happiness / joy

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.

Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions, rejoiced greatly / celebrated, the Mossi translation of “righteous”, and joy.

complete verse (Acts 2:46)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:46:

  • Uma: “Every day they gathered in the House of God. They broke bread to remember the Lord Yesus’ death, and they ate together in their houses with glad and holy [i.e., sincere] hearts.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Every day they met together there in the temple/big prayer-house. They ate together in their homes. They ate with joy and they were generous in giving to one another.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And everyday all the believers were gathering in the big church which was called the House of God. And they became one also with great joy as they ate in their houses.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Every-day they were joining-in-congregating in the Temple. They were eating-together also in the houses, and their joy was heartfelt/sincere in their doing that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And what they did every day was, they gathered together in the like-a-yard of the Templo. A custom of theirs also was, they went to eat at one another’s homes with a happy mind which had no motive which wasn’t good.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Isthmus Mixe: “They gathered together every day at the big Israelite church building. They celebrated the Lord’s supper at their houses. They were joyful and contented as they ate together.”
  • Desano: “Every day in the temple they talked with God and in their houses they ate together and in their hearts they were content.” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Translation commentary on Acts 2:46

As a group is the same word which is translated together in 1.14. The expression continued to meet as a group may simply be “came together.”

The temple is in many languages the “house of God,” “holy place,” or “sacred house,” a phrase used in the Old Testament to describe the temple in Jerusalem (see also 3.1).

They had their meals together in their homes (literally “they were breaking bread from house to house”) should be taken to mean that the believers met at different homes from time to time and there shared in their fellowship meals together.

The concept of simultaneous experience of eating and having gladness in one’s heart must be expressed in some languages in a more explicit manner than is employed in the Good News Translation or in the Greek, for example, “they ate and at the same time they were happy.”

Humble hearts (literally “singleness of heart”) may signify either humility or generosity, such as “they gave to one another gladly.”

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 .