travel through the whole island

In Kahua, unsurprisingly for an island language, there is a basic contrast in verbs of motion between travel by land and travel by sea. In Acts 13:4 it was explicit that Barnabas and Saul “sailed” to Cyprus, but once on the island, did they travel around by sea or by land? The translators assumed that the statement that is translated into English as “traveled through the whole island” implied travel by land, and used the appropriate verb.

complete verse (Acts 13:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 13:6:

  • Uma: “They traveled all over that island, until they arrived at the town of Pafos. There they met a Yahudi, his name Baryesus. In the Yunani language, his name was Elimas. That Elimas was a magician/sleigh-of-hand-artist with much magic [lit., knowledge], and he also said that he was a prophet of God. He was friends with the governor of that island, Sergius Paulus his name. The governor was a smart person. He called Barnabas and Saulus to meet with him, because he wanted to hear the Word of God. But Elimas, that magician, refuted their words, because he wanted to block-the-way so that the governor wouldn’t believe in Yesus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They went-over/crossed-over that island until they reached the village called Papos. They met there a diviner (landungan), his name was Bar-Isa. He was a Yahudi and he pretended to make-known/spread God’s word/speech.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They crossed the island to the village of Paphos, and there they met a magician who was named Barjesus. This one was a Jew who said that he was inspired by God.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they visited the various-towns in Cyprus until they arrived in Pafos. That is where-they -came-upon a Jew who was-a-spirit-medium who said he was one-through-whom-God -speaks, but it was not true. His name was Barjesus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When they had gone all over that island as far as to the other side, they came to the city of Pafos. There at Pafos, there was a Jew who was a powerful-spirit-medium who was making-himself-out-to-be-a-prophet. His name was Bar-Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

prophet

Click here to view graphically

Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo, Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

Translation commentary on Acts 13:6

Paphos, on the western end of the island, was about ninety miles from Salamis. Paphos, known as “New Paphos” in New Testament times, was the official capital of the island. Though in English one may speak of all the way across, in some languages it is necessary to employ a term which would indicate clearly that this was from one end of the island to the other, for example, “went the length of the island” or “went from one end of the island to the other end of the island.”

Met translates a verb which is literally “found,” here used in the sense of “to find by chance.”

Magician, a Persian loan word which originally referred to one who was a member of a particular kind of priesthood, had come in New Testament times to mean “sorcerer,” “magician,” or even “swindler” or “charlatan.”

Bar-Jesus in Aramaic would mean “son of Joshua,” the Greek equivalent of Joshua being Jesus (see Hebrews 4.8). “False prophets” (the literal form of the Greek) is taken by the Good News Translation in the sense of one who claimed to be a prophet. For Luke any person who spoke (a message) contrary to the Christian preaching would be classified as a “false prophet.” Since Bar-Jesus was a prophet, even though a false one, perhaps it may be necessary in some languages to say “who claimed to be a prophet of God but was not.” In this way the falseness of his activity can be made perfectly clear.

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 .