The crying in this verse is the weeping which often accompanies departure from dear friends. This should not be translated as the weeping or crying at death.

The expressions hugged him and kissed him are simply typical of affectionate greetings in the Middle East. Hugged may be translated as “embraced,” and the kissing was normally done on the cheek even as it is today in the Middle East. In languages in which hugging and kissing would be grossly misinterpreted as having sexual connotations, one may employ a more general expression of farewell such as “bid him good-bye affectionately” or “showed great love for him when they said good-bye affectionately.”

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 .