SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021 – Page 83

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 4:10

4:10a

then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: The word then connects 4:10 to the “if” in 4:9. If you did not use “if” there, you may want to introduce 4:10 with “therefore” to indicate the connection to 4:9. See the first two examples at 4:9a–b.

let this be known: The Greek phrase here is an indirect command. But some languages cannot use an indirect command here and must translate it as a direct command. For example:

know this (New International Version)

this: The word this refers to what Peter was about to say.

all of you and to all the people of Israel: The members of the Jewish Council were also people of Israel, so you may need to add “other” before people. For example:

you and all the ⌊other⌋ people of Israel

4:10b–d_

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth…that this man stands before you healed: In the Greek and in the Berean Standard Bible the phrase by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth is emphasized by being first in the sentence. In some languages it is more natural to have the by phrase after the main clause. For example:

This man stands before you healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

4:10b

by the name of: The phrase by the name of means “by the authority of.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

through the power of the name of (Good News Translation)
-or-
because of the power of (God’s Word)

Christ: The word Christ is used here as a title. It is not one of Jesus’ names. The Jews used this title to refer to the special person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. See how you translated this term in 2:31.

of Nazareth: Peter identified Jesus by naming his hometown, Nazareth. He was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth and still lived there when he began his ministry. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

from Nazareth (New Century Version)

4:10c_

whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead: The Berean Standard Bible adds the word but, because the second whom also refers to Jesus. In some languages the word “and” would be more natural. For example:

whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead

These two clauses tell the reader more about Jesus. They do not separate Jesus from other men named Jesus. For the correct meaning in some languages, translators must avoid the word whom. For example:

You crucified Jesus Christ of Nazareth and/but God raised him from the dead. It is in name of Jesus that this man stands…

whom you crucified: Roman soldiers had crucified Jesus, but Peter blamed the Jewish leaders of killing him, because they demanded that Pilate have him killed. They were responsible for Jesus being killed.

crucified: The word crucified refers to killing someone by nailing or tying him to a cross made of wood, then setting the cross upright and waiting until the person died. This was a Roman way to cause criminals to die a slow and painful death. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

killed/executed on a cross
-or-
nailed/tied to a cross ⌊to kill him⌋

killed by nailing to a plank/wood of death
-or-
killed on crossed beam(s) of death

whom God raised from the dead: The phrase from the dead indicates that Jesus was among the dead people but then God raised him and caused him to be alive again.

God: This word refers here to the eternal spirit who created everything. See how you translated this word in 1:3.

4:10d

that this man stands before you healed: The phrase this man stands before you indicates that the man was standing with Peter and John in front of the Sanhedrin. It describes the man as standing there. Then Peter indicates that he is healed. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

this man standing before you; he is well/healthy
-or-
this man who stands before you was/is healed

healed: The Greek adjective that the Berean Standard Bible translates as healed indicates that the man was completely healthy and well. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

well (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
with a healthy body (God’s Word)

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 5:16

5:16a

Crowds: The Greek word is singular and refers in general to a large number of people. A large number of people gathered from the towns around Jerusalem. Here are some other ways to translate this:

A great number of people (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
A lot of people (Contemporary English Version)

gathered: The Greek tense indicates an ongoing action. More people gathered each day (and probably went home later). For example:

were gathering ⌊each day⌋
-or-
were coming

the towns around Jerusalem: The word around probably indicates that these towns were as much as one or more days walk away.

towns: The Greek word here probably refers any size town. Some languages would use “village” for the general word for this meaning. Other languages would use “city” for the general word.

5:16b

those tormented by unclean spirits: This clause is passive. Some languages must translate it as an active clause. For example:

those whom evil spirits tormented

tormented by unclean spirits: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tormented indicates an ongoing action at this time. For example:

who were being tormented by evil spirits
-or-
whom evil spirits were tormenting

tormented: This word refers to causing physical or mental pain or annoying someone. Here are some other ways to translate this:

troubled (God’s Word)
-or-
disturbed (New American Bible, Revised Edition)
-or-
harassed (Revised English Bible)
-or-
were being caused pain

unclean spirits: The spirits are unclean in the sense that they have rebelled against God and do evil things. Consider how to translate that meaning in your language.

spirits: This refers to beings who do not have a body. Here it does not refer to the spirits of dead people.

5:16c

all of them were healed: The Greek tense indicates an ongoing action at that time. God was healing people, probably every day. It does not imply that each healing took a long time. For example:

They were all being healed (NET Bible)
-or-
who were all being healed (LEB)

The clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊God⌋ was healing all of them

This clause refers to both God making the sick people well and God removing the evil spirits from people. In some languages a separate clause must be used to refer to making well the people with evil spirits. For example:

all of them were healed and the evil spirits were removed/cast-away

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 6:7

Paragraph 6:7

6:7a

6:7 is a general comment about what was happening in Jerusalem in connection to the believers.

So: The Greek word is usually translated as “and” or “but.” Here it indicates a new part of the story. For example:

And (Revised Standard Version)

The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So may have the meaning of “therefore.” This meaning is also possible here.

In some languages omitting this word is more natural. For example:

God’s message went spread

the word of God continued to spread: This clause indicates that people in more and more places heard the message from God and believed it. The Greek tense indicates an ongoing action. For example:

The word of God was spreading
-or-
the word of God continued to spread (Good News Translation)

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

⌊people⌋ in more and more places ⌊believed⌋ the word of God

the word of God: This phrase refers to the message that God told the apostles to tell others. It implies the gospel of Jesus. It does not refer to a single word. See how you translated this phrase in 4:31 or 6:2.

6:7b

The number of disciples in Jerusalem: This phrase refers the believers who lived in Jerusalem or perhaps met regularly there.

disciples: This word refers to people who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. It does not refer only to the first twelve disciples. See how you translated this word in 6:1.

grew rapidly: The Greek tense indicates an ongoing action. For example:

was increasing rapidly (Revised English Bible)
-or-
continued to increase much/greatly

6:7c

a great number: This phrase is literally “a large crowd.” It perhaps treats the priests who believed in Jesus as a group. It indicates that there were many of them. Here are some other ways to translate this:

a great many (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
a large group (New American Bible, Revised Edition)

priests: Jewish priests were men who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. They also performed other rituals for the people. See how you translated this word in 4:1.

became obedient to the faith: Here the word faith refers to believing in Jesus. This phrase indicates that the priests believed in Jesus. It does not mean that they obeyed but did not believe.

The Greek tense indicates an ongoing action. It probably indicates that each of these priests decided in his own time rather than all of them deciding together. Here are some other ways to translate this:

began obeying Jesus, one after another
-or-
believed and obeyed (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 15:24

15:24a–25b

In the Greek, 15:24–25 is one sentence and 15:24a begins with the word “since.” This word introduces the reason (15:24) for what the apostles and elders agreed to do in 15:25. The Berean Standard Bible begins 15:25 with “So” to translate this connection.

15:24a

our: This pronoun refers to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

some went out from us: There is a textual issue here.

(1) Some early Greek manuscripts have the verb that means went out. For example:

some who went from our group (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version)

(2) Some early Greek manuscripts do not have that verb. For example:

some persons from us (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), because the UBS Handbook Greek NT supports it.

us: This pronoun probably refers generally to the believers in Jerusalem, including the apostles and elders.

without our authorization: This phrase indicates that the apostles and elders did not tell anyone to go to Antioch and preach that believers must be circumcised. For example:

without any authority from ourselves (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
with no orders from us (NET Bible)

In some languages it is necessary or more natural to translate this phrase as a separate clause. For example:

they had not, however, received any instruction from us (Good News Translation )
-or-
but we did not tell them to go

If that is true in your language, you may need to move this phrase to the end of the verse. Here is another way to translate this:

We have heard that some of our group have come to you and said things that trouble and upset you. But we did not tell them to do this. (New Century Version)

15:24b

unsettled: This verb refers to being upset emotionally and mentally. The false teachers from Jerusalem upset the believers by teaching that they must be circumcised. This was contrary to what the believers had learned from Paul and others. Other ways to translate this word are:

troubled (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
upset (Good News Translation)

troubling your minds by what they said: The Greek is literally “unsettling your souls.” The Greek verb refers to a figurative “destroying” or “demolishing” something. The false teachers tried to destroy the ways of living by faith of the believers. Other ways to translate this are:

destroying your peace of mind
-or-
causing you to be distressed
-or-
troubled you deeply

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 16:15

16:15a

And when she and her household had been baptized: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. The verse does not say who baptized them. Probably Paul or one of his companions baptized them. For example:

When ⌊we⌋ baptized her and the members of her household

her household: This phrase would include her servants and children if she had any still living at home. This might include her husband, but the phrase “her household” probably indicates that she was a widow. Other family members may have lived in her house. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the people who lived with her
-or-
the people of her house (Good News Translation)

baptized: Here this word refers to the Christian ritual that uses water. Christians differ about what baptism is and what it accomplishes. Two major beliefs are that through Christian baptism:

(a) God unites and identifies a person with Christ so that his sins are forgiven and he becomes a follower of Christ.

(b) A person declares or shows that he has decided to follow Christ and he believes that God forgives his sins through Christ.

There are two usual ways that water is used in this ritual:

(a) A person is put completely under the water and then brought out of the water.

(b) Water is poured, sprinkled, or put on a person’s head.

Because of these different beliefs and practices concerning baptism, it is recommended that you use a word or phrase that is general enough to be acceptable to all Christians.

See how you translated this word in 1:5 or 11:16.

16:15b

she urged us: This clause in Greek is literally “she urged/begged us, saying.” What she said (16:15c–d) indicates that Lydia wanted to feed them, give them beds for sleeping, and generally take care of them. Other ways to translate the Greek clause are:

she invited us
-or-
she said to us

16:15c–d

If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house: This If-clause is used rhetorically. Paul and the others knew that she was a believer, because they baptized her. Lydia knew they would say “yes” to If you consider me a believer in the Lord. Then they would feel they should also say “yes” to staying at her house. This saying obligates them to agree to stay with her. Using If is also more polite than saying “since,” because using If makes this sentence a request, but using “since” would make this sentence a demand.

In some languages, using an “if” clause would have a different meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

You consider me a believer in the Lord. So please, come and stay at my house.
-or-
Do you consider me a believer in the Lord? ⌊Certainly!⌋ So would you consider to come and stay at my house?

16:15c

If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house: The Greek words are literally “saying, ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord.’” With the words of 16:15c–d, Lydia urged/begged them (16:15b). For example:

saying, “If you think I am truly a believer in the Lord… (New Century Version)

In some languages the clause in 16:15b is all that is needed to introduce the spoken words. For example:

“If you think I really do have faith in the Lord (Contemporary English Version)

a believer in: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as believer here has two meanings:

(1) Here it means a believer. For example:

a true believer in (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, REV, New Century Version)

(2) Here it means faithful. For example:

to be faithful to (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, English Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because Lydia began believing in Jesus only a short time ago, so it would be hard to show faithfulness in that short a time.

Lord: Here Lord probably refers to Jesus. In some languages it is more clear to include the name. For example:

Lord ⌊Jesus⌋

16:15d

stay at my house: Lydia wanted to feed them, give them beds for sleeping, and generally take care of them. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

let me be hospitable to you at my house
-or-
allow me to take care of you at my house

16:15e

she persuaded us: The Greek tense may indicate that Paul and the others did not immediately agree, but Lydia continued urging them until they did. The New Jerusalem Bible implies this in its translation:

she would take no refusal (New Jerusalem Bible)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 17:7

17:7a

Jason has welcomed them into his home: This clause indicates that Jason gave meals and a place to sleep in his house to Paul and Silas. He took care of their needs while in his house. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Jason has taken them into his house (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
Jason is caring for them in his house
-or-
they have been staying at Jason’s (New Jerusalem Bible)

17:7b

They…all: This phrase in Greek is literally “all these (men).” It indicates that the crowd thought that Paul and Silas were bad people. The word all probably includes all Christians and exaggerates the threat that the crowd claimed them to be. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

All of these ⌊bad⌋ men
-or-
These people…all

defying Caesar’s decrees: The word decrees refer to commands by a leader. In this case, Caesar wrote them. The Roman senate (the group that made Roman laws) did not pass or affirm these decrees, so they were not laws in that sense.

Years earlier Caesar decreed that people were not allowed to predict the future, predict the death of the emperor, or predict a new emperor. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

acting against the decrees of Caesar (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
have broken Caesar’s edicts (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
oppose what Caesar has decreed

Caesar’s: This word is the possessive form of the family name of the first five Roman emperors. The last, Nero, was ruling at this time. He was the leader of the Romans and all the people groups that the Romans had conquered.

If people in your area are not familiar with this name, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

The word “Caesar” was the surname of the highest leader of the city of Rome and of the Roman empire.

17:7c

saying that there is another king, named Jesus: This clause explains what the crowd meant by “defying Caesar’s decrees.” They implied here that believers were rebelling against the Roman government by saying Jesus was the most important ruler and not Caesar. Other ways to translate this clause are:

by claiming that there is another king, Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
by claiming that someone named Jesus is king (Contemporary English Version)

another king: To Greeks, this phrase would refer to a rival leader to Caesar. So these Jews claimed that the Christians wanted Jesus to replace Caesar. For example:

rival king (Revised English Bible)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 18:5

Paragraph 18:5–6

18:5a–b

And when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself fully to the word: There are two ways to interpret the Greek words here:

(1) Silas and Timothy arrived, then Paul devoted himself to preaching full-time. For example:

After Silas and Timothy had arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to preaching (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) Silas and Timothy arrived and found Paul already devoted to preaching full-time. For example:

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

18:5a

Macedonia: Macedonia was a Roman province of Greek speaking people.

Luke has mentioned Macedonia several times in chapter sixteen, so you may not need to explain that it is a province here, as in the Berean Standard Bible. But chapter seventeen does not mention Macedonia, so you may want to explain again that it is a province. For example:

⌊the province of⌋ Macedonia

18:5b

Paul devoted himself fully to the word:
Here this clause indicates that Paul began at this time to preach the message about Jesus full-time. He stopped working as a tentmaker. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Paul gave his whole time to preaching the message (Good News Translation)
-or-
Paul devoted all his time to preaching (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
After this, Paul spent all his time telling people the Good News, (New Century Version)

18:5c

testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ: This phrase in Greek is literally “testifying to the Jews the Christ to be Jesus.” The Jews in Corinth knew the prophecies about the coming Christ, but may not have heard about Jesus. So Paul explained to them that the prophecies about the Christ were fulfilled in Jesus. For example:

testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus (Revised Standard Version)

The meaning of “the Christ was Jesus” is the same as “Jesus was the Christ.” But “the Christ was Jesus” starts with what the Jews knew something about: the Christ. The New International Version and many English versions follow the order usually found in the New Testament: “Jesus…Christ.”

testifying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as testifying means here “proclaim earnestly.” Paul had an important message for both Jews and Greeks. Other ways to translate this are:

telling the truth about
-or-
bearing witness
-or-
made it clear

the Christ: The word Christ means “the anointed one.” The Jews used it to refer to the special person God promised to send to save them from their enemies. The Hebrew word with the same meaning is written “Messiah” in English. Here Paul was trying to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ/Messiah. See how you translated this word in 2:31 or 17:3.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 19:9

19:9a

But when some of them stubbornly refused to believe: This clause refers to resisting something. These people began to oppose Paul and the message about Jesus. Other ways to translate this clause are:

some were becoming hardened (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
some were stubborn (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
some made their heads hard
-or-
some of them closed their hearts

stubbornly refused to believe: It is implied that they refused to believe in Paul’s message about Jesus.

19:9b

publicly: This phrase in Greek is literally “before the crowd.” It probably refers to all the people in the synagogue. For example:

before the whole group (Good News Translation)
-or-
before the people (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
everyone ⌊in the synagogue⌋

maligned: This word in Greek is literally “speaking evil of.” For example:

reviling (NET Bible)
-or-
they said evil things about (Good News Translation)
-or-
spoke offensively about (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

the Way: This name refers to the beliefs of Christians and living as Christians. It is used as a title. In some languages a literal translation would not have that meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

the Way of the Lord (Good News Translation)
-or-
the Way of Jesus (New Century Version)

• Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This name refers to the beliefs of Christians and living as Christians.

See how you translated this phrase in 9:2.

19:9c

Paul took his disciples and left: This clause in Greek is literally “having withdrawn from them.” Paul withdrew from the conflict with the people at the synagogue. Other ways to translate this clause are:

he withdrew from them (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Paul left the synagogue (New Living Translation (2004))

Paul probably left at the end of the three months (19:8). In some languages a literal translation would be confusing regarding how this verse relates to the three months and the two years (19:10). If that is true in your language, explain when this occurred here. For example:

⌊at the end of the three months⌋ Paul left them

his disciples: The phrase his disciples refers to all the believers at Ephesus. See how you translated this word in 19:1.

19:9d

to conduct daily discussions: Paul probably discussed the gospel about Jesus. In some languages a literal translation would not imply discussing the gospel. If that is true in your language, you may want to include the implied information. For example:

had discussions ⌊about Jesus⌋
-or-
had discussions ⌊about the gospel⌋

Paul had these discussions with other people. It was not limited to Jews or any other group. In some languages who Paul discussed these things must be explicit. For example:

had discussions ⌊about Jesus⌋ ⌊with others⌋
-or-
had discussions ⌊about the gospel⌋ ⌊with anyone who wanted to⌋

lecture hall: This phrase refers to a building or large room used for teaching or discussing philosophy. For example:

teaching place
-or-
school (New American Standard Bible)

of Tyrannus: The word of probably indicates that Tyrannus was the owner of the building. Or he may have been the main teacher there, or both.

Search

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2021