Left is translated by some as “said good-bye to” (Moffatt, An American Translation*, Barclay). The choice between left and “said good-by to” is insignificant as far as translation is concerned, and the choice is largely stylistic.
In rendering sailed off with Priscilla and Aquila one should not imply that there were only three persons in the boat. This may be avoided by translating “boarded a ship sailing for Syria; Priscilla and Aquila also went along.”
The word translated shaved appears only here and in 1 Corinthians 11.6. The basic meaning of this verb is “to cut (hair).” In the papyri it is used of shearing sheep, and later in a figurative sense of “plunder” or “ravage.” In 1 Corinthians 11.6 it appears in conjunction with another verb, and if there is any distinction to be made between the two, the word used here indicates that scissors are required, while the other verb would specify a razor. At least this distinction is apparently made in 1 Corinthians 11.6. However, some translators (New American Bible, Twentieth Century New Testament, Moffatt) understand the meaning in this present context to be “shaved,” which would imply the use of a razor. When used in the middle form of the verb, as here, it would mean “have (one’s head) shaved.” Although grammatically possible, it is not likely that Luke intends to say that it was Aquila, rather that Paul, who had his head shaved.
The word translated vow is used in the sense of “prayer” in James 5.15, though in 21.23 (the only other place where it appears in the New Testament) it has the meaning of “vow.” It is evident that the vow referred to was a Nazirite vow (see Numbers 6.1-21). Originally this was a permanent vow, but in later times one could take the vow for a stated period of time. The vow was concluded by the offering of a sacrifice and by the cutting of one’s hair, since one aspect of the vow was not to cut one’s hair during the length of the vow. The translation of vow may involve a phrase “make a promise to God” or, as in some languages, “make a strong promise and call upon God to witness it.” The same concept may be expressed as “make a strong promise in the presence of God.”
Cenchreae (used only here and in Romans 16.1) was the seaport of Corinth on the eastern side of the isthmus.
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 .