sign

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “sign” is translated in Huehuetla Tepehua as “thing to be marveled at” (source: Larson 1889, p. 279) and in Mairasi as “big work” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

Barnabas

The term that is transliterated as “Barnabas” in English means “son of exhortation,” “son of prophecy,” “son of consolation.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997)

In American Sign Language it is translated with a combination of the signs for the letter B and “encourage” (referring to Acts 11:23). (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Barnabas” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Barnabas (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also son of encouragement.

signs and wonders

The now commonly-used German idiom Zeichen und Wunder (literally “signs and wonders”), which today is primarily used with the meaning that something unexpected happens against rational expectations, was coined in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 90)

In Atatláhuca Mixtec it is translated as “great works that show God’s power” and in Tzotzil as “strength things that surprise.” (Source for this: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

wonder

The Greek that is often translated as “wonder” into English is different from the term that is translated as “miracle” (see miracle) since it “usually involves some unusual phenomena in nature which are a portent of dire woe or extraordinary blessing.” In Huichol these are “awe-inspiring things,” in Yucateco they are “things which show what is coming,” and in Eastern Highland Otomi the expression must be cast into the form of a verb phrase “they will amaze the people.”

silence

In Gbaya, the notion of absolute silence in the referenced verses is emphasized with the ideophone sélélé.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

See also oppressed and silence.

silent / say nothing

The Hebrew that is translated as “silent” or “say nothing” in English is translated in the Protestant Mandarin Chinese Union Version with two historical 4-character Chinese idioms: mòmò wúshēng (默默無聲 / 默默无声), mòmò bùyán (默默不言), jìngmò bù yán (靜默不言), or jìngmò wúshēng (靜默無聲 / 静默无声) all “silent (lit. “quiet – no sound [or: words]”).

See also silent / still, shut mouth / silence, and silent.

Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna 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)


“Paul (and Saul)” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a Georgian Orthodox icon of Paul the Apostle from the 14th century (located in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi).

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 )

Down below you’ll see an ivory carving that is located in the Musée national du Moyen-âge in Paris from the Byzantine empire of the 6th or early 7th century:

Source: Wikimedia

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.

Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church

“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”

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 )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

complete verse (Acts 15:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 15:12:

  • Uma: “When Petrus finished speaking, all those gathered there quieted down, [and] pondered. After that, they listened further to the words of Barnabas and Paulus, telling of the surprising signs and powerful things that they had done with the power of God while they were taking the Good News to people who are not Yahudi.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When they heard that which Petros said, they all said nothing. And they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting about the powerful and amazing works which they had done by the power of God there among the non-Yahudi tribes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then there was no longer anyone who answered him, and they listened to what Paul and Barnabas had to tell about all of the miracles that God did through them when they were among the Gentiles.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That being finished, the many-people kept-quiet to listen to Barnabas and Pablo relate concerning the amazing signs and miracles that God had-been-doing by-means-of them in their going to preach to the Gentiles.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “At that which Pedro said it’s like that crowd was silenced. They then listened to all Bernabe and Pablo related concerning the signs which were amazing things done by God through their hands in the lands of people who weren’t Jews through which they had travelled.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)