spirit/demon comes (out)

The Greek that is translatede as “spirit/demon comes (out)” in various forms in English is translated in
Izii as “spirit/demon pour (out),” because “ephe (‘come’), sounds as if the demons are human beings. We use only ephe for human beings.” (Source: Samuel Iyoku in The Bible Translator 1977, p. 404ff. )

complete verse (Acts 19:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 19:12:

  • Uma: “Even handkerchiefs or sarongs that Paulus had used, if they were carried to the sick, they at once got well, and if there were demons that were bothering them, they fled as well.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Even handkerchiefs only and towels that he had used, if (they were) brought to the sick, they were healed from their sicknesses and the demons came out of them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “because even a handkerchief or a towel that he used, they would take to the sick people and those who were afflicted by demons, and they would be cured.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because even a handkerchief or rag that he used, if they took it to those who were sick or possessed by an evil-spirit, they became-well while also the spirits left them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Proof was, as long as a small-cloth or cloth-belt was able to be caused to touch his body and then also to touch sick persons, their illness stopped, or the evil-spirit possessing would leave.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 19:11 – 19:12

These two verses are similar to 5.15 in that they serve as a summary and are also a transition to the following account concerning the sons of Sceva.

Through Paul is literally “through the hands of Paul.” Although in most contexts the expression “through the hands of Paul” would be considered a Semitism to identify the agent of an action, many commentators understand the phrase here as one which must be taken literally. That is, the unusual miracles were performed by actual contact between Paul and the persons on whom he performed these miracles. The introduction of Paul as a secondary agent, as indicated in the phrase through Paul, may be expressed in different ways in different languages—for example, “God was causing Paul to perform unusual miracles,” “God was performing unusual miracles; he was causing Paul to do them,” or “God was performing unusual miracles; Paul was doing these for God.”

Handkerchiefs and aprons translate words which are of Latin origin, and probably should be taken as things that were worn by Paul in his work. The handkerchief would have been the “sweat rag” which was worn on the head, and the apron would have been the workman’s apron. He had used translates the literal expression “from his skin” (New English Bible “which had been in contact with his skin”).

Their diseases were driven away may be rendered as “these handkerchiefs and aprons caused their diseases to disappear.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 19:12

19:12a

so that: Here this conjunction introduces a result. In some languages a different conjunction would be used. For example:

and so

even: This word indicates that the miracles of healing by handkerchief or apron were more extraordinary than what Luke was thinking of in 19:11.

handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊people⌋ took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him to the sick

handkerchiefs: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as handkerchiefs can also refer to pieces of cloth used for wiping away sweat. These pieces of cloth could also be tied around the head to prevent sweat from going into the eyes.

aprons: This word refers to cloths tied in the front. Some workmen wore them to protect their clothing from spills, dirt, or other things.

that had touched him: This phrase in Greek is literally “taken from his skin.” It indicates that Paul wore or used these handkerchiefs and aprons. Then people took them to heal the sick. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

that had touched his skin (English Standard Version)
-or-
he had used (Good News Translation)
-or-
that had touched Paul’s body (Contemporary English Version)

were taken to the sick: It is implied that the handkerchiefs and aprons were placed on the sick people. In some languages a literal translation would not imply that. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in your translation. For example:

were taken to the sick ⌊and placed on them⌋

19:12b

the diseases: This clause in Greek is literally “to be taken away the illnesses from them.” It indicates that the sick people became well.

This clause is passive. Some languages must translate it as an active or intransitive clause. For example:

⌊God⌋ cured their illnesses
-or-
diseases left them (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
their illnesses ended ⌊and they became well⌋
-or-
they became well

19:12c

and evil spirits left them: Some of the sick people also had evil spirits troubling them. The miracles of the handkerchiefs and aprons also caused the evil spirits to leave and stop troubling them. Other ways to translate this clause are:

the evil spirits came out of them (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the evil spirits ⌊stopped troubling them and⌋ left

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.