Acts 3

 

 

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Acts 3:1

Πέτρος δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀνέβαινον εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ὥραν τῆς προσευχῆς, τὴν ἐνάτην.

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth.

Paraphrase:  During these days of enthusiasm and gladness, something happened, Theophilus, which I must tell you about here.  One day, it was about 3pm, and Peter and John were making their way to the temple for the evening prayers.

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Acts 3:2

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 man, being lame from his mother’s womb, was carried, whom they placed each day at the door of the temple, the place called beautiful to ask charity from those entering into the temple.

Paraphrase:  As they made their way up to the temple gates, a man suddenly accosted them.  He had been lame from birth, and each day, one of his friends carried him to the gate of the temple so that he could beg for alms from those who were entering there to worship.  

Comments:

ἐβαστάζετο = an iterative; see §11 here or GGBB p546.

For the temple, see Thrupp.

 

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Acts 3:3

ὃς ἰδὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην μέλλοντας εἰσιέναι εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, ἠρώτα ἐλεημοσύνην λαβεῖν.

who, seeing Peter and John about to enter into the temple, asked to receive charity.

Paraphrase:  This man now stretched out his hand to Peter and John hoping to receive some money from them.

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Acts 3:4

Ἀτενίσας δὲ Πέτρος εἰς αὐτὸν, σὺν τῷ Ἰωάννῃ, εἶπεν, Βλέψον εἰς ἡμᾶς.

But Peter, gazing at him with John, said, “Look at us

Paraphrase:  At this, Peter and John stopped and looked at him.  Their hearts were broken at the sight of this man’s pitiful condition.  In that moment, they felt something of the brokenness of the human condition and the painful suffering that so many had to live with day after day.  “Look at us,”  Peter said. 

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Acts 3:5

ὁ δὲ ἐπεῖχεν αὐτοῖς, προσδοκῶν τι παρ’ αὐτῶν λαβεῖν.

Then the man gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

Paraphrase:  At this, the man looked up at them delighted that finally someone was going to give him some much needed charity.

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Acts 3:6

εἶπεν δὲ Πέτρος, Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι· ὃ δὲ ἔχω, τοῦτό σοι δίδωμι· ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου, ἔγειρε καὶ περιπάτει!

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold belongs not to me, but what I do have, this I give to you.  In the Name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Paraphrase:  “Silver and gold are not in our possession to give.  We do have something, however, that we can give you.  It is a miracle of love that we have, not of ourselves, but as a gift from the great King, Jesus the Messiah.  In His powerful Name, I command you, stand up on your feet and walk!“

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Acts 3:7

Καὶ πιάσας αὐτὸν τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς, ἤγειρεν αὐτόν· παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐστερεώθησαν αἱ βάσεις αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ σφυδρά.

and taking him by the right hand, he raised him.  Then, immediately, his legs and ankles were strengthened.

Paraphrase:  Having said this, Peter reached out his hand and seized the man and helped him to his feet.  As he did this, the man’s legs suddenly became strong and began to hold his body in balance.

Comments:

“It remains to say something of the third aspect of a miracle, expressed in the word “sign.” In this regard, every miracle may be termed an acted parable; that is, the outward act, by which the emotions of the spectator are aroused, and the power of the worker of the miracle is exhibited, contains a spiritual truth; and this truth relates to some work of the Holy Ghost wrought in human souls, analogous to the physical work which the miracle presents to us.” source

 

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Acts 3:8

καὶ ἐξαλλόμενος, ἔστη καὶ περιεπάτει, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν σὺν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν, περιπατῶν καὶ ἁλλόμενος καὶ αἰνῶν τὸν Θεόν.

and leaping up, he stood up and walked and entered with them into the temple walking and leaping and praising God.

Paraphrase:  Astonished, the man could hardly believe what was happening to him.  No longer did his legs hang uselessly under him.  On the contrary, they were strong and, with a gasp of joy, the man leaped up and marveled at his new ability to stand and walk on his own.  When Peter and John continued on their way to the temple, the man followed them leaping and prancing about as if he were some kind of dancer.  When they arrived and entered, the man did not stop but continued leaping about and loudly praising and thanking God for the miracle of healing which he had received. 

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Acts 3:9

Καὶ εἶδεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς αὐτὸν περιπατοῦντα καὶ αἰνοῦντα τὸν Θεόν.

and all the crowd saw him walking and praising God

Paraphrase:  The other temple worshippers wondered what was going on when they saw this strange sight of a grown man leaping and running about and singing praises to God.

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Acts 3:10

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.

Then they recognized him that this was the one sitting for charity at the beautiful gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement 

Paraphrase:  Some of the people even recognized the man as the one who used to sit at the temple gate begging.  This increased their astonishment and wonder all the more.

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Acts 3:11

Κρατοῦντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην· συνέδραμεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ στοᾷ τῇ καλουμένῃ Σολομῶντος, ἔκθαμβοι.

Now while he was clinging to Peter and John, the entire crowd rushed towards them on the porch, called Solomon’s, full of astonishment.

Paraphrase:  Meanwhile, the man who had been healed was clinging to Peter and John, being overwhelmed with the miracle of healing that he had received.  A crowd quickly formed on Solomon’s porch as people surged forward to see this amazing sight. 

Comments:

Κρατοῦντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τὸν Ἰωάννην = genitive absolute

ἔκθαμβοι here clearly modifies λαὸς.  Strictly speaking, they do not agree in number.  Sometimes agreement is more based on the meaning, than the grammar.  Since λαος clearly involves more than one, the plural adjective was chosen; see IV(a) here.

 

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Acts 3:12

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;

Then Peter, seeing, answered to the crowd.  “Men, Israelites, why do you marvel at this? or why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness making him to walk?

Paraphrase:  Then Peter rose once again (Acts 2:14) to address the awestruck crowd.  “Men of Israel, why are you rushing together to see this spectacle and why are you looking at us as if we were magicians or miracles workers?  You of all people should know that no one can perform a miracle unless God Himself gives it. (John 3:2)  Do you really think this man was healed by our own power or because we are such godly men?

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Acts 3:13

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 Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Son, Jesus whom you betrayed and denied before the face of Pilate, when that one judged to release.

Paraphrase:  On the contrary, this is the work of our God, the great King who covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the One who led His people out of Egypt and brought them into the promised land.  He is the One who performed this miracle, and He did it for a purpose.  He did this miracle to demonstrate to you that Jesus, the very one whom you turned over to the Romans hoping that Pilate would find Him guilty and put him to death is the great King, the Messiah for whom we have been waiting.  Interesting enough, even the pagan Pilate could not find anything in Him worthy of condemnation.  That didn’t matter to you, however; you still called for His death.  Now this Jesus, God has marked out by this miracle to be the One who will save Israel from her sin.

Comments:

κρίναντος ἐκείνου ἀπολύειν = genitive absolute

 

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Acts 3:14

ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν Ἅγιον καὶ Δίκαιον ἠρνήσασθε, καὶ ᾐτήσασθε ἄνδρα, φονέα, χαρισθῆναι ὑμῖν·

But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked a man, a murderer, to be given to you. (Matthew 27:20)

Paraphrase:  It’s hard to believe, but you even asked that instead of turning the innocent Jesus loose, the Romans would liberate Barabbas, a convicted murderer.

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Acts 3:15

τὸν δὲ Ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς ἀπεκτείνατε, ὃν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, οὗ ἡμεῖς μάρτυρές ἐσμεν.

Then, you killed the Lord of life whom God raised from the dead, of which you are witnesses.

Paraphrase:  Pilate declared Jesus innocent, but you had already resolved that He should die.  Thus, you killed the very One who has the power to give life.  We all are witnesses of the fact that God brought Jesus back to life after He had died and was buried.  Now Jesus has the power to give eternal life to all those whom the Father has chosen to receive it. (John 10:28; 17:2)

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Acts 3:16

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.

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Acts 3:17

Καὶ νῦν, ἀδελφοί, οἶδα ὅτι κατὰ ἄγνοιαν ἐπράξατε, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν.

 

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Acts 3:18

ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἃ προκατήγγειλεν διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν προφητῶν, παθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως.

Acts 3:19

μετανοήσατε, οὖν, καὶ ἐπιστρέψατε, πρὸς τὸ ἐξαλειφθῆναι ὑμῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας,

Acts 3:20

ὅπως ἂν ἔλθωσιν καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ ἀποστείλῃ τὸν προκεχειρισμένον ὑμῖν, Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν,

Acts 3:21 ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι, ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων, ὧν ἐλάλησεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ στόματος τῶν ἁγίων ἀπ’ αἰῶνος αὐτοῦ προφητῶν.

Acts 3:22 Μωϋσῆς μὲν εἶπεν ὅτι, Προφήτην ὑμῖν ἀναστήσει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς [ὑμῶν] ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὡς ἐμέ· αὐτοῦ ἀκούσεσθε κατὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἂν λαλήσῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

Acts 3:23 ἔσται δὲ πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἥτις, ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου, ἐξολεθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ.

Acts 3:24 Καὶ πάντες δὲ οἱ προφῆται ἀπὸ Σαμουὴλ, καὶ τῶν καθεξῆς, ὅσοι ἐλάλησαν, καὶ κατήγγειλαν τὰς ἡμέρας ταύτας.

Acts 3:25 ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν προφητῶν καὶ τῆς διαθήκης ἧς «ὁ Θεὸς» διέθετο πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, λέγων πρὸς Ἀβραάμ, Καὶ ἐν τῷ σπέρματί σου ἐνευλογηθήσονται πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῆς γῆς.

Acts 3:26 ὑμῖν πρῶτον, ἀναστήσας ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Παῖδα αὐτοῦ, ἀπέστειλεν αὐτὸν, εὐλογοῦντα ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ ἀποστρέφειν ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν.