19Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews.
The Greek that is transliterated as “Antioch” in English means “driven against.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997)
In Western Lawa it is given the prefix weīyng (เวียง) to denote it as a larger settlement.
David Clark (in The Bible Translator 2013, p. 54ff. ) explains: “Place names often present difficulties in minority languages in Thailand, where it is normal to prefix unfamiliar names with a ‘classifier’ to show whether the name refers to a town, village, river, mountain, island, and so on. The problem in many such languages is that whereas English has numerous terms for human settlements of different size and importance (metropolis, conurbation, city, town, village, hamlet, etc.), they have only two terms. Generally, one refers to a metropolis like Bangkok, and the other to virtually all other settlements. This kind of contrast does not transfer well into the historical and cultural setting of the Bible, where even quite large towns were relatively small by modern standards. Especially in the Old Testament, what the Hebrew text calls ‘cities’ (because they had a wall) would often be classed as no more than villages in Thai minority languages. What many translators have done is to apply the term for a larger settlement to places of importance in the narrative, even if they were not very large in absolute terms. Thus in Lawa, Antioch, which is of considerable significance in Acts, is given the label for the larger size of settlement (weīyng).”
The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Cyprus” in English is translated more specifically as “the island of Cyprus” in some languages. Eastern Highland Otomi for instance has “the land of Cyprus, the little land it sits in the water,” Morelos Nahuatl has “the land-rise of Cyprus,” or Lalana Chinantec has “land in the middle of the water which is called Cyprus.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) it is translated with a sign that depicts the shape of the island and “blossoming flower” (a possible meaning of the name). (Source: Missão Kophós )
The term that is transliterated as “Stephen” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that combines “S” and the sign for “stoned” or “rocks,” referring to Acts 7:58. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Stephen” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a signs for “see” + “heaven” + “open,” referring to Acts 7:55. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.
“This window on the east wall of the sanctuary shows us St. Stephen, the first martyr to give his life for Christ. Faith and loyalty are symbolized in the top panel by the cross. You will notice that Stephen’s eyes are turned toward heaven and we recall his words: ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ The bottom section depicts the martyrdom of this great saint who was only in deacon’s orders when he met his death by stoning.”
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 )
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 11:19:
Uma: “So, beginning from the murder of Stefanus, the followers of Yesus in Yerusalem were persecuted, and many of them fled, going to the villages of others, with the result that they were scattered. There were those who arrived at the land of Fenisia, there were also those who ended up in the land of Siprus and the town of Antiokhia. Wherever they went, they announced the Word of the Lord God, but only to the Yahudi people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “During the time when Estepan was killed, the ones trusting in Isa had scattered hep because of the persecution against them. Some reached as far as the country Penisiya, Kiprus Island, and there in Antiyok. They proclaimed the good news there but to the Yahudi only.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there were some believers who ran away because of ill treatment to those who trust Jesus when Stephen was murdered. And they were scattered separating to the land of Phoenicia, and to the island in the sea which was named Cyprus, and they were also in the town of Antioch. And they told about the word of God, however only to Jews.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When the Jews killed Esteban, the believers were persecuted and they separated. There were those who went as-far-as Fenicia, Cipre and to Antiok, telling the word of God, but the ones-to-whom-they-told-it, Jews only.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, as for those other believers who had been scattered because of that persecution of them, which began at the killing of Esteban, far-away lands were where they had reached. Some had arrived in Fenicia. Others had gone to the island of Chipre. And even Antioquia, some had gone there. Every land they came to, they taught the Good News there concerning Jesus. But only Jews were whom they were teaching.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) can be used, as in mi-kotoba (みことば) or “word (of God)” in the referenced verses.
This section begins with the same words as 8.4, and indicates that the story which is about to be told took place simultaneously with the events recorded in 8.5–11.18 and not subsequent to them. In many languages it may be necessary to invert the order of clauses in the first part of verse 19 so as to highlight the connection with the persecution taking place when Stephen was killed, for example, “because of the persecution taking place when Stephen was killed, the believers were scattered,” “… the believers had to flee to other cities,” or “… to other countries.” In a number of languages it is not possible to say simply that the people had to “flee.” One must specify in as general a manner as possible either where they fled from or to what types of places they fled.
Phoenicia was the coastal plain along northern Palestine which included the cities of Tyre and Sidon. Cyprus (see Barnabas in 4.36) was a large island lying off the coast of Asia Minor and Syria. Antioch (see Nicolaus in 6.5) was the capital of the imperial province of Syria; it was located about fifteen miles from the coast, and was the third city in the Empire, next only to Rome and Alexandria.
Telling the message may require some more specific identification, for example, “telling the message about Jesus” or “telling the message about the Lord Jesus.”
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 .
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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