complete verse (Acts 19:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 19:7:

  • Uma: “Their number, was about twelve people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There were twelve of them in number.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They were twelve men.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Their number, it was about twelve.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The number of those men was about twelve.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 19:7

Luke has a fondness for using about as a qualifier of numbers (see 1.15; 2.41; 10.3). It is quite possible that in each case Luke intends for the reader to understand the exact number and that he uses about merely as a stylistic device.

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 19:7

19:7

There were about twelve men in all: This clause in Greek is literally “All the men were about twelve.” This clause indicates that the whole group had about twelve men in it.

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