28:4a
When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand: The snake was still biting Paul’s hand, so it was hanging by its mouth. It is implied that Paul pulled his hand away from the sticks and the snake remained attached. In some languages some of this implied information will make the translation clearer. For example:
When the islanders saw the snake hanging ⌊by its mouth⌋ from his hand
-or-
⌊Paul pulled his hand away but the snake continued biting his hand.⌋ When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand
creature: The Greek word is literally “animal.” The word is more general than “snake” but clearly refers to the viper. The Greek word implies a wild animal. Here it probably implies an animal that is harmful to people. Other ways to translate this word are:
snake (New International Version)
-or-
wild animal
The word or phrase you use should clearly refer to the snake. In some languages repeating snake here is best. But you can add that this is a poisonous snake here. For example:
poisonous/dangerous snake
28:4b
they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer: The people of the island guessed that Paul had murdered someone. They did not know that he had. In some languages the fact of guessing must be clearly stated. For example:
they ⌊wondered about this and⌋ said to each other, “This man must be a murderer…
-or-
they ⌊thought about what happened and⌋ said to each other, “This man must be a murderer…
-or-
they ⌊mistakenly⌋ said to each other, “This man must be a murderer…
they said to one another: The Greek tense indicates that the islanders were talking together about Paul and the snake, possibly telling and retelling the story as new people came to hear of it. For example:
they were saying to one another
Surely this man is a murderer: The word murderer refers to someone who unlawfully killed someone else. It also implies that he planned to kill the other person. In some languages the word murderer must be translated with a verb. For example:
This man must have murdered someone
28:4c–d
Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live: The word Although indicates contrast between these two clauses. For example:
He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live. (New Jerusalem Bible)
28:4c
There is no conjunction here in this verse in Greek. But 28:4c explains why they called him a murderer, so you may want to use a conjunction that shows this connection. For example:
because
-or-
for (New International Version)
The Berean Standard Bible follows the Greek here and does not have a conjunction. It also begins 28:4c as a new sentence. The verse in Greek and the Berean Standard Bible assume the reader will see that 28:4c explains why they called him a murderer.
he was saved from the sea: This refers to escaping from the danger of storm and shipwreck at sea. Either of those things could have caused Paul to die. Other ways to translate this clause are:
He escaped ⌊those dangers⌋ at sea
-or-
He didn’t drown in the sea (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He did not die in the sea (New Century Version)
28:4d
Justice: There are two issues here.
Issue 1: Interpretation
There are three ways to interpret this word:
(1) It refers to a goddess called Justice. People believed she sought to make sure wrongdoers were punished. For example:
the goddess of justice (Contemporary English Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, New Century Version, English Standard Version)
(2) It refers to the principle of justice. People just thought it was right that wrongdoers be punished. For example:
justice (Revised Standard Version)
(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, King James Version)
(3) It refers to the desire of the gods to see that wrongdoers were punished. People expected the gods to punish wrongdoers but were not thinking of the particular goddess Justice. For example:
divine justice (Revised English Bible)
(Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
Other ways to translate this word are:
the goddess named Justice
-or-
the god called Retribution/Payback
-or-
the god⌊-dess⌋ named Justice who seeks to punish wrongdoers
Your translation should not refer to the true God. The people of the island believed in many gods.
Issue 2: Translating this noun
In some languages it is necessary to translate Justice in a different way. For example:
the goddess named Judger/Punisher of Wrongdoers
-or-
the goddess named Judges/Punishes Sinners
-or-
the deity/god who punishes those who do wrong
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