18:28a
For: The word For introduces an explanation of how Apollos was able to help the believers in Achaia. He probably also helped them by teaching them and encouraging them to live as a believer should (1 Corinthians 3:6), but the main point here is that he refuted the Jews, which helped the believers. For example:
by (New Jerusalem Bible)
he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate: This clause in Greek is literally “he was powerfully refuting the Jews in public.” The Greek tense on the verb probably indicates that Apollos refuted them on more than one occasion. For example:
he ⌊repeatedly⌋ refuted the Jews vigorously in public
-or-
he powerfully refuted the Jews in public debate ⌊a number of times⌋
But your translation should not indicate or imply that at other times the Jews refuted him.
powerfully: This word refers to doing something with force and energy. For example:
powerfully (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the energetic way (New Jerusalem Bible)
refuted: This word refers to clearly proving something false in debate. Apollos clearly proved that the arguments of the Jews that Jesus was not the Christ were untrue. He did this mainly by clearly proving that Jesus was the Christ because he fulfilled the Scriptures about the Christ. Other ways to translate this word are:
defeated…in…debates (Good News Translation)
-or-
showing…that the Jews were wrong (God’s Word)
in public: This phrase indicates that Apollos and the Jews talked in a place where others could watch and listen. They did not talk in private. For example:
before others
-or-
with others ⌊watching and⌋ listening
18:28b
proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ: Apollos told the Jews about examples of Jesus life and words that fulfilled the prophecies in Scripture about the Christ. Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies about his first coming. Other ways to translate this clause are:
showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah (New Living Translation (2004))
Scriptures: See how you translated this word in 18:24.
Jesus is the Christ: The Greek is literally “the Christ was Jesus.” It goes from what these Jews knew (prophecies about the Christ) to what they did not know, that Jesus is that person. In some languages it is more natural to go from known to unknown, as the Greek does.
the Christ: The word Christ means “the anointed one.” The Jews used it to refer to the special person God promised to send to save them from their enemies. The Hebrew word with the same meaning is written “Messiah” in English. Here Paul was trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah. See how you translated this word in 2:31 or 18:5.
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