complete verse (Acts 11:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 11:8:

  • Uma: “I answered: ‘No indeed, Lord! I have never-yet eaten an animal that is taboo/forbidden or dirty according to the custom of our (excl.) religion.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But I said, ‘I won’t, Sir. As long as I have lived, I have never yet eaten anything defiled or forbidden.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I answered, ‘Not me, Lord, because I have not yet eaten anything unclean like that which is forbidden by the law.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Whereupon I said, ‘I emphatically don’t-want-to, Lord, because I have eaten-for-viand absolutely nothing that we (excl.) Jews consider-taboo.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “However, I replied saying, ‘Oh, I can’t do like that, Lord, for as long as I’ve been in the world, I haven’t trespassed by eating any food which is forbidden by our (excl.) handed-down law.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Peter's Vision

The following is a 19th century stained glass window from the Church of St. Peter in Nottingham, United Kingdom:

Source: Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Original source: Flickr

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

Translation commentary on Acts 11:7 – 11:8

On these verses see 10.13-14.

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 .