teach

The Greek that is translated as a form of “teach” is translated with some figurative phrases such as “to engrave the mind” (Ngäbere) or “to cause others to imitate” (Huichol). (Source: Bratcher / Nida)

In Noongar it is translated as karni-waangki or “truth saying” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Acts 20:20)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 20:20:

  • Uma: “You know relatives, that I was not afraid/uneasy to say to you whatever was beneficial. I taught you relatives, both while you met/gathered and also in your own houses.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You know,’ Paul said, ‘that I really have not hidden anything that is for your good instead I preached and I taught you among very many people (publicly) and in your homes.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You know also that I took great care in teaching you in the gatherings and also even in your homes. As I was teaching you and causing you to understand the word of God, I taught you everything that would be good for your faith.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “You also know that I have-kept-nothing -to-myself that would be to your betterment in my preaching and teaching you in our meetings and even in your houses.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “You also are well aware that I didn’t hide/keep from you any teaching which would be of benefit to you, but on the contrary I taught it in the presence of everyone and in your houses also.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Acts 20:20

As with the two preceding verses, so verses 20 and 21 are one long sentence in Greek. The Good News Translation, along with others (see New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible), takes the main verb in verse 20 to mean hold back, and so understands as its object anything that would be of help to you. If this is done, the rest of verse 20 may be taken either (1) as an explanation of what Paul did in order to be of help to them (so New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible), or (2) as a reference to time, as in the Good News Translation: as I preached and taught you in public and in your homes. Others understand the verb hold back in the sense of “be silent about (out of fear),” and take the remainder of the verse as an explanation of what resulted from Paul’s unwillingness to shrink back in fear: “I never shrank from telling you anything that was for your good, nor from teaching you in public or at your houses” (An American Translation*; see also Revised Standard Version).

Did not hold back anything is equivalent in some languages to “did not keep from telling you” or “did not just keep for myself.”

In some languages the verbs preached and taught may require a specific indication of the content of the preaching and teaching—for example, “I preached and taught you the message about the Lord Jesus.”

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 20:20

20:20a

If you start 20:20a with a new sentence, you may want to repeat “You know that” here. See note at 20:18b–21b.

I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you: Paul spoke everything that was helpful to the believers at Ephesus. He did not withhold anything. He was not afraid of what someone might do to stop him from preaching and teaching. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I did not hold back anything that would be of help to you (Good News Translation)
-or-
I spoke everything that was helpful

declaring: The Greek word here is interpreted in two ways:

(1) It means to report here. Paul reported what God has told him. For example:

declaring (Berean Standard Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) It means to preach here. Paul preached the gospel to the people of Ephesus and some of the people who believed were the elders that Paul was speaking to here. For example:

preach (New International Version)

(New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation. Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the BDAG, Louw and Nida, and Kittel lexicons support it. Other ways to translate this word here are:

proclaiming (NET Bible)
-or-
telling (God’s Word)
-or-
reported ⌊what God has told me⌋
-or-
reported ⌊God’s message⌋

See how you translated this word in 15:4 (“reported”).

20:20c

publicly and from house to house: Paul spoke God’s message and taught the believers in large meetings that anyone could attend. He also did those things at smaller gatherings in believer’s homes. Other ways to translate this are:

in public or…in your homes (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
in open/public meetings and in your own homes

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