SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021 – Page 19

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 24:21

24:21a

unless it was this one thing I called out as I stood in their presence: Paul believed what he said in 24:21b–c to be true. But he knew it was no crime to believe that. The Pharisees also believed in resurrection. So he used the word unless only to make the leaders admit that it was no crime to believe in resurrection.

In some languages, a literal translation would wrongly indicate that Paul thought his statement in 24:21b–c was a crime. If so, include some implied information or translate unless in a different way. For example:

unless ⌊they want to now make a crime of this:⌋ I shouted this one thing as I stood in their presence
-or-

But I did shout one thing when I stood before them: (New Century Version)
-or-
They can tell you only that while I stood among them I shouted this one thing ⌊which was not wrong/unlawful⌋,

24:21b–c

It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today: Here Paul quoted what he said in 23:6. It is not an exact quote, but there is no important difference in meaning.

The phrase concerning the resurrection of the dead is emphasized in the Greek clause by being first in it. English emphasizes it in a similar way but must begin with the words It is to be natural. If possible translate the emphasis in a natural way. Another way to translate the emphasis in English is:

Concerning the resurrection of the dead, that is what I am on trial about today before you!

24:21c

before you: The pronoun you here refers to the members of the Sanhedrin. (Paul quoted here what he said in 23:6.) It does not refer to Felix.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 25:26

25:26a

have nothing definite to write: It was necessary for Festus to send Paul so that Caesar would hear his case. But the issues involved were about the Jewish religion and not Roman law, so Festus did not know what to tell Caesar about the case to help him decide it, nor even how to describe the charges against him. Other ways to translate this clause are:

have no certain thing to write (King James Version)
-or-
don’t have anything reliable to write (God’s Word)
-or-
have nothing specific to write (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

our sovereign one: This phrase in Greek is literally “the lord.” The Greek word means “master, ruler, owner.” The word refers to Caesar here. Caesar ruled over the whole Roman empire. It does not refer to God here. It does not imply that Festus was calling Caesar a god. Other ways to translate this Greek word are:

my lord (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
our lord/master/leader, ⌊Caesar⌋

25:26b–c

I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa: This clause emphasizes that Festus particularly wanted King Agrippa to listen to Paul and question him. For example:

I have brought him before you all and particularly before you, King Agrippa (Revised English Bible)

25:26d

after this inquiry: Festus hoped that the people here would be more familiar with the issues surrounding the Jewish accusations against Paul and so would know the right questions to ask Paul. Then Festus would be able to clearly tell Caesar what the case was about. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

after investigating his case (Good News Translation)
-or-
we will question him and as a result

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 26:31

26:31a

On their way out: The Greek word is literally “having withdrawn.” Here it refers to leaving the place where Paul was. For example:

after leaving (Good News Translation)

they said to one another: These words indicate that the king, governor, Bernice, and the others all discussed what they had seen and heard. The words they said to one another introduce a summary of what they agreed upon. Other ways to translate these words are:

they talked together and agreed (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
they said to each other (Good News Translation)

26:31b

This man has done nothing: The past tense on has done refers generally to Paul’s life as a Christian, including the things he said in 26:4–29. It does not refer only to the last thing Paul said or did before they left the room. In some languages a different tense or time phrase will indicate the correct meaning. For example:

All that he has been doing is not
-or-
This man has not done anything (Good News Translation)
-or-

There is no reason why this man should die or be put in jail. (New Century Version)

See also the examples in the previous note.

worthy of death: The phrase worthy of death means that someone deserves to be punished with death. Some laws require that officials kill people who have done certain crimes. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

should die (Good News Translation)
-or-
requires the death penalty

imprisonment: The Greek word is literally “things-that-tie.” It refers to ropes or chains or prison that keep someone from going where he wants. Other ways to translate this word are:

being tied/bound/chained
-or-
having ropes/chains hold me
-or-
being in prison

See how you translated this word in 26:29 (“chains”).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 27:31

27:31a

But: This verse in the Greek has no conjunction at the beginning. But there is possible contrast between what the sailors are doing and what Paul said. This is why the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions begin this verse with the word But

centurion: Translate this word as you did in 27:11.

27:31b

you cannot be saved: This clause refers to dying during the storm. Other ways to translate this clause are:

you cannot survive
-or-
you won’t have any chance to save your lives (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You will all die (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you cannot reach safety (Revised English Bible)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 28:19

28:19a

the Jews: Paul implied the Jewish leaders here. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate Jews in general. If so, include the implied information:

the Jewish ⌊leaders⌋

objected: The Greek word is literally “spoke against.” The Jewish leaders told the Roman authorities that Paul had committed crimes against the Jewish people and against God and did not want the Romans to set him free. For example:

opposed this (Good News Translation)

28:19b

I was compelled: The Jewish leaders did not want the Romans to release Paul. This caused Paul to have no other way to avoid being killed by the Jewish leaders than to appeal to Caesar. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

I felt it necessary (New Living Translation (2004))

appeal to Caesar: Paul asked that Caesar decide whether the accusations against him were true or not. See how you translated a similar phrase in 25:11 (“I appeal to Caesar”) or 26:32 (“if he had not appealed to Caesar”).

28:19c

even though I have no charge to bring against my nation: This indicates that Paul would not accuse the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem of wrong doing when he went to the Roman court. That was not the reason he appealed to Caesar. Paul reassured the Jewish leaders in Rome of this. For example:

even though I had no accusation to make against my own people (Good News Translation)

my nation: This refers to the Jews. Other ways to translate this are:

my own people (New International Version)
-or-
my own people, ⌊the Jews⌋

Paul included the Jewish leaders in this phrase.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 1:5

1:5a–b

For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit: Here the word For introduces an explanation of why the disciples should wait (1:4c). A few days from this time the Holy Spirit would come.

1:5a

baptized with water: The verb baptized means to purify people with a special ritual that uses water. Here the ritual involved purification from sin. It did not mean that the person was cleaned to remove dirt. Baptism was an initiation that marked the beginning of a person’s life as one of God’s pure people.

Here are some ways to translate baptized:

• Use a descriptive term. For example:

ritually wash
-or-
initiate people in/with water
-or-
immerse people in water for God
-or-
sprinkle/shower people with God’s initiation water

• Use a term for a similar ritual that is already used in your culture. You may need to indicate that it has a special connection with God here. For example:

purify people with God’s ceremonial bath
-or-
wash people in initiation water for God

• Use a term that is already accepted by the local churches. In some areas this term may have been borrowed from the national language or transliterated from Greek or English.

Churches use different ways to baptize people. Choose a term that is acceptable to the different churches in your area.

1:5b

but: This conjunction indicates a contrast between what John the Baptist did in 1:5a and what God will do in 1:5b.

in a few days: Here this phrase refers to a time period of about ten days. Your translation should allow for that many days.

you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit: The word baptized here is a metaphor. It indicates that God would send the Holy Spirit to stay in them and help them. Some languages will have difficulty using baptized as a metaphor. If that is true in your language, you may need to:

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor in your translation. For example:

you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit ⌊when he is given to you⌋ ⌊and remains in you⌋

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

you will be given the Holy Spirit ⌊and he will remain in you⌋
-or-
the Holy Spirit will be caused to live in you

You may then want to explain the literal words in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

Literally: “you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” This uses “baptized” as a metaphor that refers to God causing the Holy Spirit to live in believers and help them.

• Translate literally and explain in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

The word “baptized” here is a metaphor. It indicates that God would send the Holy Spirit to stay in the believers and help them. Acts 2:1–4 describes the first time when God “baptized” them with the Holy Spirit.

you will be baptized: This clause is passive. Here are some ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb, as in the Berean Standard Bible.

• Use an active verb. For example:

⌊God⌋ will baptize you

with the Holy Spirit: The word with is used as a metaphor. Here it indicates that God would cause the Holy Spirit to live in believers and always be there to help them. Luke uses the word with to indicate the difference from the effect of John’s baptism to what God would do for believers.

In some languages a literal translation would not have that meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

by ⌊giving you⌋ the Holy Spirit
-or-
by ⌊causing⌋ the Holy Spirit ⌊to live in you⌋

General Comment on 1:5a–b

If possible, use the same word for “baptize” in the phrases “baptized with water” and “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Doing this will help show the contrast. For example:

John put you in water, but God will put the Holy Spirit ⌊in your hearts/minds⌋.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2:11

2:11a

Jews: This word refers to people born to parents who are Jews.

converts to Judaism: This phrase refers to non-Jewish people who had become Jews by doing the religious rites necessary to declare that they follow the Jewish religion. These people had stopped following their old religion. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Gentiles converted to Judaism (Good News Translation)
-or-
proselytes (New Jerusalem Bible)

2:11b

Cretans: In the context of this list, Cretans refers to Jews who grew up on the island of Crete. The island of Crete is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea south of Greece.

Arabs: In the context of this list, Arabs refers to Jews who grew up in the region of Arabia. Arabia was west of Mesopotamia and east and south of Syria and present-day Israel.

2:11c

The list of places and peoples ended in 2:11b. In 2:11c the crowd spoke of the amazement regarding the Galileans speaking their languages. In some languages this change of topic would imply contrast. For example:

⌊But⌋ we hear them…

we hear them declaring…in our own tongues: This clause indicates that each person in the crowd heard a believer speaking in that person’s language. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

all of us hear them speaking in our own languages (Good News Translation)
-or-
we hear them preaching in our own language (New Jerusalem Bible)

the wonders of God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wonders means “mighty acts” or “great deeds.” It probably refers to what God did for mankind through Jesus. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the mighty deeds of God (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
the great things that God has done (Good News Translation)
-or-
God’s deeds of power (New Revised Standard Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2:44

2:44a

All the believers were together: This clause indicates that the believers were a community within the city. The details of how this community was together is not clear. They probably met and visited with each other often. Some of them may have moved to the same part of the city as many of the other believers.

believers: This word refers to people who believe the gospel about Jesus. Some languages must say who is believed in. For example:

believers ⌊in Jesus⌋
-or-

⌊Jesus⌋ believers

2:44b

had everything in common: This phrase refers to the possessions of the believers. They all regarded everything as belonging to everyone. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

shared their belongings with one another (Good News Translation)
-or-
all their things were in a place where anyone could use them

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021