the hour of prayer: Prayers were apparently offered at the temple in conjunction with the morning and evening sacrifices. (Ex 29:38-42; 30:7, 8) Luke connects “the hour of offering incense” with the time when “the people were praying.” (Lu 1:10) In providing details about the daily sacrifices, Jehovah commanded King David to organize the priests and the Levites to honor, thank, and praise Him, which doubtless included prayer. (1Ch 16:4; 23:30; 2Ch 29:25, 26) Incense and prayers were therefore closely related. (Ps 141:2; Re 5:8; 8:3, 4) At the hour of prayer, people typically assembled in the temple courtyards. Some likely came to be purified by the priests that day, while many others would have come to share in the prayers and worship in general. (Lu 2:22-38) Rabbinic tradition says that the priests determined by lot which one of them who had not previously presented incense on the golden altar should have this once-in-a-lifetime honor. With all the priests and Levites gathered, the chosen priest would solemnly enter the Holy while the priests and the people in the courtyards were praying. As the pleasing aroma of incense ascended, the people continued to pray in deep silence for about half an hour. (Lu 1:9, 10) “The hour of prayer” was then brought to a joyful finale that included a blessing of the people (Nu 6:22-27) and a chorus of Levites singing the psalm designated for that day of the week.

the ninth hour: That is, about 3:00 p.m.​—See study note on Ac 2:15.

the Nazarene: See study note on Mr 10:47.

Chief Agent: The Greek term used here (ar·khe·gosʹ) basically means “chief leader; one who goes first.” It is used four times in the Bible, each time referring to Jesus. (Ac 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2) This Greek word may also apply to one who leads the way, such as a pathfinder or a pioneer, and prepares it for others to follow. By becoming the Mediator between God and mankind and introducing the way for gaining eternal life, Jesus could rightly be called the Chief Agent of life, or a Pioneer of Life. The expression rendered “Chief Agent” indicates that the one going first does so in an official or administrative capacity as a leader or a prince. (A related word is used at Ac 7:27, 35 regarding Moses as a “ruler” in Israel.) As the term is used here, it includes the idea of being the means that God uses to accomplish his purpose. Jesus became “a corresponding ransom” in exchange for many. (1Ti 2:5, 6; Mt 20:28; Ac 4:12) After Jesus was resurrected, he could as High Priest and Judge administer the value of his ransom. The sacrifice allows humans who exercise faith in it to be free from sin and death. Jesus is, therefore, the one through whom the resurrection of the dead takes place. (Joh 5:28, 29; 6:39, 40) That is how he opens up the way to everlasting life. (Joh 11:25; 14:6; Heb 5:9; 10:19, 20) Although some Bible translators render this expression “Author” or “Originator” of life, the Bible clearly shows that Jesus does not fit that description. Rather, he received his life and his authority from God and is used by God.​—Ps 36:9; Joh 6:57; Ac 17:26-28; Col 1:15; Re 3:14.

Repent . . . and turn around: The Greek word me·ta·no·eʹo, “to repent,” literally means “to change one’s mind,” signifying a change in thinking, attitude, or purpose. In this context, repentance involved a person’s wanting to repair or restore his relationship with God. A sinner who genuinely repents deeply regrets his wrong course and is determined not to repeat his sin. (2Co 7:10, 11; see study notes on Mt 3:2, 8.) Moreover, true repentance moves a sinner to “turn around,” abandoning his wrong course and pursuing a course that is pleasing to God. Both in Hebrew and in Greek, the verbs for “to turn around” (Hebrew, shuv; Greek, streʹpho; e·pi·streʹpho) mean “to return; to turn back (around)” in a literal sense. (Ge 18:10; 50:14; Ru 1:6; Ac 15:36) When used in a positive spiritual sense, however, this may denote turning to God from a wrong way.​—1Ki 8:33; Eze 33:11; see study notes on Ac 15:3; 26:20.

get . . . blotted out: The Greek verb used here has been defined “to cause to disappear by wiping.” In the Bible, it is used in connection with wiping out tears (Re 7:17; 21:4) and erasing names from the book of life (Re 3:5). In this context, it conveys the idea of “to remove so as to leave no trace.” According to some scholars, the image expressed here is that of erasing handwriting.​—Compare Col 2:14, where the same Greek word is rendered “erased.”

seasons: Or “appointed times.” The Greek word kai·rosʹ (here the plural form is rendered “seasons”) may refer to a point of time or a fixed or definite period of time or a “season” marked by certain features. (Mt 13:30; 21:34; Mr 11:13) This Greek term is used of “the appointed time” for Jesus’ ministry to begin (Mr 1:15) and the “appointed time” of his death (Mt 26:18). It is also used with reference to future times or seasons within God’s arrangement or timetable, particularly in relation to Christ’s presence and his Kingdom.​—Ac 1:7; 1Th 5:1.

from Jehovah himself: Available Greek manuscripts literally read “from face of the Lord.” (See App. C.) The context of Ac 3:17-22 indicates that “the Lord” refers, not to Jesus, but to Jehovah God, the one who would “send the Christ.” (Ac 3:20) The Greek word for “Lord” (Kyʹri·os) is also used at Ac 3:22 in a quote from De 18:15, where the Tetragrammaton occurs in the original Hebrew text. (See study note on Ac 3:22.) In the Hebrew Scriptures, the phrase “the face of Jehovah” is a combination of the Hebrew word for “face” and the Tetragrammaton.​—Ge 3:8; Ex 34:24; Jg 5:5; Ps 34:16; La 4:16; see App. C3 introduction; Ac 3:19.

hold this one within itself: Or “receive this one.” This apparently refers to the time during which Jesus would wait at God’s right hand in heaven until the times of restoration would begin.​—Ps 110:1, 2; Lu 21:24; Heb 10:12, 13.

the times of restoration: The Greek word for “restoration” (a·po·ka·taʹsta·sis), in some Bible translations rendered “restitution,” comes from a·poʹ, meaning “back” or “again,” and ka·thiʹste·mi, literally meaning “to set down.” The corresponding verb is translated “restoring” at Ac 1:6. Josephus used the Greek word for “restoration” in referring to the return of the Jews from their exile in Babylon. In papyrus writings, the word is used of the repair of certain buildings, the restoration of estates to rightful owners, and the balancing of accounts. Ac 3:21 does not specify what things would be restored, so this restoration of all things must be ascertained by a study of God’s message spoken through his prophets of old. Restoration is a recurring theme in the writings of the Hebrew prophets. Through them, Jehovah promised a land restored and repopulated, fertile, protected from wild beasts and enemy attacks. He described their restored land as a paradise! (Isa 65:25; Eze 34:25; 36:35) Above all, the temple would be rebuilt, and pure worship would be reestablished. (Isa 2:1-5; Mic 4:1-5) The foretold restoration would include both a spiritual and a physical restoration.

Jehovah: In this quote from De 18:15, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text. It is worth noting that when this quote occurs in an early fragment of the Septuagint (in the collection Papyrus Fouad Inv. 266), the divine name is written in square Hebrew characters () within the Greek text. This fragment is dated to the first century B.C.E. (See App. A5.) Also a number of translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures into Hebrew (referred to as J^{7, 8, 10-12, 14-18, 20, 22-24, 28} in App. C4) use the Tetragrammaton here. So although existing manuscripts of the Christian Greek Scriptures use Kyʹri·os (Lord) here, there are good reasons for using the divine name in the main text.​—See App. C.

anyone: Or “any soul.” The Greek word psy·kheʹ, traditionally rendered “soul,” here refers to an individual or a person. (See Glossary, “Soul.”) This is one of several verses in the Christian Greek Scriptures that speak of the “soul” (psy·kheʹ) as mortal and destructible.​—See study notes on Mt 2:20; Mr 3:4; Lu 6:9; see also Heb 10:39, ftn.; Jas 5:20, ftn.

offspring: Lit., “seed.”​—See App. A2.