The phrase keep watch over yourselves must not be translated in such a way as to imply “look out for yourselves,” in the sense of trying to gain whatever benefit one can from circumstances. The implication here is that the church leader should be concerned about his own spiritual welfare as well as the welfare of all those whom the Holy Spirit has placed in his charge.

It is frequently impossible to carry over the idiom implied in the use of the flock, particularly since in so many parts of the world sheep are not cared for. Rather, they are the scavengers of the village or are permitted to run loose on the surrounding hillsides. Therefore, the flock must be translated as “the people” or “the congregation.” If the figure of flock must be abandoned, obviously some adjustment must be made in the related figure of shepherd. The concept of shepherd may be expressed as “those who take care of” or “those who protect.”

In this verse Paul is describing the function of the church leader rather than his office. For this reason the Good News Translation has translated the literal phrase “(the Holy Spirit) has made you overseers” by has placed in your care. This word rendered “overseer” or “guardian” by a number of translators has been rendered elsewhere as church leaders by the Good News Translation (Philippians 1.1; 1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.7; and in 1 Peter 2.25 it appears as Keeper, in reference to Christ). Has placed in your care may be rendered as “has given to you as your responsibility to take care of.”

Be shepherds is actually an infinitive, but it may be used in the sense of an imperative, parallel with keep watch. On the other hand, it is possible to take it as an infinitive of purpose after the verb keep watch: “keep watch … so that you may be shepherds.” In instances in which the metaphor be shepherds of the church cannot be employed, it is sometimes possible to approximate the meaning of this figure of speech by a simile—for example, “take care of the church of God in the same way that shepherds take care of their sheep.” If the metaphor must be abandoned entirely, one can say “take care of the church of God” or “provide for the church of God.”

There is a textual problem as to whether the reading should be the church of God or “the church of the Lord.” The choice of the reading at this place depends in large measure upon the choice one makes regarding the phrase rendered by the Good News Translation through the death of his own Son. The text followed by the Good News Translation at this point literally reads “through the blood of his own.” “Blood” in the present context is, of course, a reference to death and should generally be translated in that fashion. Moreover, those who accept this reading understand “his own” to mean his own Son, and so the Good News Translation has made this explicit. The alternative reading at this point is literally “through his own blood,” which also must be understood in the sense of “through his own death.” However, if this second reading is followed, then it would go much easier with “the church of the Lord” than it would with the church of God. Since the textual evidence more strongly favors the reading which the Good News Translation has in the text, through the death of his own Son, it would seem better to follow the text which reads the church of God rather than “the church of the Lord.” On the other hand, if one feels bound to follow the text “through his own death,” this would refer to “the church of the Lord” (that is, the Lord Jesus).

Through the death of his own Son specifies the means by which God made the Church his own, but in many languages it is not easy to introduce an event such as death as an instrument. The closest equivalent may be “the fact that his own Son died made this possible,” “by dying his own Son caused this to be,” or “his own Son died, and this made the church belong to God.”

The verb translated made his own by the Good News Translation has been understood in the sense of “purchased” or “bought” by some translators (see King James Version, Jerusalem Bible). This gives the wrong impression, as though the Lord paid somebody something in order to acquire the church. The verb itself can mean simply “to acquire for one’s self,” without any thought of purchase involved. In fact, there are some passages in the New Testament where commentators understand the verb to mean “rescue from destruction” (see Luke 17.33; Hebrews 10.39), and so believe that it should be translated with that meaning in the present context. The meaning of “make one’s own” or “get for one’s self” seems to be the best meaning in the present context.

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 .