15:2a–b

And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed: A problem was presented in 15:1–2a. 15:2b–c tells how the church leaders responded to the problem (the beginning of the solution to the problem). Consider how to connect the problem to what was done in response to the problem. Some ways to indicate this connection in English are:

2aPaul and Barnabas had a great dispute and debate with them about it. 2bSo Paul and Barnabas were appointed…
-or-

2a
When/After Paul and Barnabas argued greatly with them, 2b⌊the church leaders⌋ appointed Paul and Barnabas…

In some languages, it will be more natural to not use a conjunction here.

15:2a

And after engaging these men in sharp debate: In Greek, this is literally “And not a small dispute and debate occurring with Paul and Barnabas toward them.” “Not small” is a figure of speech (litotes). It indicates that Paul and Barnabas disputed and debated greatly with the men from Judea. Other ways to translate this clause are:

And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Paul and Barnabas had a great/severe argument and debate with them
-or-
Paul and Barnabas disagreed greatly and argued severely with them

sharp debate: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as debate are more literally “dissension and debate.” They are two ways to describe the same disagreement that occurred between Paul and Barnabas on one side and the Jewish believers from Judea on the other. Using two different words emphasizes the conflict.

In some languages it will be hard to find two different words for this. Or it will be more natural to combine the two words into one idea, like the Berean Standard Bible does. Here are other examples:

argued strongly
-or-
got into a fierce argument with them about this (Good News Translation)

The first Greek word in this pair, which the Berean Standard Bible does not translate but the New International Version (2011) translates as “dispute,” describes a great conflict between people or groups. (Often in the New Testament the word is used with the meaning “rebellion” or “public disorder,” though that is not the meaning here.) Here the conflict is with words rather than fighting. Other ways to translate this word are:

disagreement
-or-
conflict

debate: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as debate refers to discussing something from two points of view. Each person or group wants to convince the other that their opinion is correct. The word can describe discussion that is calm and polite. But in this case, it probably included loud voices and strong feelings. Use a word that communicates this somewhat negative sense, or let that come from the context. For example:

debate/discussion
-or-
argument/quarrel

15:2b

Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers: In Greek this is literally “they appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from them.” The context probably indicates that “they” refers to a different group than the men from Judea (15:1). “They” probably refers to the believers in Antioch (15:3a) or their leaders. The Berean Standard Bible uses a passive clause to avoid naming who appointed them and to imply it was not the men from Judea. Other ways to translate this clause are:

So ⌊the church leaders⌋ appointed Paul and Barnabas as well as some from that church
-or-
the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas…accompanied by some local believers (New Living Translation (2004))

were appointed: This refers to assigning a task to someone. The church leaders chose Paul, Barnabas, and others to go to Jerusalem and ask the apostles and elders to discuss the question of circumcision. Other ways to translate this word are:

assigned
-or-
decided to send (New Century Version)

15:2c

to go up to Jerusalem: As the men “came down” from Judea in 15:1a, now Paul, Barnabas, and others go up to Jerusalem. If you did not translate “down” in 15:1a, you probably will not want to translate up here. For example:

to go/journey to Jerusalem

to see the apostles and elders about this question: The Berean Standard Bible adds the verb see, which here means to visit or meet. The purpose of going to the apostles and elders was to discuss the issue of circumcision with them.

In some languages it will be sufficient to say “go (or “go up”) to the apostles and elders about this question.” In other languages, it will be more natural to add the reason for going to them. For example:

to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
to meet with the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this point of disagreement (NET Bible)
-or-
to receive the advice/counsel of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this matter

the apostles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apostles means “those sent with a message.” They are representatives or messengers of someone with authority. Here it refers to those sent by Jesus, and in particular to the first eleven disciples and Matthias, who was elected to replace Judas Iscariot. In other verses the word includes other believers whom Jesus sent to other cities with his gospel (such as Barnabas and Paul in Acts 14:14).

If you have already translated the Gospels, you can probably use the same term for apostles as you used there. Some ways to translate apostles are:

• Translate the meaning. For example:

representatives
-or-
messengers
-or-
sent-people

If this term is too general, you may want to add the words “of Jesus Christ” to indicate who gave their authority to them. An example is:

representatives ⌊of Jesus Christ⌋

• Use a word or phrase from another language that is well known to the people in your language.

See how you translated this word in 1:2 or 14:14.

elders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as elders means “old men.” This word often refers to men who were respected leaders. Here it refers to leaders in the church below the higher position of “apostle.”

In some languages the phrase “old men” does not imply that the men were leaders. If that is true in your language, you may need to use a different word. For example:

leaders

about this question: The Greek word that is translated here as question is the same one that was translated as “debate” in 15:2a. This refers to the issue or question: do believers have to be circumcised in order to be saved? Other ways to translate this are:

about this matter (Good News Translation)
-or-
about this point of disagreement (NET Bible)
-or-
about this topic/talk that they disagreed about
-or-
regarding circumcising Gentile believers and making them obey the laws of Moses

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