Acts 18

and his wife Priscilla
While many translations phrase this verse in a way that describes Paul finding Aquila “with” his wife Priscilla, the Greek grammar specifies each Aquila and Priscilla as distinct objects of Paul’s finding (εὑρών…Ἀκύλαν…καὶ Πρίσκιλλαν; eurōn…Akylan…kai Priskillan), thus describing them in grammatically equal terms. The idea, therefore, is not that Paul finds Aquila, with Priscilla also tagging along, but that he finds Aquila and he finds Priscilla (together, of course). This intentional wording by Luke is significant because it highlights the couple’s role in Acts, with each as an important contributor, and thus together an effective duo. The translation here brings this out by using “and his wife Priscilla” (καὶ Πρίσκιλλαν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ; kai Priskillan gynaika autou) rather than “with his wife Priscilla,” and by positioning both of them prior to the relative clause “who recently came from Italy” for better clarity in English.

God-fearer
The phrase translated “God-fearer” here is σεβομένου τὸν θεόν (sebomenou ton theon). While some translations have “worshipper of God,” the word “fearer” is more accurate than “worshipper” for the verb σέβω (sebō), which means to “venerate,” “honor,” or “revere,” especially with a deity as the object. In ancient Greek translations of the Old Testament (LXX/OG), this word is often used to translate the Heb word for “fear” (יָרֵא; yare) in reference to God. Thus, “God-fearing” is a very appropriate rendering of the word, and it is translated consistently as such in similar contexts in Acts (cf. 13:43, 50; 17:4, 17).

lay a hand on
The verb translated “lay a hand on” here is ἐπιτίθημι (epitithēmi), which is the Greek verb τίθημι (tithēmi; “place” or “set”) modified and intensified by the prefix ἐπί (epi; “on” or “upon”). Thus, the meaning of ἐπιτίθημι (epitithēmi) both by etymology and more importantly by usage is the idea of forcefully or violently laying (implied: a hand) on someone. The Lord is assuring Paul that this will not happen to him, because there were many elect in the city who needed to hear Paul proclaim the gospel and thus come to salvation. Because this was God’s plan, Paul could not be hindered.

stayed
The word καθίζω (kathizō), at its most basic meaning, communicates the idea of sitting down, and is translated as such most of the places it occurs in the New Testament. Like the Hebrew term ישׁב (yashav), it can also mean to stay or dwell somewhere for an extended period of time. That is Luke’s intended meaning here, as Paul stays a full year and a half in Corinth.

with one accord
One of the goals of this translation is to provide a consistent English rendering when the same word or phrase is used in Greek whenever possible. Such is the case here, where the word ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothymadon) is translated consistently as “one accord” in all eleven of its occurrences (1:14; 2:46; 4:24; 5:12; 7:57; 8:6; 12:20; 15:25; here; 19:29; Rom 15:6). In Acts, this word most often demonstrates the unity brought about by the Holy Spirit among believers. Here, by contrast, it is used to emphasize the unity of the Jews in their opposition to the Spirit, as they desired to stop Paul’s teaching of the word of God.

see to it
The phrase “see to it” for ὄψεσθε (opsesthe) is more familiar than “look after it” as the expression is also used in Matthew 27:24. “See to it” also communicates the intended meaning of ensuring that something is accomplished better than “look after it,” which in modern vernacular has more of a meaning of monitoring something so that nothing bad happens. In this context, Gallio, like Pilate in Matthew 27:24, wants to be free of the consequences of making a judgement concerning Paul’s evangelistic actions.