pay for the shaving of their heads

The Greek in Acts 21:24 that is translated as “pay for the shaving of their heads” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with “pay for the cost of their sacrificial animals so that they can then shave their heads.”

complete verse (Acts 21:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 21:24:

  • Uma: “So, you (sing.) [emphasized] also go with them to the House of God and do the religious rite of cleansing the body, and you (sing.) [emphasized] pay the price of their sacrifice so that they can cut their hair according to our custom. If [you (sing.) do] like that, it will be clear to all people that the news they heard criticizing you is not true. Because you (sing.) as well follow the Law of Musa.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Go join them in the temple and do/perform the Yahudi customs about ritual-cleansing/purification. Pay the expenses for their sacrifices so that they will be able to shave (their heads) as a sign that that vow of theirs is fulfilled already. So-then if you do this, all the people will know that what they heard about you is not true. Instead they will know that you really follow/obey the law of Musa.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Go with them to the church which is the House of God and take part in what they do according to the custom of their being purified. You be the one to pay what they owe and then they will be able to have their heads shaved. If you do this, all will know that the report which they heard about you is not true because it will become clear to them that you follow the law left behind by Moses.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Go-with them to the Temple in order to show-yourself (sing.) to the priest and join in what they do in the seven days during-which-they -conclude-it (the ritual abstinence). When that is finished, then pay-for what they need to butcher so that the priest will be able to shave-their -heads to show that what they have promised is finished. That will be the people’s means-of-knowing that what they have heard-reported concerning you (sing.), that is only a lie, because of-course it will-be-seen that your (sing.) way of fulfilling our law is correct/proper.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, cause them to accompany you to the Templo and join in what they will do which is cleansing of themselves. And if possible/acceptable, you be the one to pay for all which is used in this cleansing, so that it will then be possible for them to have their hair cut, which is an indicator that they have fulfilled those promises. For if you do this, everyone will know there’s no truth to all this news they are hearing, for they will observe that, even you, you indeed obey the laws of Moises.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (agete)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, agete (あげて) or “do for their sake” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

law

The Greek, Hebrew, and Ge’ez that is translated in English as “Law” or “law” is translated in Mairasi as oro nasinggiei or “prohibited things” (source: Enggavoter 2004) and in Noongar with a capitalized form of the term for “words” (Warrinya) (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Yucateco the phrase that is used for “law” is “ordered-word” (for “commandment,” it is “spoken-word”) (source: Nida 1947, p. 198) and in Central Tarahumara it is “writing-command.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

In a 1922 translation into Chagatai, a precursor language of both Uzbek and Uighur, it is translated with the Arabic loan word shari’at (شريعت), originally meaning “(Islamic) law (Shari’a).” (Source: F. Erbay and F.N. Küçükballı in Acta Theologica 2025 45/2, p. 133ff. )

See also teaching / law (of God) (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Acts 21:24

Join them in the ceremony of purification (see An American Translation* “undergo the rites of purification with them” and New English Bible “go through the ritual of purification with them”) is literally “be made holy with them” (see Jerusalem Bible and Phillips “be purified with them”). It is important to observe that Luke does not say that Paul assumed the Nazirite vow along with these men, but that he went through the ceremony of purification with them and paid their expenses. The expenses for the sacrifices were rather costly, and as an act of piety people of means paid the expenses involved.

It is not easy to translate the expression join them in the ceremony of purification. One can say “go along with them in being purified,” but it is important to indicate that this act of purification is some kind of ritual or ceremony. One may say, in some languages, “become one with them in undergoing the ceremony of being purified.” However, in some languages a translation of “purified” in the sense of “to be made clean” carries no special religious significance. Therefore one may employ some such phrase as “to be made pure before God” or “to be made pure in God’s eyes.” Because of a number of aspects of this particular passage, it is important that some marginal note provide at least minimal explanation for what is involved in a vow and accompanying purification. Such a note may be formulated on the basis of the exegetical information included on this passage.

Pay their expenses may be translated as “pay what it costs them to be purified” or, as in some instances, “pay for the sacrifices for their being purified.”

In the Greek, verse 24 is only one sentence, and the second clause begins with “and everybody will know.” When used in this way, “and” has the force of introducing an explanation, rather than merely tying together two coordinate clauses. For this reason the Good News Translation has translated “and” as in this way (see Revised Standard Version “thus”; Phillips “and then”; Jerusalem Bible “this will let everyone know”).

Once again it is obvious that Luke has used “the law” in the sense of the Law of Moses (most translations indicate this by spelling Law with a capital L). Live in accordance with the Law of Moses may be rendered as “live as the rules in the Law of Moses say one should live” or “obey what it says in the Law of Moses concerning how one should live.”

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 .