complete verse (Acts 10:27)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 10:27:

  • Uma: “While Petrus was talking to him, they entered into the house. What should Petrus see but that many people were already assembled.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The two of them were conversing while they were going-inside. There inside, Petros saw the many people who were gathered.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Peter talked to him then as they were going inside, and there Peter saw many people gathered in the house.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they entered conversing. Upon Pedro’s seeing the many people who had gathered there,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, they went in, continuing to talk as they went. When they had entered the house, what met Pedro’s eyes was that many people were there.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 10:27

Peter kept on talking translates a Greek present participle (as does he saw in v. 11); the present tense of the Greek verb translated found is used for the sake of making the action more vivid to the reader. The actors in the narrative are mentioned explicitly, Peter … to Cornelius as he went into the house, where he found, to avoid the possible ambiguity of the Greek text “and as he talking with him he went in and he found.”

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 .