Preface: This third chapter of Acts centers first upon a man, lame for decades, a man known to all who go to the Temple; and Peter heals him. Afterwards, Peter gives a powerful presentation of the gospel inside the Temple courtyard.

Bible Summary: Peter and John healed a lame man at the temple. Peter told the people, "Faith in Jesus has healed this man. Repent of your sins."

The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 3 (a chart); from Slide Player; accessed June 29, 2022.

This should be the most extensive examination of Acts 3 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview: (taken from Light of the Word; accessed April 22, 2022).

Time and Place as per Modern Literal Version 2020:

June 30, 30AD Temple at Jerusalem.

Outline of Chapter 3:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–10         God Heals a Crippled Man Through Peter

         vv.    11–26         Peter Speaks at the Temple in Solomon’s Porch

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               The “Key” & Main Points of Chapter 3 (a chart)

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         In the name of Jesus Christ, Rise Up (a graphic)

         Introduction         Raphael's “Healing of the Lame Man” (a graphic)

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Acts 3 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Acts 3 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Acts 3

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Acts 3

         Introduction         The Principals of Acts 3

         Introduction         The Places of Acts 3

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 3

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Acts 3 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Acts 3 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Acts 1–6)

         Introduction         Paragraph Divisions of Modern Translation for Acts 3

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       3              Acts 3:1–3 (NKJV) (a graphic)

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         v.       5              Acts 3:3–5 Greek words meaning “to see” (a graphic)

         v.       6              Acts 3:6 (a graphic)

         v.       7              Peter Heals a Lame Man (a graphic)

         v.       8              Peter and the Lame Man (a graphic)

         v.       8              Acts 3:8 (verse and graphic)

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         v.      10              Acts 3:9–10 (NIV) (a graphic)

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         v.      15              Acts 3:14–15 (NKJV) (a graphic)

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         v.      19              Acts 3:19 (NKJV) (a graphic)

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         v.      22              A brief exegesis of Exodus 3:11–17

         v.      22              Acts 3:22 (NRSV) (a graphic)

         v.      24              Every Prophet Spoke of the Messiah Jesus

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Acts 3 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Acts 3

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Acts 3

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for v.1 in the Christian Community Bible

         Addendum          Doctrine of Healing (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          The Organic Development of the Canon of Scripture

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 3:4–11

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 3:12–15

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 3:16–18

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary on Acts 3:22–26

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Acts 3

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Acts 3

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Acts 3

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Acts 3

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An Introduction to Acts 3

I ntroduction: In Acts 3, we are introduced to a lame man who, for pretty much every day for many decades, sat out in front of the Temple and begged for money. Everyone who went to the Temple would have known this man or known of him. As the religious men attending the Temple grew older, they observed this lame man growing older as well. They knew each other for a long enough period of time to see age.

No information is given to us about who has given this man money over the years. The important detail to this narrative is, this man has been at one entry to the Temple courtyard for a very long time. His condition was never suspect. When a person does not use his legs for decades, the atrophied muscles are obvious.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Rise Up (a graphic); from Harvest Chapel; accessed September 29, 2021.

Peter and John, perhaps a day or so after Pentecost, walk by this man and Peter looks right at him, and says, “Look at us.” The lame man looks up, expecting to get a few coins. Peter apparently has no money on him at this time, but he will give the man something. He tells the man to stand up, and then grabs him by the hand to pull him up. The man stand up, starts walking and then leaping into the air—things he never expected to be able to do. His leg muscles were normal and his coordination was normal. No time was given to rehabilitation. The healing is complete. He goes into the Temple courtyard with Peter and John.

The people there recognized this man; there was no doubt as to who he was. Peter begins to speak. He tells those gathered to him, “Listen, it is not us or our great holiness, but the power of Jesus Christ that healed this man. We, of ourselves, have no such power.”

Then Peter began speaking to the crowd about Jesus and how those around him denied Jesus and called for a murderer to be released into the public rather than Jesus. Peter keeps the focus on Jesus, and finally tells them, “Change your minds about Jesus and turn towards Him, that your sins might be wiped away.” And then Peter told how the prophets of old spoke of these days that they are living in.

We find out in the next chapter that 5000 males turned to Jesus as a result of this healing.

Raphael's “Healing of the Lame Man” (a graphic); from Wikipedia; accessed September 24, 2021.

Wikipedia copy: From Raphael's workshop, "Healing of the Lame Man," a cartoon for a tapestry that depicts Peter healing the lame man (Acts 3). The artist used the Solomonic columns in St. Peter's Basilica as models for the columns of the Jewish Temple.

By Raphael - Web Gallery of Art. Created: between 1515 and 1516. Tempera on paper, mounted on canvas, 340 x 540 cm; Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Although there is obviously some weirdness going on with this piece of art (I am referring to the two cherubs to the left), it is quite an amazing work of art.

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God Heals a Crippled Man Through Peter

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now Peter and John went up to the Temple on the hour of prayer the ninth.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, which was the ninth hour.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) Now Peter and John went up into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And it happened that when Shimeun Kepha {Simeon, The Rock} and Yukhanan {John} went up together unto The Haykla {The Temple} at the set time of The Prayer of the ninth hour {i.e. 3 pm}.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And it occurred, as Simon Cephas and John went together up to the temple, at the time of prayer, being the ninth hour,...

Original Aramaic NT              And it was that when Shimeon Kaypha and Yohannan went up together to The Temple at the time of prayer, which was the ninth hour.

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Worldwide English     One day at three oclock, Peter and John went to the temple to talk with God.

Easy English                          A man walks again!

One day, Peter and John went to the temple in Jerusalem. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. This was the time that everyone went there to pray.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  One day Peter and John went to the Temple area. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, which was the time for the daily Temple prayer service.

God’s Word™                         Peter and John were going to the temple courtyard for the three o'clock prayer.

J. B. Phillips                           A public miracle and its explanation

One afternoon Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o’clock hour of prayer.

The Message                         One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for prayer meeting.

NIRV                                      Peter Heals a Beggar Who Can’t Walk

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple.

New Life Version                    Peter and John Heal a Man at the Gate of the House of God

Peter and John were going to the house of God about three o’clock. It was the time for prayer.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              ACTS 3

PETER THE HEALER AND PREACHER

A LAME MAN WALKS AGAIN

Peter and John were walking up to the Temple to attend the three o’clock afternoon prayer service.

Contemporary English V.       The time of prayer was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple.

Goodspeed New Testament  Peter and John were on their way up to the Temple for the three o'clock hour of prayer, when a man who had been lame from his birth was carried by. He used to be placed every day at what was known as the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, to beg from the people on their way into the Temple, and when he saw Peter and John on the point of going into the Temple he asked them to give him something. Vv. 2–3 are included for context.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           Peter Heals a Crippled Beggar

Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service.

The Passion Translation        One afternoon Peter and John went to the temple for the three o’clock prayer.

Plain English Version             A man couldn’t walk, but Peter got Jesus to make him better

There was a man that couldn’t walk. He was crippled all his life. Every day, somebody brought him to sit near one of the gates at God’s ceremony house. Everyone called that gate the beautiful gate. As people went in through that gate, the crippled man asked them for money.

One day, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Peter and John went to pray at God’s ceremony house. They were going in through that Beautiful Gate, and that crippled man saw them and asked them for money. Vv. 2–3 are included for context.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  One day Peter and John were going to the temple courtyard. It was three o'clock in the afternoon, at the time when people prayed there.

Williams’ New Testament      Peter and John were on their way up to the temple at the three o'clock hour of prayer, when a man crippled from his birth was being carried by, who used to be laid every day at what was called The Beautiful Gate of the temple, to beg from people on their way into the temple. V. 2 is included for context.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, Peter and John had gone to the Temple for the scheduled time of prayer (at the 9th hour [that is, 3pm]), and a man was there who had been lame from birth; [he] had to be carried and placed near the Temple gate (the one called Beautiful) every day, to beg from those entering the Temple. V. 2 is included for context.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            Peter and John were walking up to the temple grounds at the hour of the prayer, the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

Common English Bible           Healing of a crippled man

Peter and John were going up to the temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the established prayer time.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Now, about that time, Peter and John went up to the temple, at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

NT for Everyone                     More than He Bargained for

One day, Peter and John were going up to the Temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the time for prayer.

20^th Century New Testament One day, as Peter and John were going up into the Temple Courts for the three o'clock Prayers, a man, who had been lame from his birth, was being carried by. It appears that v. 2 is included for context.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Berean Study Bible                One afternoon Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Free Bible Version                 Peter and John were on their way up to the temple at the time of the afternoon prayer, around 3 p.m.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Peter and John went up together into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer.

International Standard V        A Crippled Man is Healed

One afternoon, Peter and John were on their way to the Temple for the three o’clock prayer time. [Lit. temple at the ninth hour].

Lexham Bible                         A Lame Beggar Healed at the Temple

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Montgomery NT                     One day Peter and John were going up together for the hour of prayer, at three in the afternoon, when a man lame from his birth was carried along, who was wont to be laid each day near the gate of the Temple called the Beautiful Gate, to ask alms of those who were going into the Temple. V. 2 is included for context.

Riverside New Testament      PETER and John were going up into the Temple courts at the hour of prayer, three o'clock, when a man lame from his birth was being carried along. This man used to be placed every day near the gate of the Temple courts — the one called the Beautiful Gate — to beg of those who were entering. V. 2 is included for context.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

The Spoken English NT         Peter Heals a Paralyzed Man in the Temple
One day, Peter and John went up to the Temple for the three o’clock prayers.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Peter and John cure a lame man

• Once when Peter and John were going up to the Temple at three in the after noon, the hour for prayer, a man crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day they would bring him and put him at the temple gate called “Beautiful”; there he begged from those who entered the Temple. V. 2 is included for context.

10:30

Note from The Christian Community Bible is placed in the Addendum for v. 1.

New American Bible (2011)   Cure of a Crippled Beggar.

* Now Peter and John were going up to the temple area for the three o’clock hour of prayer.*

* [3:1–4:31] This section presents a series of related events: the dramatic cure of a lame beggar (Acts 3:1–10) produces a large audience for the kerygmatic discourse of Peter (Acts 3:11–26). The Sadducees, taking exception to the doctrine of resurrection, have Peter, John, and apparently the beggar as well, arrested (Acts 4:1–4) and brought to trial before the Sanhedrin. The issue concerns the authority by which Peter and John publicly teach religious doctrine in the temple (Acts 4:5–7). Peter replies with a brief summary of the kerygma, implying that his authority is prophetic (Acts 4:8–12). The court warns the apostles to abandon their practice of invoking prophetic authority in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:13–18). When Peter and John reply that the prophetic role cannot be abandoned to satisfy human objections, the court nevertheless releases them, afraid to do otherwise since the beggar, lame from birth and over forty years old, is a well-known figure in Jerusalem and the facts of his cure are common property (Acts 4:19–22). The narrative concludes with a prayer of the Christian community imploring divine aid against threats of persecution (Acts 4:23–31).

* [3:1] For the three o’clock hour of prayer: literally, “at the ninth hour of prayer.” With the day beginning at 6 A.M., the ninth hour would be 3 P.M.

New Catholic Bible                 First Encounter with the Authorities in Israel

Chapter 3

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Walk!^[a] 1 One day, Peter and John were on their way to the temple for the hour of prayer at three o’clock in the afternoon.^[b]

[a] Peter’s action, as he takes the initiative in the first miracle that Acts ascribes to the disciples of the wonderworker of Nazareth, has special significance: it is done “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” and aims to show the presence of Christ and his divine activity.

[b] Three o’clock in the afternoon: literally, “the ninth hour.” See notes on Mt 27:35 and Mk 15:25.

New Jerusalem Bible             Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour,...

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Hebraic Roots Bible               And Simon and John were going up on the same day into the sanctuary at the hour of prayer, the ninth.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    One day Peter and John went up to the temple courtyard. It was three in the afternoon. (This was the time for prayer.)

The Scriptures 2009              And Kěpha and Yoanan were going up to the Set-apart Place at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       Peter but and John ascended to the temple to the hour [of] the prayer the [one] ninth...

Awful Scroll Bible                   And Peter and John were walking-up, before themselves, to the temple, at the hour of wishing-with-regards-to, the ninth.

Concordant Literal Version    Now Peter and John went up into the sanctuary at the hour of prayer, the ninth."

exeGeses companion Bible   THE DAY OF PENTECOST: THE FIRST SIGN OF PETROS

And Petros and Yahn

ascend into the priestal precinct

at the hour of prayer - the ninth:...

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Now Kefa and Yochanan were going up to the Beis Hamikdash at the hour of tefillah, the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon). [TEHILLIM 55:17]

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   Now Peter and John were going to the Temple at three o’clock one afternoon [Note: Jewish time calculations are employed here], during the regular [Jewish] prayer hour.

The Expanded Bible              Peter Heals a Crippled Man

One day Peter and John went to the Temple at ·three o’clock [^L the ninth hour; time was reckoned from dawn, traditionally set at 6 AM], ·the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service [^L the hour of prayer].

Jonathan Mitchell NT             Now during those days Peter and John – as was their habit – were progressively walking up [i.e., ascending the terraces] unto the Temple courts and grounds in the afternoon, as it was coming upon the hour of the prayer [note: the time of the evening sacrifice and the prayer which accompanied the offering of incense; there were three hours of prayer: the third, the sixth, the ninth], the ninth (three o'clock).

Syndein/Thieme                     Now Peter and John habitually went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour {3pm in the afternoon}.

Translation for Translators              Peter healed a lame man, so the people were amazed.

Acts 3:1-8

One day Peter and John were going to the Temple courtyard. It was three o’clock in the afternoon, which was the time when people prayed there publicly.

One day at three o’clock in the afternoon, a customary time for daily prayer, Peter and John walked to the temple.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

NET Bible®                             Peter and John Heal a Lame Man at the Temple

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time¹ for prayer,² at three o’clock in the afternoon.³

^1tn Grk “hour.”

^2sn Going up to the temple at the time for prayer. The earliest Christians, being of Jewish roots, were still participating in the institutions of Judaism at this point. Their faith in Christ did not make them non-Jewish in their practices.

^3tn Grk “at the ninth hour.” This is calculated from sunrise (Josephus, Ant. 14.4.3 [14.65]; Dan 9:21).

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     A man lame from birth
Now Peter and John were going up together into the temple at the hour (the ninth)¹ of prayer.

(1) If Luke is using Hebrew time, it was 3 p.m., if Roman, it was 9 a.m., both being Jewish times for prayer. But from 4:3, that says it was already evening, it appears that Luke uses Hebrew time here.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now Peter and John were going up at the same [time] to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth [hour] [i.e. 3:00 p.m.].

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       Now, Peter and John entered the temple during the three o’clock hour of prayer [accompanied by the offering of incense],...

Context Group Version          Now Peter and John were going up into the temple at the hour of prayer, [being] the ninth [hour] PM.

Green’s Literal Translation    Now Peter and John were going-up at the same time into the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour 3:00 PM.

Modern English Version         The Lame Man Healed at the Temple Gate

Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.

New American Standard B.    Healing the Beggar Who Was Unable to Walk

Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the [a]ninth hour, [I.e., 3 p.m.] the hour of prayer.

The gist of this passage:     Peter and John go to the Temple during the hour of prayer, which is 3 pm.

Translation: Now Peter and John went up to the Temple...

As in the last chapter, the disciples went boldly to the Temple. There was no doubt that the religious class did not want them there, but there was such a turnout for their sermons, that harassing the Apostles would have gotten a very large crowd riled up against the religious leaders.

So, for a period of time, the Apostles could come and go at the Temple (they did not go inside the Temple proper); but they did all of their teaching in the Temple courtyard, where there were several different places to allow for that.

The Apostles knew that Jesus was the Messiah of the Bible (which, at that time, was the Old Testament). They understood the many prophecies of Isaiah and David which looked forward to Jesus; and they knew how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. They no doubt understood that the animal sacrifices looked forward to Jesus paying for our sins with His blood (by which I mean, not the Lord’s literal blood, but His spiritual death). Whether they understood all of the parallels between the Temple, the Temple furniture and the Lord, we don’t know. Whatever the case, the Apostles believed that they had full reasonable access to the Temple. Quite obviously, the religious hierarchy did not feel the same way. They believed that this was their thing, their place, their deal; and that the Apostles (and Jesus) were interlopers.

Translation: ...at the ninth hour, [which is] the [time of] prayer.

The ninth hour was 3 pm; and this was a time of prayer. I believe the significance of this is, a man is brought by the Temple to beg for help during this time.

I don’t know that this time of prayer has been referenced before in the gospels.

I might speculate that, if there was a gathering to pray for others, this man was there so that the people could not just pray for him but actually give him something.

Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up to the Temple at the ninth hour, [which is] the [time of] prayer. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Acts 3:1 Peter and John both went up to the Temple at 3 pm, which was the time of prayer there. (Kukis paraphrase)

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Luke tends to have some very long and complex sentences, from time to time. I took some liberties with the translation in order to truncate his sentences.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And a certain man, lame from a womb of a mother of his kept on being, was being carried, who was being placed according to a day face to face with the gate of the Temple, the (gate) being called blooming. [He stayed there] to ask mercy of the ones entering into the Temple. Which [man], having seen Peter and John go into the Temple, was asking mercy to receive.

Complete Apostles Bible        And a man lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they would lay each day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple;

who, when he saw Peter and John about to enter into the temple, began asking for alms.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And a certain man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried: whom they laid every day at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, that he might ask alms of them that went into the temple.

He, when he had seen Peter and John, about to go into the temple, asked to receive an alms.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And behold, a certain gabra {man}, lame from his mother’s womb, who was begging alms from those who were entering unto The Haykla {The Temple}, which men had brought, who were accustomed to bring him and set him at the gate of The Haykla {The Temple}, which is called Shaphira {Beautiful},

this one, when he saw Shimeun {Simeon} and Yukhanan {John}, who were entering unto The Haykla {The Temple}, was begging from them, so that they should give alms {charity} unto him.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT ...that, lo, those accustomed to bring a man lame from his mother's womb, brought him and laid him at the gate of the temple called Beautiful; that he might ask alms of those going into the temple.

This man, when he saw Simon and John going into the temple, asked them to give him alms.

Original Aramaic NT              Behold, men who were keeping an appointment were carrying one man crippled from his mother's womb, bringing and placing him at the gate of The Temple, which is called Shappira,* to be asking charity from those entering The Temple.

This one, when he saw Shimeon and Yohannan entering The Temple, was begging them to give him charity.

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And a certain man who from birth had had no power in his legs, was taken there every day, and put down at the door of the Temple which is named Beautiful, requesting money from those who went into the Temple; 

He then, seeing Peter and John going into the Temple, made a request to them.

Bible in Worldwide English     There was a man who had been born lame. He was carried and was laid at the gate of the temple every day. The gate was called Beautiful. He was brought there to beg. He asked for money from the people who went into the temple.

This man saw Peter and John ready to go into the temple. He begged them to give him something.

Easy English                          There was a man who could not walk. He had never been able to walk. Every day, his friends put him at the gate of the temple. It was called the Beautiful Gate. As people were going in through the gate, the man asked them for money. His friends were carrying him there when Peter and John arrived. The man saw Peter and John as they were coming through the gate. So he asked them to give him some money.

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  As they were entering the Temple area, a man was there who had been crippled all his life. He was being carried by some friends who brought him to the Temple every day. They put him by one of the gates outside the Temple. It was called Beautiful Gate. There he begged for money from the people going to the Temple. That day he saw Peter and John going into the Temple area. He asked them for money.

God’s Word™                         At the same time, a man who had been lame from birth was being carried by some men. Every day these men would put the lame man at a gate in the temple courtyard. The gate was called Beautiful Gate. There he would beg for handouts from people going into the courtyard. When the man saw that Peter and John were about to go into the courtyard, he asked them for a handout.

Good News Bible (TEV)         There at the Beautiful Gate, as it was called, was a man who had been lame all his life. Every day he was carried to the gate to beg for money from the people who were going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John going in, he begged them to give him something.

J. B. Phillips                           A man who had been lame from birth was being carried along in the crowd, for it was the daily practice to put him down at what was known as the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, so that he could beg from the people as they went in. As this man saw Peter and John just about to enter he asked them to give him something.

The Message                         At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up. Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout.

NIRV                                      A man unable to walk was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful. He had been that way since he was born. Every day someone put him near the gate. There he would beg from people going into the temple courtyards. He saw that Peter and John were about to enter. So he asked them for money.

New Life Version                    Each day a certain man was carried to the Beautiful Gate of the house of God. This man had never been able to walk. He was there begging for money from those who were going in. He asked Peter and John for money when he saw them going in.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              That’s also when a man who had been born lame was getting into position to beg there. Some people were carrying him to the Temple entrance called “Beautiful Gate.” They put him there every day so he could beg from people coming and going to the Temple. When he saw Peter and John heading into the Temple courtyard, he asked them for a charitable donation. [1]

¹3:3Literally, “alms.” Jews taught that God expected them to show compassion by giving money to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). The Jewish book of Tobit, written some 200 years or more before the time of Christ and included in many Christian Bibles, says: “Almsgiving delivers from death and keeps you from going into the Darkness. Indeed, almsgiving, for all who practice it, is an excellent offering in the presence of the Most High” (Tobit 4:10-11, New Revised Standard Version).

Contemporary English V.       A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in. The man saw Peter and John entering the temple, and he asked them for money.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.

The Passion Translation        As they came to the entrance called the Beautiful Gate, they were captured by the sight of a man crippled from birth being carried and placed at the entrance to the temple. He was often brought there to beg for money from those going in to worship.  When he noticed Peter and John going into the temple, he begged them for money.

Radiant New Testament        A man who hadn’t been able to walk his whole life was being carried to the Beautiful Gate of the temple. Every day someone put him near the gate so he could beg from the people who were going into the temple courtyards. When the man saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  There was a man there who had not been able to walk from the time he was born. He was sitting by the gate called Beautiful Gate at the entrance to the temple area. People carried him there every day, so that he could ask those who were entering the temple courtyard to give him some money. As Peter and John were about to enter the temple courtyard, he began to ask them to give him some money.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            And a certain man who was crippled from his mother's belly was being hauled, whom they were putting daily close to the door of the temple grounds (the one called Beautiful) for the purpose to be asking for a charitable donation from the side of the people traveling onto the temple grounds, who, when he saw Peter and John about to be entering onto the temple grounds, was asking to receive a charitable donation.

Len Gane Paraphrase           Then Peter and John went together into the Temple at the time of prayer--about the ninth hour, and a certain man who was lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the Temple which is named Beautiful, to ask for gifts of charity [alms] from those who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he started asking for alms.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, which is an hour of prayer, when a man was carried by who had been lame from birth. Every day he was put down at what is called the Beautiful Gate of the temple, so that he could beg alms from the temple visitors. And he asked Peter and John, as he saw them on their way into the temple, if he might have alms from them. V. 1 is included for context.

NT for Everyone                     There was a man being carried in who had been lame since birth. People used to bring him every day to the Temple gate called ‘Beautiful’, so that he could ask for alms from folk on their way in to the Temple. When he saw Peter and John going in to the Temple, he asked them to give him some money.

20^th Century New Testament This man used to be set down every day at the gate of the Temple called 'the Beautiful Gate,' to beg of those who went in. Seeing Peter and John on the point of entering, he asked them to give him something.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Conservapedia Translation    At 3 PM, the hour of prayer, Peter and John went into the temple together      and a man who had been crippled since birth was carried to the "Beautiful" gate of the temple to ask change of those entering, as he was daily. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for change. V. 1 is included for context.

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  And a man, who had been lame from his birth, used to be carried, and placed daily at the door of the temple, called Beautiful, to ask charity from those who entered the temple; who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked them to give him something.

Free Bible Version                 A man who had been lame from birth was being carried there. Every day he was placed beside the Temple gate called “Beautiful” so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. He saw Peter and John as they were about to enter the Temple and asked them for some money.

The Spoken English NT         And a man was being carried along. He had been unable to walk from birth, and every day they used to put him in front of the Temple gate called “Beautiful.” That way, he could ask for donations from people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the Temple, he asked them for a donation.

Weymouth New Testament    One day Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the hour of prayer--the ninth hour--and, just then, some men were carrying there one who had been lame from birth, whom they were wont to place every day close to the Beautiful Gate (as it was called) of the Temple, for him to beg from the people as they went in. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple, he asked them for alms. V. 1 is included for context.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

The Heritage Bible                          And a certain man being lame out of his mother’s womb was being lifted, whom they placed from day to day at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask deeds of mercy alongside of them who went into the temple,

Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked deeds of mercy.

New American Bible (2011)   ^a And a man crippled from birth was carried and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate” every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple. 3When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms.

a. [3:2–8] 14:8–10.

New Catholic Bible                 A man who had been crippled from his birth was carried there every day and laid at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate^[c] so that he could beg for alms from those who entered the temple.

When this man saw Peter and John about to enter into the temple, he asked them for alms.

[c] The Beautiful Gate: it was made of Corinthian bronze and led from the court of the Gentiles to the court of the women, on the side where Solomon’s Portico was (v. 11).

New Jerusalem Bible             Once, when Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the prayers at the ninth hour, it happened that there was a man being carried along. He was a cripple from birth; and they used to put him down every day near the Temple entrance called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from the people going in. When this man saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple he begged from them. V. 1 is included for context.

Revised English Bible–1989   Now a man who had been a cripple from birth used to be carried there and laid every day by the temple gate called Beautiful to beg from people as they went in.

When he saw Peter and John on their way into the temple, he asked for alms.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           One afternoon at three o’clock, the hour of minchah prayers, as Kefa and Yochanan were going up to the Temple, a man crippled since birth was being carried in. Every day people used to put him at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, so that he could beg from those going into the Temple court. When he saw Kefa and Yochanan about to enter, he asked them for some money. V. 1 is included for context.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    A man was there who had been crippled all his life. He couldn’t walk, so some friends carried him to the temple every day. They put him beside one of the gates outside the temple. It was called Beautiful Gate. There the man begged for money from the people who were going into the temple area. When he saw Peter and John about to go in, he began to ask them for money.

The Scriptures 2009              A man lame from birth was being carried—every day they used to put him at the Temple gate called Beautiful, so he could beg for tzedakah from those entering the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the Temple, he began asking to receive tzedakah.

Tree of Life Version                And a certain man, lame from his birth, was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the Set-apart Place which is called Yaphah,^a to ask alms from those entering into the Set-apart Place, who, seeing Kěpha and Yoanan about to go into the Set-apart Place, asked for alms.

^aBeautiful or Lovely.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       and Someone Man Lame from belly [of] mother [of] him Becoming was carried whom [They] placed in day to the door [of] the temple the [one] being said beautiful the+ {him} to ask donation from the [men] entering to the temple Who Seeing peter and john intending to enter to the temple asked donation to receive...

Awful Scroll Bible                   And a certain man, begins-by being lame out, of his mother's womb, was being carried, whom they were laying along the days at the gate of the temple, that being called "Beautiful", to ask for kindnesses from those proceeding-in to the temple,

who perceiving Peter and John being about to go-into the temple, was requesting to receive a kindness.

Concordant Literal Version    And a certain man, being inherently lame from his mother's womb, was borne, whom they placed day by day at the door of the sanctuary which is termed "Beautiful,to request alms from those going into the sanctuary,

who, perceiving Peter and John being about to be passing in into the sanctuary, asked to obtain alms."

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and a man, lame from the womb of his mother,

is being carried

- whom they place daily

at the portal of the priestal precinct, worded Beautiful,

to ask mercies of them entering the priestal precinct:

who, seeing Petros and Yahn

about to enter the priestal precinct,

asks mercies.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And a certain ish, an ish (pisei'ach from the womb of his em), was being carried and they were putting him bederech klal (usually) yom yom at the sha'ar of the Beis Hamikdash, the one being called the Sha'ar Hatiferet, in order to beg for tzedakah from the ones entering into the Beis Hamikdash.

When the ish pisei'ach (lame man) saw Kefa and Yochanan being about to enter into the Beis Hamikdash, he began begging them for tzedakah.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.                             § 5. The Lame Man Healed.

Chapter 3.

Now ||Peter and John|| were going up into the templeˎ for the hour of prayer—the ninth; and ||a certain man|| who had been |lame from his mother’s womb| was being carried,—whom they used to lay daily at the door of the temple—the [door] called Beautiful, that he might ask alms of them who were entering into the temple:

who <seeing Peter and John about to enter into the temple> was requesting to receive |an alms|. V. 1 is included for context.

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

An Understandable Version   [On their way] they met a certain man who had been crippled from birth. Every day he had been carried [by friends] and placed at the “Beautiful Gate” [as it was called] of the Temple [enclosure] where he begged for money from those entering the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple he asked them [also] for money.

The Expanded Bible              There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate [^C unknown location, perhaps one of several gates between various courtyards], was a man who had been ·crippled [lame] ·all his life [^L from his mother’s womb]. Every day ·he was carried to [people would lay him at] this gate to beg for ·money [alms] from the people going into the Temple [^C the Temple complex; 2:46]. 3 The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple [^C courts; 2:46] and asked them for ·money [alms; help].

Jonathan Mitchell NT             And now a certain adult man, being inherently lame (or: crippled) from out of his mother's womb (= since birth), was in the process of being carried, whom they were in the habit of daily placing near and facing toward the gate (entrance) of the Temple courts – the one normally being called "Beautiful" (or: Timely [from the noun: hour]; Seasonable; Lovely [note: the term is used figuratively of a virgin ready for marriage; the entrance is elsewhere called the Gate of Nicanor; an external gate leading into the court of the Gentiles]) – in order to continue asking for an act of mercy (= to beg for alms) at the side of the folks normally going their way into the Temple grounds and courts,

who, upon catching sight of Peter and John being about to be entering into the Temple complex, began requesting to receive a gift of mercy (alms) [from them].

Syndein/Thieme                     And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they {his friends} laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called 'Beautiful' . . . to keep on asking alms of them that entered into the temple.

Who {the lame man}, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.

Translation for Translators     There was a man there who had been lame from the time he was born. He was sitting by the gate called Beautiful Gate, at the entrance to the Temple area. People put him there every day, so that he could ask those who were entering or leaving the temple courtyard to give him some money.

As Peter and John were about to enter the Temple courtyard, the lame man saw them and asked them several times to give him some money. (OR, The lame man said to them several times, “Please give me some money!”)

The Voice                               Some people were carrying in a man who had been paralyzed since birth. Every day they brought him to a place near the beautiful gate (one of the temple entrances) so he could beg for money from people entering to worship. He saw Peter and John coming and asked them for a contribution.

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         And a certain man was being carried who was lame from birth. [Literally “from his mother’s womb”] He [Literally “who,” but a new sentence was begun here in the translation in keeping with English style] was placed every day at the gate of the temple called “Beautiful,” so that he could ask for charitable gifts from those who were going into the temple courts . [*Here “courts ” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself] When he [*Here “when ” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal] saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts , [*Here “courts ” is supplied to distinguish this area from the interior of the temple building itself] he began asking to receive alms.

NET Bible®                             And a man lame⁴ from birth⁵ was being carried up, who was placed at the temple gate called “the Beautiful Gate” every day⁶ so he could beg for money⁷ from those going into the temple courts.⁸ When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple courts,⁹ he asked them for money.¹⁰

^4tn Or “crippled.”

^5tn Grk “from his mother’s womb.”

^6tn BDAG 437 s.v. ἡμέρα 2.c has “every day” for this phrase.

^7tn Grk “alms.” The term “alms” is not in common use today, so what the man expected, “money,” is used in the translation instead. The idea is that of money given as a gift to someone who was poor. Giving alms was viewed as honorable in Judaism (Tob 1:3, 16; 12:8-9; m. Pe’ah 1:1). See also Luke 11:41; 12:33; Acts 9:36; 10:2, 4, 31; 24:17.

^8tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

^sn Into the temple courts. The exact location of this incident is debated. The ‘Beautiful Gate’ referred either to the Nicanor Gate (which led from the Court of the Gentiles into the Court of Women) or the Shushan Gate at the eastern wall.

^9tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

^sn See the note on the phrase the temple courts in the previous verse.

^10tn Grk “alms.” See the note on the word “money” in the previous verse.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  And a certain man being lame from his mother's womb was being carried, whom they were laying every day at the gate of the temple, the [gate] being called Beautiful, [in order for him] to be asking [for] a charitable gift from the ones entering into the temple, who having seen Peter and John about to be entering into the temple, began asking [for] a charitable gift.

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       And a particular man, who was lame from his mother’s womb [birth], was being carried, whom they placed daily at the entrance to the temple which was called Beautiful, for the purpose of asking for alms [charitable giving] from those who were entering the temple,

Who, having seen Peter and John about to enter the temple, began to ask to receive alms [charitable giving].

Charles Thomson NT             Now at the same time that Peter and John were going up2 to the temple at the hour of prayer, namely, at the ninth hour, there was a certain man carried up who had been lame from his birth, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple, called Beauty-Gate, to ask alms of them who were going into the temple; who seeing Peter and John just about to enter the temple, begged to receive an alms. V. 1 is included for context.

Far Above All Translation       Now Peter and John were going up together to the temple at the hour of prayer – the ninth hour, when a certain man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried, a man whom they would put at the door of the temple called “Beautiful” every day, for him to ask for alms from those going into the temple. And when he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked for alms.

Literal Standard Version        And Peter and John were going up at the same time into the temple, at the hour of the prayer, the ninth [hour], and a certain man, being lame from the womb of his mother, was being carried, whom they were laying every day at the gate of the temple, called Beautiful, to ask a kindness from those entering into the temple, who, having seen Peter and John about to go into the temple, was begging to receive a kindness. V. 1 is included for context.

Modern Literal Version 2020  {June 30, 30AD Temple at Jerusalem.}

And a certain man, being* lame from his mother’s womb, was being bore there, whom they were laying every day at the door of the temple which is called* Beautiful, to ask charity from the ones who travel into the temple, who having seen Peter and John being about to go-into the temple, he asked them for charity.

World English Bible                A certain man who was lame from his mother’s womb was being carried, whom they laid daily at the door of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask gifts for the needy of those who entered into the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive gifts for the needy.

The gist of this passage:     There is a man there at a specific gate of the Temple, a man who had been lame since birth. He sees Peter and John and asks for an offering from them.

2-3

Translation: A certain man, lame from the womb of his mother,...

There was a man who had been lame all of his life. He was about to become an object lesson in the war between good and evil.

Translation: ...was being carried [and then] he was placed daily...

I took some liberties with this translation. There are three verbs in this short phrase, which make it a very difficult phrase to translate. He was simply being, existing, living; and a part of that existence was, he was carried. Finally, it reads literally, who was being placed every day.

This was the man existence. Every day, he was carried and placed in a certain spot. This was, for all intents and purposes, his job for the family. He was driven to work, dropped off and then picked up at the end of the day. This is how such a man would help to contribute to his family.

Since he was there daily, every person who entered at that entrance knew him and knew of this longstanding malady.

Translation: ...opposite the gate of the Temple (the [gate] being called blooming, beautiful).

Throughout most of the Bible, the Temple complex is simply called the Temple. The name either applies to the Temple building itself, or to the building and all of the areas around the building. I don’t know how many entrances that there were to the Temple, but this is one of them and, apparently, many went in and out this gate.

Almost no one went into the Temple sanctuary; but many went elsewhere in the Temple complex. Most often, there would be speakers, teachings, those who read the Word of God.

Translation: [He stayed in that spot] to ask for charity from the ones who entered into the Temple [complex].

You will notice that I added additional words in order to make this into a separate sentence.

This man would stay right here for the day, and he would ask for any sort of support from those who went in and our of the Temple complex.

Acts 3:2 A certain man, lame from the womb of his mother, was being carried [and then] he was placed daily opposite the gate of the Temple (the [gate] being called blooming, beautiful). [He stayed in that spot] to ask for charity from the ones who entered into the Temple [complex]. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: This man [lit., which [man]], having seen Peter and John enter into the Temple,...

This man is seeing Peter and John enter into the Temple. Is this the first time they are entering from this door? Or perhaps, this is the first time that they will notice him. This might even be the first time that this man speaks to them.