SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 1:6

Paragraph 1:6–9

1:6a

they: The pronoun they refers at least to the apostles. Other followers of Jesus may have been present too.

1:6b

Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord was the respectful term that the disciples often used to address Jesus. The word means “master,” or “the one who has authority over others.” Jesus is Lord because he is leader over the apostles and he is the Christ, the Son of God. You should translate Lord with a word that your language would use for addressing this kind of person.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Master
-or-
Chief
-or-
Owner
-or-
Sovereign

will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?: Jewish religious teachers expected the Christ to establish an earthly kingdom with himself as king, based on prophecies in the Old Testament. They believed that he would free the people of Israel so that foreigners would no longer rule them. The word restore indicates that Israel was once a great kingdom and they expected it to be like that again. All Jews including the apostles knew this teaching. But Jesus did not do those things. So the apostles and followers of Jesus hoped that he would do them soon. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
has the time come for you to restore the kingdom to Israel? (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages people are not familiar with these Jewish expectations. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain the expectations in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Based on prophecies in the Old Testament, the people of Israel expected the Christ to establish an earthly kingdom with himself as king. It would be like King David’s reign of long ago. But those prophecies refer to when Jesus comes the second time.

Israel: This name here refers to the Jewish people.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2:12

2:12a

Astounded: The tense of the Greek verb for Astounded indicates that they continued to be amazed for some time.

perplexed: This word means “puzzled.” They heard and understood the words spoken in this miracle of languages, but were puzzled over the significance of the miracle. So they did not know what to think or do about it. The tense of the Greek verb for perplexed indicates that they continued to be perplexed for some time. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

puzzled (God’s Word)
-or-
did not know what to make of it (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

2:12b

they: The word they refers to some of the crowd, because others of them had an insulting explanation (2:13).

asked: The Greek tense indicates that they asked more than once. The question was asked more than once because no one had a good answer.

What does this mean?: The Greek is literally “What does this want to be?” It is an idiom that indicates that they did not know what the miracle meant but hoped that its meaning would become clear.

This is probably a real question. They wanted to understand the significance of the miracle.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2:45

2:45a

Selling: This word means “exchange/trade something for money.” One person would give another person money, and in exchange the second person would give the first person the thing. The thing now belonged to the first person. Here the word indicates that a believer would sell some or all of the things that he or she owned.

possessions: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as possessions refers to land, houses, and perhaps even furniture. For example:

property (Good News Translation)

goods: The word goods refers here to things other than land, houses, and furniture. Examples would be tools, kitchen things, food, and clothing.

2:45b

they: The pronoun they refers to the believers who sold some or all of what they owned (2:45a).

shared: This word implies that they gave the money from selling the things. In some languages it is helpful to include the implied information. For example:

gave ⌊the money⌋

anyone who was in need: Here the pronoun anyone refers to any person among the believers.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 4:4

4:4a

many who heard the message believed: This clause indicates that of all the people who heard Peter and John tell about Jesus (3:12–26), many of them believed. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

many of those who had listened to their message became believers (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
But the people who heard the words of Peter and John earlier, many of them believed in Jesus

the message: This refers to what Peter and John told the people about Jesus (4:2). In some languages some of the information would be helpful for the readers. For example:

the message ⌊about Jesus⌋

believed: Here the word “believe” means to accept that something is true. The people believed that the message about Jesus was true. See how you translated a similar word in 3:16 (“faith”).

4:4b

and the number of men grew to about five thousand: Below are two possible interpretations of the word men:

(1) Many scholars think that this word refers to the men only who had become believers in Jesus. That is, it does not include the women and children who also had believed in him. For example:

so the number of men who believed grew to about 5,000 (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, English Standard Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(2) Some scholars think that the word may have been used here in a generic way, referring to all the people who had believed in Jesus. For example:

and the number grew to about five thousand (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because that is the usual meaning of the word.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause according to interpretation (1):

so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Therefore counting only the men, the number of believers had now reached five thousand.

grew: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as grew is literally “became.” It implies that the number of believers had increased from more than 3,000 on the day of Pentecost (2:41) to over 5,000 at this time. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

came to (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
increased/rose to

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 4:36

Paragraph 4:36–37

4:36a

Joseph: As it is clear from the description of this man in this verse, he is a different man from the other Josephs in the Bible.

a Levite: This name indicates that he was a descendant of Levi, one of Jacob’s twelve sons. God chose the Levites to be helpers at the temple. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

from the clan of Levi
-or-
a descendant of Levi (God’s Word)

from Cyprus: This phrase is literally “of Cyprus by nation/kind.” It indicates that Joseph was born on the island of Cyprus.

4:36b

whom the apostles called Barnabas: This clause in Greek is passive. Here are some ways to translate it:

• As a passive clause. For example:

who was called Barnabas by the apostles

• As an active clause. For example:

and the apostles called him Barnabas (Contemporary English Version)

meaning Son of Encouragement: This phrase is a Hebrew idiom. It indicates that Barnabas often encouraged others. The phrase Son of does not indicate that he was the son of someone named Encouragement. In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

which means “a person who encourages” (God’s Word)
-or-
which means, he was always encouraging the others

Encouragement: This word means “to give someone hope, courage, or confidence.” Here are some other ways to translate this word:

strengthens the mind/thoughts
-or-
able to give strength to our faith

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 5:31

5:31a

God exalted Him to His right hand: There are three ways to interpret the Greek grammar that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to:

(1) It means by. God exalted Jesus using his right hand. For example:

By his own right hand God has now raised him up (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, God’s Word)

(2) It means at. Jesus was already at God’s right hand when God exalted him. For example:

God exalted him at his right hand (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(3) It means to. God took Jesus from the grave and raised him to sit at his right hand. For example:

God raised him to his right side (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because “by God’s right hand” is a common expression in the Old Testament. Also there is no other place in the New Testament where this type of Greek construction clearly indicates the meaning “to,” movement to a new location. The same choice is made at 2:33.

exalted Him: Here the word exalted means “gave a high position to.” God took Jesus up to heaven and put him in the first/highest place of authority under his (God’s) own. Here are some other ways to translate this:

put him in the place of honor (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
made him great
-or-
lifted him up

Prince: The Greek word means “primary leader” or “the leader who began the group he leads.” Here are some other ways to translate this:

top leader
-or-
founding leader

Savior: This word refers to someone who rescues people from danger. Jesus as Savior indicates that he rescues believers from the danger of God’s judgment against sinners.

Here are some ways to translate Savior:

rescuer
-or-
the person who saves ⌊us/you⌋
-or-
the person who saves/rescues ⌊from sin/death⌋

5:31b

in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel: This is a purpose clause. God exalted Jesus to Prince and Savior for the purpose of giving repentance and forgiveness to Israel. Here are some other ways to translate this:

to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
to give the people of Israel the opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven (Good News Translation)

This purpose has been fulfilled. Jesus has offered repentance and forgiveness to Israel. Some people of Israel have repented and been forgiven. In some languages it is more natural to translate this fulfilled purpose clause as a result clause. For example:

and so he has granted/offered repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel

in order to grant: This Greek phrase is more literally “to give.” See the examples above.

repentance: When a person repents he does these three things:

(a) He feels sorry and sad about his past wrongdoings.

(b) He turns his back on his former ways of doing wrong.

Here are other ways to translate this word:

turning from sin
-or-
to change the way they think and act (God’s Word)
-or-
turn to him
-or-
change their hearts and lives (New Century Version)
-or-
abandon their evil behavior
-or-
regret their sins and change their livers

forgiveness of sins: Here this phrase means that God chooses not to punish a person for the evil things that he has done and thought. God cancels his guilt and treats him as though he had never done those evil things. See how you translated this phrase in 2:38.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 15:7

15:7a

After much discussion: This indicates that the people in this meeting talked for a long time about whether or not Gentile believers must be circumcised and obey all the law of Moses. But even After much discussion, they still did not agree with each other.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as discussion is the same word translated as “debate” in 15:2. See how you translated this word there. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

after a long debate (New Century Version)
-or-
after debating/arguing for a long time

15:7b–c

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel:
This probably refers to God choosing Peter from among the apostles and elders to tell Gentiles about Jesus. Other ways to translate this clause are:

God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles… (Good News Translation)
-or-
God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news (New Revised Standard Version)

15:7b

Brothers: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Brothers is literally “Men, brothers.” This address was a polite way to begin speaking to the leaders. The word Brothers indicates that Peter was also a believer. Other ways to translate this Greek phrase are:

Men, my brothers/relatives ⌊in Jesus/Christ⌋
-or-
My fellow believers

See how you translated this Greek phrase in 1:16, but remember that the leaders here were probably only men.

in the early days: In Greek, this is literally “from days of long ago” or “from the days of the beginning.” Here it refers to when God directed Peter to speak to Cornelius (Acts chapter 10). Scholars estimate this phrase to indicate ten or perhaps fifteen years here. For example:

in the years soon after Jesus’ resurrection
-or-
many/some years ago

among you: Peter was an apostle. He was speaking to the apostles and elders (15:6). In some languages, for him to say that God chose among you will imply that Peter was not an apostle or an elder. If that is true in your language, you may want to indicate that he is an apostle. For example:

among the apostles and elders
-or-
among us(incl)

15:7c

that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel: This clause indicates the purpose for which God chose Peter. Other ways to translate this are:

that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
in order that the Gentiles hear the message of the Gospel by/from my lips
-or-
(chose) me to preach to the Gentiles so they would hear the message of the gospel (NET Bible)

Gentiles: The word Gentiles here refers to non-Jewish people in general.

from my lips: In Greek, this is literally “by my mouth.” This is an idiom that means “by my speech/talking.” Here it indicates that God sent Peter, and Peter himself told the gospel to the Gentiles. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

by my voice/speaking
-or-
from me personally/myself
-or-
by me

the message of the gospel: This phrase refers to what the gospel says. In some languages it is more natural to omit the phrase the message of. For example:

the Good News (Good News Translation)

gospel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gospel means “good news.” In the New Testament this word refers to the good news that Jesus is the person whom God sent to be our Savior and whom God raised from the dead. Other ways to translate this word are:

good/sweet news
-or-
good news ⌊about Jesus⌋
-or-
good news ⌊from God⌋
-or-
message/report that causes joy

Be sure that the word or phrase you choose does not refer only to a story that is not true or to a news report. If you have translated Matthew or Mark, see how you translated this word in Matthew 4:23 or Mark 1:1.

and believe: After hearing the gospel, some people believe it. Believing is the implied result of hearing the gospel. In some languages it will be more natural to make the idea of result explicit. For example:

and ⌊so⌋ believe
-or-
and ⌊then⌋ believe

In some languages a literal translation of and would clearly imply result here.

believe: This word refers to believing the gospel about Jesus. In some languages what is believed must be explicit. For example:

believe ⌊it⌋
-or-
accept it as true
-or-
believe/trust ⌊in Jesus⌋

See how you translated this word in 4:4 or a similar word in 2:44 (“believers”).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 15:39

15:39a

Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company: Paul and Barnabas disagreed so much that they each went to different places. This verse does not say whether they became angry or not. Other ways to translate this clause are:

And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
There was a sharp argument, and they separated: (Good News Translation)

15:39b

Cyprus: This name refers to a large island in the Mediterranean Sea west of Syria. It is 240 kilometers (150 miles) wide.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021