⸀σφυδρά,
And seizing him by the right hand he raised him; and at once his feet and ankles were made firm,
8
καὶ ἐξαλλόμενος ἔστη καὶ περιεπάτει, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν σὺν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν περιπατῶν καὶ ἁλλόμενος καὶ αἰνῶν τὸν θεόν.
and leaping up he stood and was walking, and he went in with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.
9
καὶ εἶδεν ⸂πᾶς ὁ λαὸς αὐτὸν⸃ περιπατοῦντα καὶ αἰνοῦντα τὸν θεόν,
And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
10
ἐπεγίνωσκον ⸀δὲ αὐτὸν ὅτι ⸀οὗτος ἦν ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῇ Ὡραίᾳ Πύλῃ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν θάμβους καὶ ἐκστάσεως ἐπὶ τῷ συμβεβηκότι αὐτῷ.
and they recognized him, that he was the one who used to sit for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and bewilderment at what had happened to him.
Why this rendering
Acts.3.10 Observation
Syntactic observation
Wonder is layered in three words — v.10 θάμβος, wonder, with ἔκστασις, bewilderment; v.11 ἔκθαμβοι, utterly astonished; v.12 θαυμάζετε, you marvel. θάμβος is the word of Luke 4:36 (amazement came upon all) and 5:9; ἔκστασις is that of Mark 16:8 (bewilderment) and Luke 5:26 — the six-member family of wonder the Gospels keep apart arrives in Acts each with its own word. ἔκθαμβος, utterly astonished, is unique in the New Testament, the adjective of Mark's ἐκθαμβέομαι (9:15, 14:33, 16:5-6 — to be alarmed): the wonder of this chapter shares a root with the wonder before Mark's empty tomb. συμβεβηκότι, what had happened (συμβαίνω), is the word of Luke 24:14 — Emmaus, all that had happened.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “wonder and bewilderment” · “utterly astonished” · “marvel” — three kept apart
Basis Follows the Gospel fixings for the family of wonder (θαυμάζω marvel · ἔκστασις bewilderment · θάμβος wonder · ἐκθαμβ- alarmed / utterly astonished).
11
Κρατοῦντος δὲ ⸀αὐτοῦ τὸν Πέτρον καὶ ⸀τὸν Ἰωάννην συνέδραμεν ⸂πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς⸃ ἐπὶ τῇ στοᾷ τῇ καλουμένῃ Σολομῶντος ἔκθαμβοι.
And as he held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the portico called Solomon’s, utterly astonished.
12
ἰδὼν δὲ ⸀ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο πρὸς τὸν λαόν· Ἄνδρες Ἰσραηλῖται, τί θαυμάζετε ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ἢ ἡμῖν τί ἀτενίζετε ὡς ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ εὐσεβείᾳ πεποιηκόσιν τοῦ περιπατεῖν αὐτόν;
And seeing it, Peter answered the people: “Men, Israelites, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze fixedly at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
first here Israelite Ἰσραηλίτης Israēlitēs
13
ὁ θεὸς Ἀβραὰμ καὶ ⸂Ἰσαὰκ καὶ⸃ Ἰακώβ, ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἐδόξασεν τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ὑμεῖς ⸀μὲν παρεδώκατε καὶ ⸀ἠρνήσασθε κατὰ πρόσωπον Πιλάτου, κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν·
The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied before the face of Pilate, when he had judged to release him.
first here Abraham Ἀβραάμ Abraam
first here Isaac Ἰσαάκ Isaak
first here Jacob Ἰακώβ Iakōb
first here Pilate Πιλᾶτος Pilatos
Why this rendering
Acts.3.13 Observation
Syntactic observation
τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν — his servant Jesus. παῖς means both child and servant, and here it names Isaiah's Servant of the Lord (LXX Isa 52:13, ὁ παῖς μου) — taken up at v.26 (τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ) and at 4:27, 30; outside Acts the New Testament calls Jesus παῖς only at Matt 12:18 (quoting Isaiah 42). In Luke's Gospel παῖς was both servant (1:54 Israel, 1:69 David, 7:7 the centurion's servant) and child (8:51, 54 Jairus's daughter, 9:42), and this edition divided it by place. Then three verbs in contrast — God ἐδόξασεν, glorified; you παρεδώκατε, handed over, and ἠρνήσασθε, denied. ἀρνέομαι, to deny, is the verb Peter used before the cock crowed (Luke 22:57) — the one who denied rebukes denial. κατὰ πρόσωπον Πιλάτου, before the face of Pilate, and at v.20 ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου, from the face of the Lord — face twice, a man's and the Lord's.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “his servant Jesus”
Basis The place names Isaiah's Servant. Son belongs to υἱός and is not this word. Joins the Luke fixing παῖς = servant (1:54, 69).
“his Son Jesus”
Basis The KJV tradition (his Son Jesus).
Rejected It substitutes υἱός for παῖς — a word the base text does not have — and severs the tie to Isaiah.
14
ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν ἅγιον καὶ δίκαιον ἠρνήσασθε καὶ ᾐτήσασθε ἄνδρα φονέα χαρισθῆναι ὑμῖν,
But you denied the holy and righteous one, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15
τὸν δὲ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀπεκτείνατε, ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, οὗ ἡμεῖς μάρτυρές ἐσμεν.
and you killed the originator of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
Why this rendering
Acts.3.15 Observation
Syntactic observation
τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀπεκτείνατε — you killed the originator of life. ἀρχηγός — the one who leads first, who begins, the founder — occurs four times in the New Testament (Acts 3:15, 5:31; Heb 2:10, 12:2). It compounds ἀρχή (beginning — John 1:1, Mark 1:1) with ἄγω (to lead), so beginning and leading sit in one word; no single rendering carries both, and one must be chosen. The paradox that the originator of life was killed is the sentence's axis — hence at once ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, whom God raised from the dead. It pairs with v.14, asked for a murderer to be granted (Luke 23:25 — Barabbas, thrown into prison for insurrection and murder): a murderer let live, the originator of life killed.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “the originator of life”
Basis Chooses the ἀρχή side — originator keeps the root of beginning audible and the paradox standing. The leading is recorded as a loss.
“the Prince of life”
Basis The KJV tradition.
Rejected Prince carries neither beginning nor leading, and Lord/prince collides with κύριος.
Lost in translation
Of ἀρχηγός's two strands, beginning and leading, English originator keeps only the first.
this edition — none of the nine carries it (measured)
16
καὶ ⸀ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ τοῦτον ὃν θεωρεῖτε καὶ οἴδατε ἐστερέωσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ πίστις ἡ δι’ αὐτοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ τὴν ὁλοκληρίαν ταύτην ἀπέναντι πάντων ὑμῶν.
And by faith in his name, this man whom you see and know his name made firm; and the faith that is through him gave him this wholeness before all of you.
17
Καὶ νῦν, ἀδελφοί, οἶδα ὅτι κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἐπράξατε, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν·
And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your rulers also;
18
ὁ δὲ θεὸς ἃ προκατήγγειλεν διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν ⸀προφητῶν παθεῖν τὸν χριστὸν ⸀αὐτοῦ ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως.
but what God announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he fulfilled in this way.
19
μετανοήσατε οὖν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε ⸀πρὸς τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὑμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας,
Repent, therefore, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
Why this rendering
Acts.3.19 Observation
Syntactic observation
μετανοήσατε οὖν καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε — repent, therefore, and turn back. To the repentance of 2:38 (μετανοήσατε) is added turning (ἐπιστρέφω — Luke 1:16, he will turn many to the Lord; 22:32, when you have turned back). The two verbs pair only here and at 26:20 in Acts. ἐξαλείφω, to wipe away, is the verb of rubbing out what is written (Col 2:14, wiping out the record; Rev 3:5, I will not wipe out his name) — sins come here not as forgiven (ἄφεσις, 2:38) but as wiped away. ἀνάψυξις, refreshing, is unique in the New Testament — the noun of ψύχω, to cool: coolness in the heat is the picture.
Rendering options · 1
Adopted “sins may be wiped away”
Basis ἐξαλείφω is wiping, not forgiving (ἀφίημι) — a different verb from 2:38, so a different rendering.
20
ὅπως ἂν ἔλθωσιν καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἀποστείλῃ τὸν προκεχειρισμένον ὑμῖν χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν,
so that times of refreshing may come from the face of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus,
21
ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ θεὸς διὰ ⸀στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ⸂ἀπ’ αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ προφητῶν⸃.
whom heaven must receive until the times of the restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old.
22
Μωϋσῆς ⸀μὲν εἶπεν ὅτι Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει κύριος ὁ ⸀θεὸς ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
Moses said: ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers; you shall hear him in everything, whatever he says to you.
first here Moses Μωϋσῆς Mōysēs
23
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις ⸀ἂν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ.
And it will be that every life which does not hear that prophet will be utterly destroyed from the people.’
24
καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ προφῆται ἀπὸ Σαμουὴλ καὶ τῶν καθεξῆς ὅσοι ἐλάλησαν καὶ κατήγγειλαν τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας.
And all the prophets too, from Samuel and those after him, as many as spoke, also announced these days.
25
ὑμεῖς ἐστε ⸀οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῆς διαθήκης ἧς ⸂διέθετο ὁ θεὸς⸃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ⸀ὑμῶν, λέγων πρὸς Ἀβραάμ Καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου ⸀ἐνευλογηθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῆς γῆς.
You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham: ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
26
ὑμῖν πρῶτον ⸂ἀναστήσας ὁ θεὸς⸃ τὸν παῖδα ⸀αὐτοῦ ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν εὐλογοῦντα ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν.
To you first, God, having raised up his servant, sent him to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked deeds.”