The term which introduces the direct discourse must in many languages be changed from said to “answered,” since what follows is in response to a question.

Although times refers primarily to chronological time and occasions relates basically to special periods of time, it is quite likely that in a set phrase such as this no basic distinction can be made between the two terms.

The meaningful relationships in the clause the times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority are extremely complex. In many languages, in fact, the relations must be quite completely restructured so as to make the Father the direct agent and the times and the occasions the goal, even though these are really temporal qualifications for certain events. As a result, one may need to translate this clause as “my Father alone decides just when these things will happen.” The components of set (or “establish”) and authority are often combined in a verb such as “decide.” This is reinforced by “alone,” which indicates that it is his own decision, and therefore authority.

The shifting of “the Father” to my Father is almost obligatory in English and completely so in many languages. In fact, in many languages kinship terms must always occur with so-called “possessives.” Since fathers are always in relationship to someone else, many languages require that such a person be specified in the immediate context.

The phrase it is not for you to know is equivalent in many languages to “you do not have the right to know” or “you are not permitted to know.” If an agent is required, then it must be God; that is, “God has not permitted you to know.”

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 .