“Who are among the Gentiles” is a fairly literal rendering of Luke’s expression. Luke has reference to the Jews scattered outside of Judea, and who therefore live in Gentile countries (see New English Bible “in the gentile world”).

All commentators agree that by “Moses” (in the expression “you are teaching … apostasy from Moses”) Luke means the Law of Moses (see also Phillips). In the present context the Law of Moses refers not only to the command for the Jews to circumcise their children, but also has reference to the Jewish customs generally, some of which came later but which were also attributed by the Jews to Moses. Paul did not tell the Jews not to circumcise their children (see 16.3), and it seems unlikely that Paul was guilty of telling the Jews to give up their Jewish customs. What Paul did teach (and this we know both from Acts and from Paul’s own writings) is that one is not saved by circumcision or by living according to the Jewish customs. Evidently Paul’s opponents had taken some things that Paul had said, and after twisting them around, used them against Paul. The Lukan phrase “to walk in the customs” is taken by most commentators to mean follow the Jewish customs.

In languages which normally employ direct discourse in citing opinions or statements, there may be certain complications in the translation of this verse, since there are at least three levels of discourse: “The elders … [1] said to Paul…, People have spoken to them about you. They [2] say, You have been teaching all the Jews who live in Gentile countries, [3] saying, You should abandon the Law of Moses….”

The expression follow the Jewish customs may be rendered as “live as Jews traditionally have lived” or “do what Jews customarily do.”

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 .