The participles translated exciting and stirring up in the Good News Translation have been interpreted by some scholars as expressing purpose—for example, “came there in order to excite and stir up the mobs.” However, the present form of these participles would seem to suggest more the continuous nature of their activity rather than primarily the purpose for their coming, though obviously purpose is also suggested in the nature of the context itself. One should avoid the implication that the mobs were there all the time and that they were just stirred up by the Jews from Thessalonica. Therefore it may be necessary to say: “excited the people so that they formed mobs.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .