Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The term that is transliterated as “Barnabas” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a combination of the signs for the letter B and “encourage” (referring to Acts 11:23). (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Barnabas” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Barnabas (source: Bible Lands 2012)
The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “Sabbath” in English is rendered as “day we rest” in Tzotzil, in Mairasi as “Jew’s Rest Day,” in Quiotepec Chinantec as “day when people of Israel rested,” in Shilluk as “day of God,” in Obolo as Usen Mbuban or “Holy Day,” and in Mandarin Chinese as ānxírì (安息日) or “rest day” (literally: “peace – rest – day”).
(Sources: Tzotzil: Marion Cowan in Notes on Translation with Drill, p. 169ff; Mairasi: Enggavoter 2004; Quiotepec Chinantec: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.; Shilluk: Nida 1964, p. 237; Obolo: Enene Enene; Chinese: Jost Zetzsche)
In the old Khmer version as well as in the first new translation this term was rendered as “day of rest” (Thngai Chhup Somrak / ថ្ងៃឈប់សំរាក). Considered inadequate to convey its religious meaning (not only about cessation of work, but also in honor of Yahweh as the Creator), the committee for the Today’s Khmer Version (publ. 2005) decided to keep the Hebrew word and use its transliterated form Thgnai Sabath (ថ្ងៃសប្ប័ទ). “The Buddhist word Thngai Seil ‘day of merits’ used by some Catholics was once under consideration but was rejected because it did not receive unanimous support.” (Source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff.)
In Spanish, the translation is either día de reposo (“day of rest”) or sábado (usually: “Saturday,” derived from the Greek and Hebrew original. Nida (1947, p. 239f.) explains that problem for Spanish and other languages in its sphere of influence: “In translation ‘Sabbath’ into various aboriginal languages of Latin America, a considerable number of translators have used the Spanish sábado, ‘Saturday,’ because it is derived from the Hebrew sabbath and seems to correspond to English usage as well. The difficulty is that sábado means only ‘Saturday’ for most people. There is no religious significance about this word as the is with ‘Sabbath’ in English. Accordingly the [readers] cannot understand the significance of the persecution of Jesus because he worked on ‘Saturday.’ It has been found quite advantageous to use the translation ‘day of rest,’ for this accurately translated the Hebrew meaning of the term and resolves the problem in connection with the prohibitions placed upon some types of activities.”
In French Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts closing of the blinds of a store:
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 13:42:
Uma: “As Paulus and Barnabas left that house of prayer, the people who were gathered there said to them: ‘We(excl.) request that next Sabat Day, you come again to further explain to us (excl.) that teaching.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “After Paul had spoken, and as he and Barnabas were leaving that prayer-house, the people asked them to come back the following Saturday to tell them more about those things.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then Paul and Barnabas went out of the church and the people said to them that they should return the next Saturday so that they could cause to be understood again that which Paul had explained.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When Pablo and Barnabas were going-out, the people asked if it was possible that they repeat to teach the coming Saturday to add-on-to (lit. attach-to) what they had said.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “After that teaching was ended, when Pablo and Bernabe were now coming out, it was said to them that if possible/acceptable, would they teach those things again the following week.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
As is learned from the following verse, the subject of the verb were leaving is Paul and Barnabas, and since a new paragraph is introduced the Good News Translation has made the subject explicit. Things, a word which may also mean “words,” refers back to the content of what Paul had preached to the congregation (see Jerusalem Bible “to preach on the same theme”; New English Bible “speak on these subjects”). In some languages one may say “to tell them more about what they had already said.”
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 .
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