The Good News Translation has not translated the Greek particle oun “therefore” with which this verse begins since in combination with the particle men it is resumptive, that is, transitional.

The identification of Paul and Barnabas as apostles should not cause any difficulty since a similar reference is made in 13.51. However in some languages it may be preferable to use the names Paul and Barnabas since this would make the reference somewhat more specific.

The phrase for a long time may need to be made more specific in some languages, since in a number of instances one must distinguish between time in terms of days, weeks, or months. It is probable in this context that one is dealing with weeks, and therefore one may translate “for several weeks.” However, insofar as possible one should attempt to use a term of indefinite time so as not to go beyond what the text itself suggests.

The equivalent of boldly generally comes from one of two different perspectives in communication: either from the standpoint of the speaker himself who “speaks fully,” “speaks strongly,” “speaks openly”; or from the standpoint of the receptors, for example, “speaks without concern for who is listening” or “speaks without fear of those who may listen.”

In some languages it may be necessary to specify “Lord Jesus” since a term for Lord in this particular context might refer to God. However, in view of the total context of Acts there is no special difficulty in most languages with the use of the term Lord at this point to indicate the “Lord Jesus.”

It seems highly likely in the present context that the verb “to testify to” (Revised Standard Version “bore witness to”) must be taken in the sense of proved or “showed to be true.”

The subject of this sentence (the Greek simply has “they”) is either Paul and Barnabas (from v. 1) or the apostles (from v. 3). In any event the same persons are involved.

The phrase message about his grace come from the expression “word of his grace.” Commentators are generally agreed that “word” must be taken here in the sense of message, and that the genitive construction “of his grace” means about his grace or “concerning his grace.”

The expression proved that their message about his grace was true is semantically quite complex. First of all, it is the Lord who is the subject of proved. They (Paul and Barnabas) are the subjects of the implied event of proclaiming the message, and the Lord is the subject of the event indicated by the word grace. In some languages this rather complex structure must be put together in a somewhat different form, for example, “the Lord proved that what they were saying was true when they spoke about his grace” or “the Lord proved their message was true, that message was about the Lord’s grace.” In so many languages an expression such as their message must be rendered as “what they said”; and the phrase his grace is equivalent to “his looking on them for good,” “his being kind to them,” or as in some languages, “his showing them that he loved them.”

By giving them the power to perform miracles and wonders is based on “granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands” (Revised Standard Version, which is a rather literal representation of the Greek), but “through their hands” obviously means “by (means of) them.” Thus when the phrase “by their hands” is combined with the verb “to grant” or “to give,” the meaning is “give (someone) the power (to do something).” On miracles and wonders, see 2.19.

The phrase giving them the power to perform may be rendered in many languages as “caused them to be able to perform” or even “gave them the strength to perform.” In this latter instance, however, a term for “strength” must not refer merely to physical ability.

In many languages one “performs miracles” or “does miracles,” but in some other languages a causative is required “to cause miracles to happen” or “to cause people to see miracles.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .