Translation commentary on Acts 19:4

Paul now explains the relationship between the baptism of John and the baptism of which he is speaking. A literal translation of the Greek phrase “baptism of repentance” is of little or no meaning to the English reader, because the relationship between baptism and repentance is not qualified. According to the accounts in the Gospels, John baptized only those persons who had repented (that is, turned from their sins), and for this reason the Good News Translation has made the phrase explicit: the baptism of John was for those who turned from their sins. The word people used by Luke in this verse is a term which is used throughout the Septuagint and also the New Testament to refer to the people of Israel as opposed to the Gentiles, and for that reason the Good News Translation has made this meaning explicit.

The verb of speaking in he told the people of Israel may need to be followed by direct discourse—for example, “he told the people of Israel, you must believe in the one who is coming after me. That is, you must believe in Jesus.” This will result in one direct discourse within another, but two such levels of discourse are usually not too heavy.

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 19:4

19:4a

John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance: The word of indicates that people had John the Baptist baptize them to show that they had repented of their sins. John also preached that the baptism was in expectation that the Messiah/Christ would soon come.

repentance: This word means “a change of a person’s mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible it refers specifically to a change of mind and heart about sin and about God. The person who repents is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning and to obey God. Some ways to translate repentance are:

changing heart/mind
-or-
rejecting sin

In some languages, you may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:

turning from sin to God
-or-
leaving sin behind

In some languages it will be more natural to translate repentance here with a verb or verb phrase. For example:

turned from their sins (Good News Translation)
-or-
Change your thinking/mind/heart

See how you translated this word in 5:31 or 13:24.

19:4b

He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus: The phrase the One coming after him is emphasized in the Greek. If possible, emphasize it in your translation. For example:

He told the people that the one coming after him was to be believed in, that is, in Jesus.
-or-
The one coming after him was the person that he told the people to believe in, that is, in Jesus.

In some languages direct speech must be used. For example:

He told the people, ‘You must believe in the person who will come after me,’ that is, in Jesus.

the people: The crowds that heard John the Baptist preach were mostly Jewish, but some Gentiles may have gone and listened to him. You should not translate this phrase as “the Jews.”

believe in: This phrase refers to accepting as true what a person says about himself and what he stands for. Jesus claimed to be the Christ, and a Christian believes that he is the Christ. It implies accepting and obeying the person’s teachings and entrusting himself to that person. Consider how to translate this phrase.

the One coming after him: The word after refers to later in time. John began preaching before Jesus began his ministry.

that is, in Jesus: The phrase that is indicates that the phrase in Jesus explains the phrase “in the one coming after him.” For example:

namely Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)

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