The introductory conjunction for must be rendered with care since a literal translation might imply that the ship would be destroyed because an angel of the Lord spoke to Paul. In some languages it may be necessary to specify at the beginning of verse 23 exactly the basis for the following clause beginning with for. One can, therefore, say: “I know this because last night an angel of God….”

Last night is literally “in this night,” but the reference is clearly to the night immediately preceding. In its rendering of this phrase, the Good News Translation is in agreement with many other modern translations.

The phrase angel of (the) God is a favorite Lukan expression. In most languages the equivalent of angel of (the) God is “an angel who comes from God.”

To whom I belong (literally “whose I am”) is typically biblical (see Genesis 50.19 in the Septuagint). To whom I belong may be rendered “who possesses me.”

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 .