Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:2:
Uma: “Suddenly they heard something making noise from the sky, like the blowing of a big wind. That noise was audible all over in their meeting house.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Suddenly there was a sound from the sky like the sound of a strong wind. And that sound entered the house where they were sitting.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And taking them by surprise was a very loud noise which they heard coming from heaven that was like the roaring of a very strong wind. This noise reverberated there inside the house where they were gathered.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When that was so, they suddenly-heard a loud-noise from heaven like a rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where-they -were-gathered.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Suddenly/unexpectedly there was a sound they heard coming from heaven/sky, like the sound of a strong wind, and the house where they were gathered was enveloped in that sound.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe : “Then the air suddenly made a loud noise in the house where they were sitting. It started making the noise from the sky.”
Chuj: “Just then, something sounded from heaven, like a wind very angrily it sounds. Very angrily (loudly) it sounded entering into the house where they were sitting.” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Hiligaynon: “While they are-gathering together, suddenly there was a roar which came from heaven the-same as a strong wind, and now only roaring-noise was what they heard inside the house where they are-gathering.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Mairasi: “Right while they were sitting there they heard a roar like that of a strong wind coming down from the sky. The house in which they sat pressed down on them with the roar.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Bariai: “Suddenly, they heard something like a very great wind roaring from heaven and coming, and then its sound filled the house in which they were sitting.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “Before long, some noise came from above like a whistling whirlwind and that noise covered all the house.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:29:
Uma: “Petrus answered with the other apostles of the Lord Yesus, they said: ‘We(excl.) still follow the command of God, not the command of man.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Petros and the other commissioned ones answered, they said, ‘What we (excl.) must obey is the command of God, not the command of man/humans.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Peter and the other apostles answered saying, ‘It is necessary that we obey the commands of God, not the commands which are made by people.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Pedro and his fellow apostles answered and they said, ‘It-is-emphatically -necessary that God is the one we (excl.) obey, not people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But Pedro and his fellow apostles replied. They said, ‘It’s essential that the will of God is what we (excl.) obey, not the will of men which is contrary to what he instructed us (excl.) to do.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “So Peter said, together with the other apostles, they say, ‘It is more necessary that we believe that which Father God has commanded us to do, rather than that which the people command us.'”
Isthmus Mixe: “Then Peter and Jesus’ sent ones answered: ‘By all means we are going to obey what God commands. If people command otherwise, we will not obey.'”
Teutila Cuicatec: “We obey God’s commands for this is more important than the commands of the people of the world.”
Chol: “We (excl.) must obey God even though in doing this we (excl) disobey the commands of men.” (Source for this and four above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 20:11:
Uma: “After that, he went back up going to the top, broke bread [into small pieces], and we (excl.) ate together. Paulus spoke further until it got light. After that he departed.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then he went up into the house again to break the bread (into pieces) and he ate. He still spoke to them until early morning and then he left with his companions.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Paul went up again into the house and he got some food and ate. He talked with them for a long time and when it was morning he left.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then Pablo again climbed-up and we (excl.) ate. After-we (excl.) -had-eaten then, he continued conversing until daylight, then we (excl.) left.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, we (excl.) went upstairs again and then just had something to eat. After eating, Pablo continued relating things to them. His talking reached sun-rise. And then he set out.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Morelos Nahuatl: “Then Paul went up again. He ate. Then he continued talking with the believers until it dawned. Then he went.”
Isthmus Mixe: “Then Paul went up again. Then he celebrated Holy Communion, they thus ate. Then he talked more until morning. When it became morning he left.”
San Mateo del Mar Huave: “Then Paul went upstairs again. There they ate. When they were done eating, then they continued talking until morning. Then he left there.” (Note: this verse is taken either to refer to the Lord’s Supper, or to ordinary eating, or to both, or to a fellowship meal plus communion. Also can be Paul alone, or whole group.) (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:3:
Uma: “And they saw something that was like fire resembling tongues, that spread/crept and touched/landed on each one of them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then they saw (something) like flames of fire scattering, and being placed on each one of them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they all saw something which looked like flames of fire which separated from each other and came to rest on each one of them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “And they saw something-like fires that separated to go alight on each of them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Then they saw what was like flames of fire which settled on each of them.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe: “Then something small like a tongue, like a flame, appeared to them. Each one of their heads was sat upon by it.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Hiligaynon: “Then they saw flames of fire which where like tongues which scattered and alighted on each one of them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Mairasi: “Then they themselves saw fire flames scatter all around until eventually they landed right on top of them.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
Bariai: “And they saw something like tongues of fire disperse and go up onto each one of them.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
Kupsabiny: “Things like flames of fire came on the disciples and stopped/settled on their heads.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:41:
Uma: “Those apostles went away from the gathering. Their hearts were very glad, they said: ‘We are blessed/fortunate, because God has chosen us to be persecuted and reviled because of our following of Yesus.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then the commissioned ones departed from those councilors and they were very glad because they were now considered worthy by God to suffer/endure persecution for their faith/trust in Isa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the apostles left, and they were very happy because they were considered by God to be able to endure their being shamed because of their trust in Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When the apostles left, their happiness was great because God had counted them worthy to be publicly-shamed for Jesus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well since like that had happened to the apostles, they were very happy as they left the Sanedrin, for they had been given honor by God, for he had allowed/caused them to experience shame because of their being united/tied-together with Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
San Mateo del Mar Huave. “So the apostles when they left the big meeting they were very happy because Father God had caused them to suffer at the hands of the authorities there for Father Jesus.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “When they went out from the council they were happy in their hearts because they had seen suffering because of Jesus.”
Morelos Nahuatl: “The apostles went from the junta with much joy. They rejoiced because God gave them the opportunity to suffer for Jesus’ sake.”
Isthmus Mixe: “Then Jesus’ sent ones came out from before the authorities. They rejoiced that God was pleased with their lives even to considering it appropriate for them to suffer for Jesus.” (Source for this and three above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:14:
Uma: “However, one thing that I admit/confess to Governor, I follow the Teaching of the Lord Yesus, which my enemies repudiate. According to that teaching I worship the God whom our (excl.) ancestors worshipped, and I still believe all that is written in the Law of Musa and the letters of the prophets.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But I confess to you that I really worship the God of our (excl.) ancestors in accordance with the teaching of Isa Almasi, but they say that is not right. But I really believe also all that is written in the law of Musa and in the holy-books of the prophets.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, I am not ashamed to tell you that I worship God, the God which was worshipped also long ago by our ancestors. However this doctrine that I follow, these people say that it is false, and I follow also everything that is written in the law that Moses left behind and also the writings long ago by those who were inspired by God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But there is however something I will admit to you (sing.), and it is this. I follow the faith of the Cristiano in my worshipping the God of our (excl.) ancestors, and that’s what they say/think is not correct teaching. But I nevertheless obey/believe all our (excl.) laws and absolutely-all of what the prophets wrote long ago.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Only this is what I will admit to. In harmony indeed with the teaching which they say is wrong is my serving of the God of our (excl.) ancestors. And I also indeed follow/obey all which is contained in the laws of Moises and all which was written by the prophets of the past.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Teutila Cuicatec: “I will tell you truthfully that I obey the new rule that the God of my forefathers has re-established. Those people claim that this rule is different, is apart, but it is not, for I believe in God, in all of his law, and in all that he caused the prophets to write.”
Isthmus Mixe: “But this I admit is true. I worship God, whom our ancestors worshipped. I worship God like the new mind says, which the Israelites consider as not good. For I believe everything that is written in the book which has the law of Moses and the words of God’s speakers.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
Cherokee: adolehosgi (ᎠᏙᎴᎰᏍᎩ) or “discoverer of things,” a “term that was was traditionally applied to Cherokee medicine men or women who used divining.” (Source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 49)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
