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# Acts 01 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
This chapter records an event, commonly known as the "Ascension," when Jesus returned to heaven after he became alive again. He will not come back until he returns at his "second coming." (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/heaven]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/resurrection]])
The UDB has set the words "Dear Theophilus" apart from the other words. This is because English speakers often start letters this way. You might want to start this book the way people start letters in your culture.
Some translations set quotations from the Old Testament farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. The ULB does this with the two quotes from Psalms in 1:20.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Baptize
The word "baptize" has two meanings in this chapter. It refers to the water baptism of John and to the baptism of the Holy Spirit ([Acts 1:5](../../act/01/05.md)). (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/baptize]])
#### "He spoke about the kingdom of God"
Some scholars believe that when Jesus "spoke about the kingdom of God," he explained to the disciples why the kingdom of God did not come before he died. Others believe that the kingdom of God did begin while Jesus was alive and that here Jesus was explaining that it was beginning in a new form.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### The twelve disciples
The following are the lists of the twelve disciples:
In Matthew:
Simon (Peter), Andrew, James son of Zebedee, John son of Zebedee, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot.
In Mark:
Simon (Peter), Andrew, James the son of Zebedee and John the son of Zebedee (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder), Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot.
In Luke:
Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon (who was called the Zealot), Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot.
Thaddaeus is probably the same person as Jude, the son of James.
#### Akeldama
This is a phrase in Hebrew or Aramaic. Luke used Greek letters so his readers would know how it sounded, and then he told what it means. You should probably spell it the way it sounds in your language and then explain the meaning. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-transliterate]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 01:01 Notes](./01.md)__
* __[Acts intro](../front/intro.md)__
__| [>>](../02/intro.md)__

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# Acts 02 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 2:17-21, 25-28, and 34-35.
Some translations set quotations from the Old Testament farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. The ULB does this with the quoted material in 2:31.
The events described in this chapter are commonly called "Pentecost." Many people believe that the church began to exist when the Holy Spirit came to live inside believers at Pentecost.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Tongues
The word "tongues" has two meanings in this chapter. Luke describes what came down from heaven ([Acts 2:3](../../act/02/03.md)) as tongues that looked like fire. This is different from "a tongue of flame," which is a fire that looks like a tongue. Luke also uses the word "tongues" to describe the languages that the people spoke after the Holy Spirit filled them ([Acts 2:4](../02/04.md)).
#### Last days
No one knows for sure when the "last days" ([Acts 2:17](../../act/02/17.md)) began. Your translation should not say more than the ULB does about this. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lastday]])
#### Baptize
The word "baptize" in this chapter refers to Christian baptism ([Acts 2:38-41](../02/38.md)). Though the event described in [Acts 2:1-11](./01.md) is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised in [Acts 1:5](../../act/01/05.md), the word "baptize" here does not refer to that event. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/baptize]])
#### The prophecy of Joel
Many of the things that Joel said would happen did happen on the day of Pentecost ([Acts 2:17-18](../02/17.md)), but some things Joel spoke of have not happened yet ([Acts 2:19-20](../02/19.md)). (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet]])
#### Wonders and signs
These words refer to things that only God could do, things that showed that Jesus was who the disciples said he was.
## Links:
* __[Acts 02:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../01/intro.md) | [>>](../03/intro.md)__

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# Acts 03 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The covenant God made with Abraham
This chapter explains that Jesus came to the Jews because God was fulfilling part of the covenant he had made with Abraham. Peter thought that the Jews were the ones who were truly guilty of killing Jesus, but he wanted them to understand that Jesus, by living and dying, had fulfilled God's promise to Abraham and that if they repented, God would forgive them.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "You delivered up"
The Romans were the ones who killed Jesus, but they killed him because the Jews captured him, brought him to the Romans, and told the Romans to kill him. For this reason Peter thought that they were the ones who were truly guilty of killing Jesus. But he tells them that they are also the first ones to whom God has sent Jesus's followers to invite them to repent ([Acts 3:26](../../act/03/26.md)). (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 03:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../02/intro.md) | [>>](../04/intro.md)__

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# Acts 04 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 4:25-26.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Unity
The first Christians wanted very much to be united. They wanted to believe the same things and share everything they owned and help those who needed help.
#### "Signs and wonders"
This phrase refers to things that only God can do. The Christians wanted God to do what only he can do so that people would believe that what they said about Jesus was true.
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Cornerstone
The cornerstone was the first piece of stone that people put down when they were building a building. This is a metaphor for the most important part of something, the part on which everything depends. To say that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church is to say that nothing in the church is more important than Jesus and that everything about the church depends on Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Name
"There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" ([Acts 4:12](../../act/04/12.md)). With these words Peter was saying that no other person who has ever been on the earth or will ever be on earth can save people.
## Links:
* __[Acts 04:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../03/intro.md) | [>>](../05/intro.md)__

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# Acts 05 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit"
No one knows for sure if Ananias and Sapphira were truly Christians when they decided to lie about the land that they sold ([Acts 5:1-10](../05/01.md)), because Luke does not say. However, Peter knew that they lied to the believers, and he knew that they had listened to and obeyed Satan.
When they lied to the believers, they also lied to the Holy Spirit. This is because the Holy Spirit lives inside believers.
## Links:
* __[Acts 05:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../04/intro.md) | [>>](../06/intro.md)__

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# Acts 06 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The distribution to the widows
The believers in Jerusalem gave help—probably money but possibly food—every day to women whose husbands had died. All of these widows had been raised as Jews, but some of them had lived in Judea and spoke Hebrew. Others had lived in Gentile areas and spoke Greek. Those who gave out the money or food gave it to the Hebrew-speaking widows but not to the Greek-speaking widows. To please God, the church leaders appointed Greek-speaking men to make sure the Greek-speaking widows received their share of help. One of these Greek-speaking men was Stephen.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "His face was like the face of an angel"
No one knows for sure what it was about Stephen's face that was like the face of an angel, because Luke does not tell us. It is best for the translation to say only what the ULB says about this.
## Links:
* __[Acts 06:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../05/intro.md) | [>>](../07/intro.md)__

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# Acts 07 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 7:42-43 and 49-50.
It appears that 8:1 is part of the narrative of this chapter.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "Stephen said"
Stephen told the history of Israel very briefly. He paid special attention to the times that the Israelites had rejected the people God had chosen to lead them. At the end of the story, he said that the Jewish leaders he was talking to had rejected Jesus just as the evil Israelites had always rejected the leaders God had appointed for them.
#### "Full of the Holy Spirit"
The Holy Spirit completely controlled Stephen so that he said only and all of what God wanted him to say.
#### Foreshadowing
When an author speaks of something that is not important at that time but will be important later in the story, this is called foreshadowing. Luke mentions Saul, also known as Paul, here, even though he is not an important person in this part of the story. This is because Paul is an important person in the rest of the Book of Acts.
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Implied information
Stephen was talking to Jews who knew the law of Moses well, so he did not explain things that his hearers already knew. But you may need to explain some of these things so that your readers will be able to understand what Stephen was saying. For example, you may need to make explicit that when Joseph's brothers "sold him into Egypt" ([Acts 7:9](../../act/07/09.md)), Joseph was going to be a slave in Egypt. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit]])
#### Metonymy
Stephen spoke of Joseph ruling "over Egypt" and over all of Pharaoh's household. By this he meant that Joseph ruled over the people of Egypt and of the people and possessions in Pharaoh's household. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Background knowledge
The Jewish leaders to whom Stephen spoke already knew much about the events he was telling them about. They knew what Moses had written in the Book of Genesis. If the Book of Genesis has not been translated into your language, it may be difficult for your readers to understand what Stephen said.
## Links:
* __[Acts 07:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../06/intro.md) | [>>](../08/intro.md)__

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# Acts 08 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 8:32-33.
The first sentence of verse 1 ends the description of the events in chapter 7. Luke begins a new part of his history with the words "So there began."
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Receiving the Holy Spirit
In this chapter for the first time Luke speaks of people receiving the Holy Spirit ([Acts 8:15-19](../08/15.md)). The Holy Spirit had already enabled the believers to speak in tongues, to heal the sick, and to live as a community, and he had filled Stephen. But when the Jews started putting believers in prison, those believers who could leave Jerusalem did leave, and as they went, they told people about Jesus. When the people who heard about Jesus received the Holy Spirit, the church leaders knew that those people had truly become believers.
#### Proclaimed
This chapter more than any other in the Book of Acts speaks of the believers proclaiming the word, proclaiming the good news, and proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ. The word "proclaim" translates a Greek word that means to tell good news about something.
## Links:
* __[Acts 08:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../07/intro.md) | [>>](../09/intro.md)__

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# Acts 09 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "The Way"
No one knows for sure who first started calling believers "followers of the Way." This is probably what the believers called themselves, because the Bible often speaks of a person living his life as if that person were walking on a path or "way." If this is true, the believers were "following the way of the Lord" by living in a way that pleased God.
#### "Letters for the synagogues in Damascus"
The "letters" Paul asked for were probably legal papers that permitted him to put Christians in prison. The synagogue leaders in Damascus would have obeyed the letter because it was written by the high priest. If the Romans had seen the letter, they also would have allowed Saul to persecute the Christians, because they permitted the Jews to do as they desired to people who broke their religious laws.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### What Saul saw when he met Jesus
It is clear that Saul saw a light and that it was because of this light that he "fell upon the ground." Some people think that Saul knew that it was the Lord speaking to him without seeing a human form, because the Bible often speaks of God as being light and living in light. Other people think that later in his life he was able to say, "I have seen the Lord Jesus" because it was a human form that he saw here.
## Links:
* __[Acts 09:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../08/intro.md) | [>>](../10/intro.md)__

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# Acts 10 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Unclean
The Jews believed that they could become unclean in God's sight if they visited or ate food with a Gentile. This was because the Pharisees had made a law against it because they wanted to keep people from eating foods that the law of Moses said were unclean. The law of Moses did say that some foods were unclean, but it did not say that God's people could not visit or eat with Gentiles. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/clean]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses]])
#### Baptism and the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit "fell on" those who were listening to Peter. This showed the Jewish believers that Gentiles could receive the word of God and receive the Holy Spirit just as the Jewish believers had. After that, the Gentiles were baptized.
## Links:
* __[Acts 10:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../09/intro.md) | [>>](../11/intro.md)__

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# Acts 11 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "The Gentiles also had received the word of God"
Almost all of the first believers were Jewish. Luke writes in this chapter that many Gentiles started to believe in Jesus. They believed that the message about Jesus was true and so began to "receive the word of God." Some of the believers in Jerusalem did not believe that Gentiles could truly follow Jesus, so Peter went to them and told them what had happened to him and how he had seen the Gentiles receive the Word of God and receive the Holy Spirit.
## Links:
* __[Acts 11:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../10/intro.md) | [>>](../12/intro.md)__

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# Acts 12 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Chapter 12 tells what happened to King Herod while Barnabas was bringing Saul back from Tarsus and they were delivering money from Antioch Jerusalem (11:25-30). He killed many of the leaders of the church, and he put Peter in prison. After God helped Peter escape the prison, Herod killed the prison guards, and then God killed Herod. In the last verse of the chapter, Luke tells how Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch.
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Personification
The "word of God" is spoken of as if it were a living thing that could grow and become many. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/wordofgod]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-personification]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 12:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../11/intro.md) | [>>](../13/intro.md)__

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# Acts 13 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 13:33-35 and 13:41.
This chapter is where the second half of the Book of Acts begins. Luke writes more about Paul than about Peter. Luke also writes about the believers preaching to the Gentiles rather than to the Jews.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### A light for the Gentiles
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. The Jews considered all Gentiles as walking in darkness, but Paul and Barnabas spoke of telling the Gentiles about Jesus as if they were going to bring them physical light. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 13:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../12/intro.md) | [>>](../14/intro.md)__

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# Acts 14 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "The message of his grace"
The message of Jesus is the message that God will show grace to those who believe in Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/grace]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]])
#### Zeus and Hermes
The Gentiles in the Roman Empire worshiped many different false gods who do not really exist. Paul and Barnabas told them to believe in the "living God." (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/falsegod]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "We must enter into the kingdom of God through many sufferings."
Jesus told his followers before he died that everyone who followed him would suffer persecution. Paul is saying the same thing using different words.
## Links:
* __[Acts 14:1](../../act/14/01.md)__
__[<<](../13/intro.md) | [>>](../15/intro.md)__

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# Acts 15 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry that is quoted from the Old Testament in 15:16-17.
The meeting that Luke describes in this chapter is commonly called the "Jerusalem Council." This was a time when many church leaders got together to decide if believers needed to obey the whole law of Moses.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Brothers
In this chapter Luke begins to use the word "brothers" to refer to fellow Christians instead of fellow Jews.
#### Obeying the law of Moses
Some believers wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised because God had told Abraham and Moses that everyone who wanted to belong to him had to be circumcised and that this was "an everlasting covenant." But Paul and Barnabas had seen God give uncircumcised Gentiles the gift of the Holy Spirit, so they did not want the Gentiles to be circumcised. Both groups went to Jerusalem to have the church leaders decide what they should do.
#### "Abstain from things sacrificed to idols, blood, things strangled, and from sexual immorality"
It is possible that the church leaders decided on these laws so that Jews and Gentiles could not only live together but eat the same foods together.
## Links:
* __[Acts 15:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../14/intro.md) | [>>](../16/intro.md)__

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# Acts 16 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Timothy's circumcision
Paul circumcised Timothy because they were telling the message of Jesus to Jews and Gentiles. Paul wanted the Jews to know that he respected the law of Moses even though the church leaders in Jerusalem had decided that Christians did not need to be circumcised.
#### The woman who had a spirit of divination
Most people want very much to know the future, but the law of Moses said that speaking with the spirits of dead people to learn about the future is a sin. This woman seems to have been able to tell the future very well. She was a slave, and her masters made much money from her work. Paul wanted her to stop sinning, so he told the spirit to leave her. Luke does not say that she began to follow Jesus or tell us anything more about her.
## Links:
* __[Acts 16:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../15/intro.md) | [>>](../17/intro.md)__

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# Acts 17 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Misunderstandings about the Messiah
The Jews expected the Christ or Messiah to be a powerful king because the Old Testament says so many times. But it also says many times that the Messiah would suffer, and that was what Paul was telling the Jews. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ]])
#### The religion of Athens
Paul said that the Athenians were "religious," but they did not worship the true God. They worshiped many different false gods. In the past they had conquered other peoples and begun to worship the gods of the people they had conquered. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/falsegod]])
In this chapter Luke describes for the first time how Paul told the message of Christ to people who knew nothing of the Old Testament.
## Links:
* __[Acts 17:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../16/intro.md) | [>>](../18/intro.md)__

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# Acts 18 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The baptism of John
Some Jews who lived far away from Jerusalem and Judea had heard of John the Baptist and followed his teachings. They had not yet heard about Jesus. One of these Jews was Apollos. He followed John the Baptist, but he did not know that the Messiah had come. John had baptized people to show that they were sorry for their sins, but this baptism was different from Christian baptism. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faithful]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 18:1](../../act/18/01.md)__
__[<<](../17/intro.md) | [>>](../19/intro.md)__

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# Acts 19 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Baptism
John baptized people to show that they were sorry for their sins. Jesus's followers baptized people who wanted to follow Jesus.
#### Temple of Diana
The temple of Diana was an important place in the city of Ephesus. Many people came to Ephesus to see this temple, and they bought statues of the goddess Diana while they were there. The people who sold statues of Diana were afraid that if people did not believe Diana was a real goddess, they would stop giving the sellers money for statues.
## Links:
* __[Acts 19:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../18/intro.md) | [>>](../20/intro.md)__

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# Acts 20 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
In this chapter Luke describes Paul's last visits to believers in the provinces of Macedonia and Asia before he went to Jerusalem.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Race
Paul spoke of living for Jesus as if he were running in a race. By this he meant that he needed to keep working hard even when things were difficult and he wanted to quit. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/discipline]])
#### "Compelled by the Spirit"
Paul thought that the Holy Spirit wanted him to go to Jerusalem even if Paul did not want to go there. The same Holy Spirit told other people that when Paul arrived in Jerusalem, people would try to harm him.
## Links:
* __[Acts 20:1](../../act/20/01.md)__
__[<<](../19/intro.md) | [>>](../21/intro.md)__

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# Acts 21 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Acts 21:1-19 describes Paul's journey to Jerusalem. After he arrived in Jerusalem, the believers there told him that the Jews wanted to harm him and what he should do so they would not harm him (verses 20-26). Even though Paul did what the believers told him to do, the Jews tried to kill him. The Romans rescued him and gave him a chance to speak to the Jews.
The last verse of the chapter ends with an incomplete sentence. Most translations leave the sentence incomplete, as the ULB does.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "They are all determined to keep the law"
The Jews in Jerusalem were following the law of Moses. Even those who were following Jesus still kept the law. Both groups thought that Paul had been telling Jews in Greece not to keep the law. But it was only the Gentiles to whom Paul was saying that.
#### Nazarite vow
The vow that Paul and his three friends made was probably a Nazarite vow, because they shaved their heads ([Acts 21:23](../../act/21/23.md)).
#### Gentiles in the temple
The Jews accused Paul of bringing a Gentile man into a part of the temple into which God only allowed Jews to go. They thought that God wanted them to punish Paul by killing him. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holy]])
#### Roman citizenship
The Romans thought that they needed to treat only Roman citizens justly. They could do as they desired with people who were not Roman citizens, but they had to obey the law with other Romans. Some people were born Roman citizens, and others gave money to the Roman government so they could become Roman citizens.
## Links:
* __[Acts 21:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../20/intro.md) | [>>](../22/intro.md)__

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# Acts 22 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
This is the second account of Paul's conversion in the book of Acts. Because this is such an important event in the early church, there are three accounts of Paul's conversion. (See: [Acts 9](../09/01.md) and [Acts 26](../26/01.md))
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "In the Hebrew language"
Most Jews at this time spoke Aramaic and Greek. Most of the people who spoke Hebrew were educated Jewish scholars. This is why the people paid attention when Paul started speaking in Hebrew.
#### "The Way"
No one knows for sure who first started calling believers "followers of the Way." This is probably what the believers called themselves, because the Bible often speaks of a person living his life as if that person were walking on a path or "way." If this is true, the believers were "following the way of the Lord" by living in a way that pleased God.
#### Roman citizenship
The Romans thought that they needed to treat only Roman citizens justly. They could do as they desired with people who were not Roman citizens, but they had to obey the law with other Romans. Some people were born Roman citizens, and others gave money to the Roman government so they could become Roman citizens. The "chief captain" could have been punished for treating a Roman citizen the same way he would treat a non-citizen.
## Links:
* __[Acts 22:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../21/intro.md) | [>>](../23/intro.md)__

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# Acts 23 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set quotations from the Old Testament farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. The ULB does this with the quoted material in 23:5.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Resurrection of the dead
The Pharisees believed that after people died, they would become alive again and God would either reward them or punish them. The Sadducees believed that once people died, they stayed dead and would never become alive again. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/raise]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/reward]])
#### "Called a curse"
Some Jews promised God that they would not eat or drink until they killed Paul, and they asked God to punish them if they did not do what they had promised to do.
#### Roman citizenship
The Romans thought that they needed to treat only Roman citizens justly. They could do as they desired with people who were not Roman citizens, but they had to obey the law with other Romans. Some people were born Roman citizens, and others gave money to the Roman government so they could become Roman citizens. The "chief captain" could have been punished for treating a Roman citizen the same way he would treat a non-citizen.
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Whitewashed
This is a metaphor in scripture describing someone who appears to be good or clean or righteous when that person is evil or unclean or unrighteous. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 23:1](../../act/23/01.md)__
__[<<](../22/intro.md) | [>>](../24/intro.md)__

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# Acts 24 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Paul told the governor that he had not done what the Jews were accusing him of doing and that the governor should not punish him for what he did do.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Respect
Both the Jewish leaders ([Acts 24:2-4](./02.md)) and Paul ([Acts 24:10](../../act/24/10.md)) began their speeches with words that show respect to the governor.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Governmental leaders
The words "governor," "commander," and "centurion" may be difficult to translate into some languages. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-unknown]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 24:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../23/intro.md) | [>>](../25/intro.md)__

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# Acts 25 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Favor
This word is used in two different ways in this chapter. When the Jewish leaders asked Festus for a favor, they were asking him to do something special for them on that day. They wanted him to do for them something that he would not usually do. When Festus "wanted to gain the favor of the Jews," he wanted them to like him and be willing to obey him in the months and years to come. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/favor]])
#### Roman citizenship
The Romans thought that they needed to treat only Roman citizens justly. They could do as they desired with people who were not Roman citizens, but they had to obey the law with other Romans. Some people were born Roman citizens, and others gave money to the Roman government so they could become Roman citizens. Roman officials could have been punished for treating a Roman citizen the same way they would treat a non-citizen.
## Links:
* __[Acts 25:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../24/intro.md) | [>>](../26/intro.md)__

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# Acts 26 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
This is the third account of Paul's conversion in the book of Acts. Because this is such an important event in the early church, there are three accounts of Paul's conversion. (See: [Acts 9](../09/01.md) and [Acts 22](../22/01.md))
Paul told the King Agrippa why he had done what he had done and that the governor should not punish him for that.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
## Links:
* __[Acts 26:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../25/intro.md) | [>>](../27/intro.md)__

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# Acts 27 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Sailing
People who lived near the sea traveled by boat powered by the wind. During some months of the year, the wind would blow in the wrong direction or so hard that sailing was impossible.
#### Trust
Paul trusted God to bring him safely to land. He told the sailers and soldiers to trust that God would also keep them alive. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/trust]])
#### Paul breaks bread
Luke uses almost the same words here to describe Paul taking bread, thanking God, breaking it, and eating it that he used to describe the last supper Jesus ate with his disciples. However, your translation should not make your reader think that Paul was leading a religious celebration here.
## Links:
* __[Acts 27:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../26/intro.md) | [>>](../28/intro.md)__

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# Acts 28 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
No one knows for sure why Luke ends his history without telling what happened to Paul after he had been in Rome for two years.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "Letters" and "brothers"
The Jewish leaders were surprised that Paul wanted to speak with them, because they had received no letters from the high priest in Jerusalem telling them that Paul was coming.
When the Jewish leaders spoke of "brothers," they were referring to fellow Jews, not to Christians.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "He was a god"
The native people believed that Paul was a god, but they did not believe that he was the one true God. We do not know why Paul did not tell the native people that he was not a god.
## Links:
* __[Acts 28:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../27/intro.md) | __

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# Introduction to Acts
## Part 1: General Introduction
### Outline of the Book of Acts
1. The beginning of the church and its mission (1:1–2:41)
1. The early church in Jerusalem (2:42–6:7)
1. Increasing opposition and the martyrdom of Steven (6:8–7:60)
1. The persecution of the church and Philip's ministry (8:1–40)
1. Paul becomes an apostle (9:1–31)
1. The ministry of Peter and the first Gentile converts (9:32–12:24)
1. The ministry of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles (12:25–14:28)
1. The debate about the Jewish law and the council of church leaders at Jerusalem (15:1-35)
1. The ministry of Paul and Silas to the Gentiles (15:36–16:5)
1. The expansion of the church into the middle Mediterranean area and Asia Minor (16:6–19:20)
1. Paul travels to Jerusalem and becomes a prisoner in Rome (19:21–28:31)
### What is the Book of Acts about?
The Book of Acts tells the story of the early church as more and more people became believers. It shows the power of the the Holy Spirit helping the early Christians. The events in this book began when Jesus went back to heaven and ended about thirty years later.
### How should the title of this book be translated?
Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, "The Acts of the Apostles." Or translators may choose a title that may be clearer, for example, "The Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles."
### Who wrote the Book of Acts?
This book does not give the name of the author. However, it is addressed to Theophilus, the same person to whom the Gospel of Luke is addressed. Also, in parts of the book, the author uses the word "we." This indicates that the author traveled with Paul. Most scholars think that Luke was this person traveling with Paul. Therefore, since early Christian times, most Christians have thought Luke is the author of the Book of Acts as well as the Gospel of Luke.
Luke was a medical doctor. His way of writing shows that he was an educated man. He was probably a Gentile. He saw many of the events described in the Book of Acts.
## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts
### What is the Church?
The Church is the group of people who believe in Christ. The Church includes both Jewish and Gentile believers. The events in this book show God helping the Church. He empowered believers to live righteous lives through his Holy Spirit.
## Part 3: Important Translation Issues
### What are the major issues in the text of the Book of Acts?
These are the most significant textual issues in Acts:
The following verses are found in older versions of the Bible, but they are not in the best ancient copies of the Bible. Some modern versions put the verses in square brackets ([]). The ULB puts them in footnotes.
* "Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.' The Ethiopian answered, 'I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God'" (Acts 8:37).
* "But it seemed good to Silas to remain there." (Acts 15:34)
* "And we wanted to judge him according to our law. But Lysias, the officer, came and forcibly took him out of our hands, sending him to you." (Acts 24:6b-8a)
* "When he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves." (Acts 28:29)
In the following verses, it is uncertain what the original text said. Translators will need to choose which reading to translate. The ULB has the first readings but includes the second readings in footnotes.
* "They returned from Jerusalem" (Acts 12:25). Some translations read, "They returned to Jerusalem (or to there)."
* "he put up with them" (Acts 13:18). Some translations read, "he cared for them."
* "This is what the Lord says, who has done these things that have been known from ancient times." (Acts 15:17-18). Some older translations read, "This is what the Lord says, to whom are known all his deeds from ancient times."
(See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-textvariants]])

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# John 01 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry in 1:23, which is from the Old Testament.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "The Word"
John uses the phrase "the Word" to refer to Jesus ([John 1:1, 14](./01.md)). John is saying that God's most important message to all people is actually Jesus, a person with a physical body. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/wordofgod]])
#### Light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
#### "Children of God"
When people believe in Jesus, they go from being "children of wrath" to "children of God." They are adopted into the "family of God." This is an important image that is used many times in the New Testament. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/adoption]])
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Metaphors
John uses the metaphors of light and darkness and of the Word to tell the reader that he will be writing more about good and evil and about what God wants to tell people through Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "In the beginning"
Some languages and cultures speak of the world as if it has always existed, as if it had no beginning. But "very long ago" is different from "in the beginning," and you need to be sure that your translation communicates correctly.
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 1:51](../../jhn/01/51.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 01:01 Notes](./01.md)__
* __[John intro](../front/intro.md)__
__| [>>](../02/intro.md)__

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# John 02 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Wine
The Jews drank wine at many meals and especially when they were celebrating special events. They did not believe that it was a sin to drink wine.
#### Driving out the money changers
When Jesus drove the money changers out of the temple, he showed that he had authority over the temple and over all of Israel.
#### "He knew what was in man"
Jesus knew what other people were thinking only because he was and is the Son of Man and the Son of God.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "His disciples remembered"
John used this phrase to stop telling the main history and to tell about something that happened much later. It was right after he scolded the pigeon sellers ([John 2:16](../../jhn/02/16.md)) that the Jewish authorities spoke to him. It was after Jesus became alive again that his disciples remembered what the prophet had written long before and that Jesus had talkid about the temple of his body ([John 2:17](../../jhn/02/17.md) and [John 2:22](../../jhn/02/22.md)).
## Links:
* __[John 02:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../01/intro.md) | [>>](../03/intro.md)__

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# John 03 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
### Possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 3:13](../../jhn/03/13.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 03:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../02/intro.md) | [>>](../04/intro.md)__

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# John 04 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
John 4:4-38 forms one story centered on the teaching of Jesus as the "living water," the one who gives eternal life to all who believe in him. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]])
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "It was necessary for him to pass through Samaria"
Jews avoided traveling through the region of Samaria because the Samaritans were descendants of ungodly people. So Jesus had to do what most Jews did not want to do. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/godly]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/kingdomofisrael]])
#### "The hour is coming"
Jesus used these words to begin prophecies about times that could be shorter or longer than sixty minutes. "The hour" in which true worshipers will worship in spirit and truth is longer than sixty minutes.
#### The proper place of worship
Long before Jesus lived, the Samaritan people had broken the law of Moses by setting up a false temple in their land ([John 4:20](../../jhn/04/20.md)). Jesus explained to the woman that it was no longer important where people worshiped ([John 4:21-24](./21.md)).
#### Harvest
Harvest is when people go out to get the food they have planted so they can bring it to their houses and eat it. Jesus used this as a metaphor to teach his followers that they need to go and tell other people about Jesus so those people can be part of God's kingdom. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith]])
#### "The Samaritan woman"
John probably told this story to show the difference between the Samaritan woman, who believed, and the Jews, who did not believe and later killed Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "In spirit and truth"
The people who truly know who God is and enjoy worshiping him and love him for who he is are the ones who truly please him. Where they worship is not important.
## Links:
* __[John 04:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../03/intro.md) | [>>](../05/intro.md)__

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# John 05 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Healing water
Many of the Jews believed that God would heal people who got into some of the pools in Jerusalem when the waters were "stirred up."
#### Testimony
Testimony is what one person says about another person. What a person says about himself is not as important as what other people say about that person. Jesus told the Jews that God had told them who Jesus was, so he did not need to tell them who he was. This was because God had told the writers of the Old Testament what his Messiah would do, and Jesus had done everything they had written that he would do.
#### The resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment
God will make some people alive again and because he gives them his grace, they will live with him forever. But he will make some people alive again and because he will treat them justly, they will live apart from him forever.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### The Son, the Son of God, and the Son of Man
Jesus refers to himself in this chapter as the "Son" ([John 5:19](../../jhn/05/19.md)), the "Son of God" ([John 5:25](../../jhn/05/25.md)), and the "Son of Man" ([John 5:27](../../jhn/05/27.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 05:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../04/intro.md) | [>>](../06/intro.md)__

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# John 06 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### King
The king of any nation was the richest and most powerful person in that nation. The people wanted Jesus to be their king because he gave them food and so they thought he would make the Jews into the richest and most powerful nation in the world. They did not understand that Jesus came to die so God could forgive his people's sins and that the world would persecute his people.
### Important metaphors in this chapter
#### Bread
Bread was the most common and important food in Jesus's day, and so the word "bread" was their general word for "food." It is often difficult to translate the word "bread" into the languages of people who do not eat bread because the general word for food in some languages refers to food that did not exist in Jesus's culture. Jesus used the word "bread" to refer to himself. He wanted them to understand that they need him so they can have eternal life. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche]])
#### Eating the flesh and drinking the blood
When Jesus said, "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in yourselves," he knew that before he died he would tell his followers to do this by eating bread and drinking wine. In the event this chapter describes, he expected that his hearers would understand that he was using a metaphor but would not understand what the metaphor referred to. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/flesh]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/blood]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Parenthetical Ideas
Several times in this passage, John explains something or gives the reader some context to better understand the story. These explanation are intended to give the reader some additional knowledge without interrupting the flow of the narrative. The information is placed inside parentheses.
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 6;26](./26.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 06:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../05/intro.md) | [>>](../07/intro.md)__

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# John 07 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
This whole chapter concerns the concept of believing Jesus to be the Messiah. Some people believed this to be true while others rejected it. Some were willing to recognize his power and even the possibility that he was a prophet, but most were unwilling to believe that he was the Messiah. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet]])
Translators may wish to include a note at verse 53 to explain to the reader why they have chosen or chosen not to translate verses 7:53-8:11.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "My time has not yet come"
This phrase and "his hour had not yet come" are used in this chapter to indicate that Jesus is in control of the events unfolding in his life.
#### "Living water"
This is an important image used in the New Testament. It is a metaphor. Because this metaphor is given in a desert environment, it probably emphasizes that Jesus is able to give life sustaining nourishment. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Prophecy
Jesus gives a prophecy about his life without an explicit statement in [John 7:33-34](./33.md).
#### Irony
Nicodemus explains to the other Pharisees that the Law requires him to hear directly from a person before making a judgment about them. The Pharisees in turn made a judgment about Jesus without speaking to Jesus.
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "Did not believe in him"
Jesus's brothers did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/believe]])
#### "The Jews"
This term is used in two different ways in this passage. It is used specifically in reference to the Jewish leaders who were trying to kill him ([John 7:1](../../jhn/07/01.md)). It is also used in reference to the people of Judea in general who had a positive opinion of Jesus ([John 7:13](../../jhn/07/13.md)). The translator may wish to use the terms "Jewish leaders" and "Jewish people" or "Jews (leaders)" and "Jews (in general)."
## Links:
* __[John 07:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../06/intro.md) | [>>](../08/intro.md)__

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# John 08 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Translators may wish to include a note at verse 1 to explain to the reader why they have chosen to translate or to not translate verses 8:1-11.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### A light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/light]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/darkness]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
#### I AM
John records Jesus as saying these words four times in this book, three times in this chapter. They stand alone as a complete sentence, and they literally translate the Hebrew word for "I AM," by which Yahweh identified himself to Moses. For these reasons, many people believe that when Jesus said these words he was claiming to be Yahweh. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/yahweh]]).
#### The Scribes and Pharisees' trap
The Scribes and Pharisees wanted to trick Jesus. They wanted him to say either that they should keep the law of Moses by killing a woman whom they had found committing adultery or that they should disobey the law of Moses and forgive her sin. Jesus knew that they were trying to trick him and that they did not really want to keep the law of Moses. He knew this because the law said that both the woman and the man should die, but they did not bring the man to Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/adultery]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 8:28](../../jhn/08/28.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 08:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../07/intro.md) | [>>](../09/intro.md)__

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# John 09 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "Who sinned?"
Many of the Jews of Jesus's time believed that if a person was blind or deaf or crippled, it was because he or his parents or someone in his family had sinned. This was not the teaching of the law of Moses. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses]])
#### "He does not keep the Sabbath"
The Pharisees thought that Jesus was working, and so breaking the Sabbath, by making mud. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sabbath]])
### Important metaphors in this chapter
#### Light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
#### Seeing and being blind
Jesus calls the Pharisees blind because they see that Jesus is able to heal blind people but they still do not believe that God sent him ([John 9:39-40](./39.md)). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 9:35](../../jhn/09/35.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 09:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../08/intro.md) | [>>](../10/intro.md)__

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# John 10 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Blasphemy
When a person claims that he is God or that God has told him to speak when God has not told him to speak, this is called blasphemy. The law of Moses commanded the Israelites to kill blasphemers by stoning them to death. When Jesus said, "I and the Father are one," the Jews thought he was blaspheming, so they took up stones to kill him. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/blasphemy]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses]])
### Important metaphors in this chapter
#### Sheep
Jesus spoke of people as sheep because sheep do not see well, they do not think well, they often walk away from those who care for them, and they cannot defend themselves when other animals attack them. God's people also rebel against him and do not know when they are doing wrong.
#### Sheep pen
A sheep pen was a space with a stone wall around it in which shepherds would keep their sheep. Once they were inside the sheep pen, the sheep could not run away, and animals and thieves could not easily get inside to kill or steal them.
#### Laying down and taking up life
Jesus speaks of his life as if it were a physical object that he could lay down on the ground, a metaphor for dying, or pick up again, a metaphor for becoming alive again.
## Links:
* __[John 10:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../09/intro.md) | [>>](../11/intro.md)__

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# John 11 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
#### Passover
After Jesus made Lazarus become alive again, the Jewish leaders were trying hard to kill him, so he started traveling from place to place in secret. Now the Pharisees knew that he would probably come to Jerusalem for the Passover because God had commanded all Jewish men to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem, so they planned to catch him and kill him then. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/passover]])
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### "One man dies for the people"
The law of Moses commanded the priests to kill animals so that God would forgive the people's sins. The high priest Caiaphas said, "It is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perishes" ([John 11:50](../../jhn/11/50.md)). He said this because he loved his "place" and "nation" ([John 11:48](../../jhn/11/48.md)) more than he loved the God who had made Lazarus become alive again. He wanted Jesus to die so that the Romans would not destroy the temple and Jerusalem, but God wanted Jesus to die so that he could forgive all of his people's sins.
#### Condition that is contrary to fact
When Martha said, "If you had been here, my brother would not have died," she was speaking of a situation that could have happened but did not happen. Jesus had not come sooner, and her brother died.
## Links:
* __[John 11:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../10/intro.md) | [>>](../12/intro.md)__

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# John 12 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry in 12:38 and 40, which is from the Old Testament.
Verse 16 is a commentary on these events. It is possible to put this entire verse in parentheses in order to set it apart from the narrative of the story.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Mary anointed Jesus's feet
The Jews would put oil on a person's head to make that person feel welcome and comfortable. They would also put oil on a person's body after the person had died but before they buried the body. But they would never think to put oil on a person's feet, because they thought that feet were dirty.
#### The donkey and the colt
Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an animal. In this way he was like a king who came into a city after he had won an important battle. Also, the kings of Israel in the Old Testament rode on a donkeys. Other kings rode on horses. So Jesus was showing that he was the king of Israel and that he was not like other kings.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote about this event. Matthew and Mark wrote that the disciples brought Jesus a donkey. John wrote that Jesus found a donkey. Luke wrote that they brought him a colt. Only Matthew wrote that there were both a donkey had a colt. No one knows for sure whether Jesus rode the donkey or the colt. It is best to translate each of these accounts as it appears in the ULB without trying to make them all say exactly the same thing. (See: [Matthew 21:1-7](../../mat/21/01.md) and [Mark 11:1-7](../../mrk/11/01.md) and [Luke 19:29-36](../../luk/19/29.md) and [John 12:14-15](../../jhn/12/14.md))
#### Glory
Scripture often speaks of God's glory as a great, brilliant light. When people see this light, they are afraid. In this chapter John says that the glory of Jesus is his resurrection ([John 12:16](../../jhn/12/16.md)).
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### The metaphors of light and darkness
The Bible often speaks of unrighteous people, people who do not do what pleases God, as if they were walking around in darkness. It speaks of light as if it were what enables those sinful people to become righteous, to understand what they are doing wrong and begin to obey God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Paradox
A paradox is a true statement that appears to describe something impossible. A paradox occurs in 12:25: "He who loves his life will lose it; but he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." But in 12:26 Jesus explains what it means to keep one's life for eternal life. ([John 12:25-26](./25.md)).
## Links:
* __[John 12:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../11/intro.md) | [>>](../13/intro.md)__

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# John 13 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
The events of this chapter are commonly referred to as the last supper or the Lord's supper. This Passover feast in many ways parallels Jesus's sacrifice as the lamb of God. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/passover]])
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The washing of feet
People in the ancient Near East thought that feet were very dirty. Only servants would wash people's feet. The disciples did not want Jesus to wash their feet because they considered him their master and themselves his servants, but he wanted to show them that they needed to serve each other. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-symaction]])
#### I AM
John records Jesus as saying these words four times in this book, once in this chapter. They stand alone as a complete sentence, and they literally translate the Hebrew word for "I AM," by which Yahweh identified himself to Moses. For these reasons, many people believe that when Jesus said these words he was claiming to be Yahweh. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/yahweh]]).
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### "Son of Man"
Jesus refers to himself as the "Son of Man" in this chapter ([John 13:31](../../jhn/13/31.md)). Your language may not allow people to speak of themselves as if they were speaking about someone else. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofman]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-123person]])
## Links:
* __[John 13:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../12/intro.md) | [>>](../14/intro.md)__

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# John 14 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "My Father's house"
Jesus used these words to speak of heaven, where God lives, not of the temple. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/heaven]])
#### The Holy Spirit
Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to them. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter ([John 14:16](../../jhn/14/16.md)) who is always with God's people to help them and to speak to God for them. He is also the Spirit of truth ([John 14:17](../../jhn/14/17.md)) who tells God's people what is true about God so they know him better and serve him well. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holyspirit]])
## Links:
* __[John 14:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../13/intro.md) | [>>](../15/intro.md)__

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# John 15 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Vine
Jesus used the vine as a metaphor for himself. This is because the vine of the grape plant is what takes water and minerals from the ground to the leaves and grapes. Without the vine, the grapes and leaves die. He wanted his followers to know that unless they loved and obeyed him, they would be unable to do anything that pleased God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
## Links:
* __[John 15:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../14/intro.md) | [>>](../16/intro.md)__

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# John 16 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The Holy Spirit
Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to them. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter ([John 16:7](../../jhn/16/07.md)) who is always with God's people to help them and to speak to God for them. He is also the Spirit of truth ([John 16:13](../../jhn/16/13.md)) who tells God's people what is true about God so they know him better and serve him well. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holyspirit]])
#### "The hour is coming"
Jesus used these words to begin prophecies about times that could be shorter or longer than sixty minutes. "The hour" in which people would persecute his followers ([John 16:2](../../jhn/16/02.md)) was days, weeks, and years long, but "the hour" in which his disciples would scatter and leave him alone ([John 16:32](../../jhn/16/32.md)) was less than sixty minutes long. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet]])
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Simile
Jesus said that just as a woman is in pain as she gives birth to a baby and his followers would be sad when he died. But the woman is glad after the baby is born, and his followers would be happy when he became alive again. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile]])
## Links:
* __[John 16:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../15/intro.md) | [>>](../17/intro.md)__

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# John 17 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
This chapter forms one long prayer.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### Glory
Scripture often speaks of God's glory as a great, brilliant light. When people see this light, they are afraid. In this chapter Jesus asks God to show his followers his true glory ([John 17:1](../../jhn/17/01.md)).
#### Jesus is eternal
Jesus existed before God created the world ([John 17:5](../../jhn/17/05.md)). John wrote about this in [John 1:1](../../jhn/01/01.md).
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Prayer
Jesus is God's one and only Son ([John 3:16](../../jhn/03/16.md)), so he could pray differently from the way other people pray. He used many words that sounded like commands. Your translation should make Jesus sound like a son speaking with love and respect to his father and telling him what the father needs to do so that the father will be happy.
## Links:
* __[John 17:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../16/intro.md) | [>>](../18/intro.md)__

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# John 18 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Verse 14 says, "Now Caiaphas was the one who had given the advice to the Jews that it would be better that one man die for the people." The author says this to help the reader understand why it was to Caiaphas that they took Jesus. You might want to put these words in parentheses. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/writing-background]])
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "It is not lawful for us to put any man to death"
The Roman government did not allow the Jews to kill criminals, so the Jews needed to ask Pilate, the governor, to kill him ([John 18:31](../../jhn/18/31.md)).
#### Jesus's kingdom
No one knows for sure what Jesus meant when he told Pilate that his kingdom was not "of this world" ([John 18:36](../../jhn/18/36.md)). Some people think that Jesus means that his kingdom is only spiritual and that he has no visible kingdom on this earth, Other people think that Jesus meant that he would not build and rule his kingdom by force, the way other kings build theirs. It is possible to translate the words "is not of this world" as "is not from this place" or "comes from another place."
#### King of the Jews
Pilate asked Jesus if he were the King of the Jews ([John 18:33](../../jhn/18/33.md)) to see if Jesus were claiming to be like King Herod, whom the Romans were permitting to rule Judea. When he asked the crowd if he should release the King of the Jews ([John 18:39](../../jhn/18/39.md)), he was mocking the Jews because the Romans and Jews hated each other. He was also mocking Jesus, because he did not think that Jesus was a king at all. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-irony]])
## Links:
* __[John 18:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../17/intro.md) | [>>](../19/intro.md)__

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# John 19 General Notes
### Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry in 19:24, which is from the Old Testament.
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### "Purple garment"
Purple is a color like red or blue. The people were mocking Jesus, so they put him in a purple garment. This was because kings wore purple garments. They spoke and acted like they were giving honor to a king, but everyone knew that they were doing it because they hated Jesus. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-irony]])
#### "You are not Caesar's friend"
Pilate knew that Jesus was not a criminal, so he did not want to have his soldiers kill him. But the Jews told him that Jesus was claiming to be a king, and anyone who did that was breaking Caesar's laws ([John 19:12](../../jhn/19/12.md)).
#### The tomb
The tomb in which Jesus was buried ([John 19:41](../../jhn/19/41.md)) was the kind of tomb in which wealthy Jewish families buried their dead. It was an actual room cut into a rock. It had a flat place on one side where they placed the body after they had put oil and spices on it and wrapped it in cloth. Then they rolled a large rock in front of the tomb so no one could see inside or enter.
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### Sarcasm
The soldiers were insulting Jesus when they said, "Hail, King of the Jews." Pilate was insulting the Jews when he asked, "Should I crucify your king?" He was probably also insulting both Jesus and the Jews when he wrote, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-irony]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Gabbatha, Golgotha
These are two Hebrew words. After translating the meanings of these words ("The Pavement" and "The Place of a Skull"), the author transliterates their sounds by writing them with Greek letters.
## Links:
* __[John 19:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../18/intro.md) | [>>](../20/intro.md)__

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# John 20 General Notes
### Special concepts in this chapter
#### The tomb
The tomb in which Jesus was buried ([John 20:1](../../jhn/20/01.md)) was the kind of tomb in which wealthy Jewish families buried their dead. It was an actual room cut into a rock. It had a flat place on one side where they could place the body after they had put oil and spices on it and wrapped it in cloth. Then they would roll a large rock in front of the tomb so no one could see inside or enter.
#### "Receive the Holy Spirit"
If your language uses the same word for "breath" and "spirit," be sure that the reader understands that Jesus was performing a symbolic action by breathing, and that what the disciples received was the Holy Spirit, not Jesus's breath. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-symaction]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holyspirit]])
### Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
#### Rabboni
John used Greek letters to describe the sound of the word, and then he explained that it means "Teacher." You should do the same, using the letters of your language.
#### Jesus's resurrection body
No one is sure what Jesus's body looked like after he became alive again. His disciples knew it was Jesus because they could see his face and touch the places where the soldiers had put the nails through his hands and feet, But he could also walk through solid walls and doors. It is best not to try to say more than what the ULB says.
#### Two angels in white
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote about angels in white clothing with the women at Jesus's tomb. Two of the authors called them men, but that is only because the angels were in human form. Two of the authors wrote about two angels, but the other two authors wrote about only one of them. It is best to translate each of these passages as it appears in the ULB without trying to make the passages all say exactly the same thing. (See: [Matthew 28:1-2](../../mat/28/01.md) and [Mark 16:5](../../mrk/16/05.md) and [Luke 24:4](../../luk/24/04.md) and [John 20:12](../../jhn/20/12.md))
## Links:
* __[John 20:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../19/intro.md) | [>>](../21/intro.md)__

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# John 21 General Notes
### Important figures of speech in this chapter
#### The metaphor of sheep
Before Jesus died, he spoke of himself taking care of his people as if he were a good shepherd taking care of sheep ([John 10:11](../../jhn/10/11.md)). After he became alive again, he told Peter that Peter would be the one who would take care of Jesus's sheep. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor]])
## Links:
* __[John 21:01 Notes](./01.md)__
__[<<](../20/intro.md) | __

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# Introduction to the Gospel of John
## Part 1: General Introduction
### Outline of the Gospel of John
1. Introduction about who Jesus is (1:1-18)
1. Jesus is baptized, and he chooses twelve disciples (1:19-51)
1. Jesus preaches, teaches, and heals people (2-11)
1. The seven days before Jesus's death (12-19)
- Mary anoints the feet of Jesus (12:1-11)
- Jesus rides a donkey into Jerusalem (12:12-19)
- Some Greek men want to see Jesus (12:20-36)
- The Jewish leaders reject Jesus (12:37-50)
- Jesus teaches his disciples (13-17)
- Jesus is arrested and undergoes trial (18:1-19:15)
- Jesus is crucified and buried (19:16-42)
1. Jesus rises from the dead (20:1-29)
1. John says why he wrote his gospel (20:30-31)
1. Jesus meets with the disciples (21)
### What is the Gospel of John about?
The Gospel of John is one of four books in the New Testament that describe some of the life of Jesus Christ. The authors of the gospels wrote about different aspects of who Jesus was and what he did. John said that he wrote his gospel "so that people might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God" (20:31).
John's Gospel is very different from the other three Gospels. John does not include some of the teachings and events that the other writers included in their gospels. Also, John wrote about some teachings and events that are not in the other gospels.
John wrote much about the signs Jesus did to prove that what Jesus said about himself was true. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sign]])
### How should the title of this book be translated?
Translators may choose to call this book by its traditional title, "The Gospel of John" or "The Gospel According to John." Or they may choose a title that may be clearer, such as, "The Good News About Jesus That John Wrote." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-names]])
### Who wrote the Gospel of John?
This book does not give the name of the author. However, since early Christian times, most Christians have thought that the Apostle John was the author.
## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts
### Why does John write so much about the final week of Jesus's life?
John wrote much about Jesus's final week. He wanted his readers to think deeply about Jesus's final week and his death on the cross. He wanted people to understand that Jesus willingly died on the cross so that God could forgive them for sinning against him. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]])
## Part 3: Important Translation Issues
### What do the words "remain," "reside," and "abide" mean in the Gospel of John?
John often used the words "remain," "reside", and "abide" as metaphors. John spoke of a believer becoming more faithful to Jesus and knowing Jesus better as if Jesus's word "remained" in the believer. Also, John spoke of someone being spiritually joined to someone else as if the person "remained" in the other person. Christians are said to "remain" in Christ and in God. The Father is said to "remain" in the Son, and the Son is said to "remain" in the Father. The Son is said to "remain" in believers. The Holy Spirit is also said to "remain" in the believers.
Many translators will find it impossible to represent these ideas in their languages in exactly the same way. For example, Jesus intended to express the idea of the Christian being spiritually together with him when he said, "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him" (John 6:56). The UDB uses the idea of "will be joined to me, and I will be joined to him." But translators may have to find other ways of expressing the idea.
In the passage, "If my words remain in you" (John 15:7), the UDB expresses this idea as, "If you live by my message." Translators may find it possible to use this translation as a model.
### What are the major issues in the text of the Gospel of John?
The following verses are found in older versions of the Bible but are not included in most modern versions. Translators are advised not to translate these verses. However, if the translators work in regions where there are older versions of the Bible that include these verses, the translators can include them. If they are translated, they should be put inside square brackets ([]) to indicate that they were probably not original to John's Gospel.
* "waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel of the Lord occasionally went down into the pool and stirred the water and whoever went first after the stirring of the water, was made well from the disease they had." (5:3-4)
* "going through the midst of them, and so passed by" (8:59)
The following passage is included in most older and modern versions of the Bible. But it is not in the earliest copies of the Bible. Translators are advised to translate this passage. It should be put inside of square brackets ([]) to indicate that it may not have been original to John's Gospel.
* The story of the adulterous woman (7:53–8:11)
(See: [[rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-textvariants]])