1:11a

Men of Galilee…why do you stand here looking into the sky?: This is a rhetorical question. It either rebukes or encourages the apostles to start doing all that Jesus had commanded them to do. The apostles already knew that Jesus would come again on the clouds. Here are some ways to translate this:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why are you men from Galilee standing here and looking up into the sky? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Men of Galilee, do you have some reason for standing here looking into the sky?

• As a statement. For example:

Men of Galilee, you do not need to stand here looking up at the sky.

Many English versions translate this as a rhetorical question that implies a mild rebuke. Consider how to translate this in a way that indicates a mild rebuke.

Men of Galilee: This phrase indicates that the apostles were all from the region of Galilee. This phrase is a polite address to the apostles. Consider how to translate this phrase as a polite address.

they said: The first sentence of what they said is a question. For example:

They asked (God’s Word)

But the next sentence is a statement. So many English versions translate in the same way as the Berean Standard Bible.

1:11b

This same Jesus: Just before this, Jesus was taken to heaven. The apostles saw that event. The phrase This same Jesus indicates that the angels were talking about him as well. It emphasizes the person referred to. Here are some other ways to translate this:

This Jesus (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
This very Jesus (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
As for Jesus,

who has been taken from you into heaven: This further describes Jesus. It does not separate Jesus from other men named “Jesus.” For the correct meaning in some languages, translators must avoid the word who. For example:

He was taken from you into heaven.

who has been taken: The clause is passive. Here are some ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

• Use an active verb. God took Jesus to heaven, but God was not visible. For example:

whom ⌊God⌋ took up
-or-
whom ⌊God⌋ caused to rise

heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven can mean either “heaven” or “sky.” Here it refers to the place where God lives, so the Berean Standard Bible uses the word heaven rather than the word “sky.” See how you translated heaven in 1:2a.

1:11c

come back: The Greek word means “come” (BDAG, L&N, L&S, Kittel, Moulton and Milligan). For example:

come (English Standard Version)

you have seen Him go into heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven can mean either sky or heaven. The apostles did not see Jesus actually enter heaven. They only saw him go up into the sky until the cloud took him. Your translation should not indicate that they saw Jesus enter heaven. For example:

you have seen him go up into the sky

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