They sent the following letter by them translates the Greek expression “having written through their hands,” which might appear to mean that “they (the apostles and the elders) wrote letters by them (the messengers)” (King James Version). However, most commentators agree that what is meant is that the apostles and elders wrote the letter and sent it by the messengers. In some languages it may be necessary to translate this introductory clause as “They sent the following letter to the believers in Antioch. They caused Judas and Silas to carry the letter.”

“Brothers,” which appears in the Greek without the possessive “your,” is taken by almost all scholars to refer back to the apostles and the elders, and so is translated your brothers (so also Jerusalem Bible). It is interesting to note that the introductory formula “so-and-so send their greetings to so-and-so,” and the concluding expression Good-bye (v. 29), are precisely the forms that were used by letter writers of the first century A.D. In many languages it is necessary to introduce the first person plural pronoun in this introductory sentence; therefore, “we the apostles and elders, your brothers, send our greetings.” The expression brothers of Gentile birth would be “fellow believers who are Gentiles” or, as in some languages, “fellow believers who are not Jews.”

It may be useful and even necessary to distinguish between Antioch as a town and Syria and Cilicia as regions; therefore, “in the city of Antioch and in the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.”

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 .