Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:44:
Uma: “All of those believers in Yesus, they were united/agreed. Their belongings they had in common.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “All who trusted in Isa were together, and whatever they had they shared/gave to each other if someone was in need.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The unity of the believers was strong. That person who had possessions, he gave also to his companions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “All the believers were continuing to meet-together and share-with-each-other their possessions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “As for the believers, what they did was, they were always/often gathering together and they were all really harmonious. They didn’t hold-back any of their possessions which were needed by their sibling in believing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Chuj: “All of them who had believed in Jesus were united in mind. Everything of theirs, one only they treated it (as common property).”
Isthmus Mixe: “The ones who had believed were working together. They owned everything together.”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “All that believed followed one another and what they had they gave to one another.”
Lalana Chinantec: “All the people who believed the words of God were continually coming together; they were very kind to their companions. They never reserved for themselves all of their things.” (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 11:24:
Uma: “That Barnabas, he was a person with a good heart. He was controlled by the Holy Spirit and his faith was strong. That is why many more people of Antiokhia believed in the Lord.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This Barnabas was a man of good customs. He was controlled/ruled by the Holy Spirit and his faith/trust was very strong. He was able to bring many people in Antiyok to trust in Isa, the Lord.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for Barnabas, his custom was good, and his being inspired by the Holy Spirit was strong, and his faith also in God was strong. Therefore many of the people there came to believe in our Lord Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because Barnabas was a good person, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, and his faith was also strong. Therefore, there were many who were-added-to them who believed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For as for Bernabe, he was a person with really good ways/nature. His believing/obeying was strong and he was really obedient to the Espiritu Santo who indwelt him. Therefore the number of believers in the Lord increased and increased there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe: “Barnabas was a good person. He had the Holy Spirit whole one heart, he believed whole one heart. Many people were added following the mind of the Lord Jesus.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 8:37:
Uma: “For there isn’t anything that we can trade for that good life.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “For there is no treasure/wealth in the world that can redeem him in order for him to have everlasting life.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “For there is no possession which he can exchange in order to get eternal life.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because there is nothing that a person can exchange for his life.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Of course there’s nothing he could do that could free/save him there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Peñoles Mixtec: “And it (all things in the world) will not do any good to help his soul.”
El Nayar Cora: “There is nothing that he is able to do to buy back a person his own life when it is already lost.”
Isthmus Mixe: “What can a man give so that he wouldn’t come to ruin forever?” (Source for this and three above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:46:
Uma: “Every day they gathered in the House of God. They broke bread to remember the Lord Yesus’ death, and they ate together in their houses with glad and holy [i.e., sincere] hearts.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Every day they met together there in the temple/big prayer-house. They ate together in their homes. They ate with joy and they were generous in giving to one another.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And everyday all the believers were gathering in the big church which was called the House of God. And they became one also with great joy as they ate in their houses.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Every-day they were joining-in-congregating in the Temple. They were eating-together also in the houses, and their joy was heartfelt/sincere in their doing that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And what they did every day was, they gathered together in the like-a-yard of the Templo. A custom of theirs also was, they went to eat at one another’s homes with a happy mind which had no motive which wasn’t good.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe: “They gathered together every day at the big Israelite church building. They celebrated the Lord’s supper at their houses. They were joyful and contented as they ate together.”
Desano: “Every day in the temple they talked with God and in their houses they ate together and in their hearts they were content.” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 15:39:
Uma: “From there, Paulus and Barnabas argued, with the result that they separated. Barnabas took Markus to be with him, and they boarded a ship to the land of Siprus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The two really argued, therefore they separated. Barnabas took Markus along and they sailed to the island of Kiprus.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This caused a dispute between them. Therefore they separated, and as for Barnabas, he took Mark and he got on a boat and went to Cyprus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Then their argument was excessive, and they separated. Barnabas took-along Marcos, and they rode in a ship to go to Cyprus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Over that they really didn’t agree. Without anything further, they didn’t go together when they set out. Bernabe caused Marcos to accompany him when he sailed going to Chipre.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Isthmus Mixe: “They discussed but their minds did not meet each other. For that reason they separated. Then Barnabas took Mark with him. They entered a boat at the sea. Then they went to the land of Cyprus.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Mark 14:24:
Uma: “He said to them: ‘This is my blood that will be spilled when I die to redeem / take-the-place-of many people. This blood of mine strengthens the promise that connects God with mankind.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Isa said to them, ‘This is my blood which will soon be poured out because of/on behalf of many people. This is a sign that God is fulfilling/will fulfill his covenant.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said, ‘This is my blood which will be shed when I am killed in order to annoint many people. This is the sign of the way of setting free which God has established.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Jesus said, ‘This is my blood that ratifies (lit. ties-in-a-knot) God’s new agreement. It will flow-out when I die for the many people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “‘That,’ said Jesus, ‘that is my blood which is the strength/pledge of the initiated-agreement of God with people. For I will shed (lit. cause to drip) my blood so that many can be forgiven.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Choapan Zapotec: “… This is my blood which I will shed in order that you will know God has entered into an agreement with mankind. Also in order that he might forgive the sins of mankind.”
Southern Puebla Mixtec: “… This is my blood. It is going to run out for many people. By my blood God makes a new agreement with people.”
Isthmus Mixe: “… his is my blood which will run out in behalf of many people, this is a sign that God has made a new agreement with you.”
Peñoles Mixtec: “… This is my blood which is for a contract God spoke for all people. My blood will be spilled and for this reason people will find salvation.”
Tewa: “… This is my blood. I will spill my blood for many people, and because I do this, what God has promised will come to pass.” (Source for this and four above: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, 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)
