complete verse (Acts 21:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 21:38:

  • Uma: “Aren’t you (sing.) that Egyptian person who some time ago incited the people and led four thousand people into the desert to make opposition to the government?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If that is the case (lit. if like that),’ he said to Paul, ‘you are not the man of Misil who opposed the Roman government recently and who brought four thousand armed outlaws into the wilderness (lit. lonely place)?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Aren’t you that Egyptian who some time ago rebelled against the government and headed up four thousand bandits there in the land where no people don’t live?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I thought you (sing.) were the one-from-Egipto who battled the government previously. He is the one who went to the place with no inhabitants leading four thousand bandits.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Isn’t it so that you are that taga Egipto who was causing trouble in the past? Isn’t it so that you rounded up four thousand people who were murderers, whom you took to the wilderness place and then you were being robbers?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

2nd person pronoun with low register (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 second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used anata (あなた) is typically used when the speaker is humbly addressing another person.

In these verses, however, omae (おまえ) is used, a cruder second person pronoun, that Jesus for instance chooses when chiding his disciples. (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also first person pronoun with low register and third person pronoun with low register.

Translation commentary on Acts 21:38

That Egyptian fellow may be rendered as “that man from Egypt.” Started a revolution may be rendered as “caused an uprising against the government” or “caused fighting against the government.”

The term which the Good News Translation has rendered armed terrorists (New English Bible “terrorists”) has been translated in a variety of fashions: “assassins” (Phillips, Moffatt, Dios Habla Hoy), “cut-throats” (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, An American Translation*); it has been transliterated by La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée with a footnote explaining the meaning of the term. These men were extreme nationalists and considered themselves the enemies of all Romans and of all Jews who were pro-Roman; they got their name from the small dagger which they carried with them and by which they would execute their enemies as they mingled with the crowds at the various festivals. By spelling the word with a capital A (“the Assassins”), the Revised Standard Version and Barclay have tried to indicate that they were a special group among the Jews and not just a spontaneous group of cutthroats. The verb rendered started a revolution (see New English Bible “started a revolt”) is the same verb translated caused trouble in 17.6. It is quite unlikely that the Egyptian fellow referred to considered himself to be the Messiah; it seems more probable that he was merely a rebel who believed that God would help his revolution.

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 21:38

21:38a–b

Aren’t you the Egyptian who incited a rebellion some time ago and led four thousand members of the ‘Assassins’ into the wilderness?: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) The commander asked if Paul was that Egyptian and expected Paul to answer “yes.” The position of “not” in the Greek indicates this kind of question. The question in the Berean Standard Bible expects the answer “yes I am that Egyptian.” For example:

Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt…? (Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)

(2) The commander asked believing that Paul was not that Egyptian. The word “not” together with the word “then” indicates “not” is emphasized. For example:

Then you are not that Egyptian fellow who some time ago started a revolution…? (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow the first interpretation. It is supported by the Greek grammar.

Other ways to translate this question according to interpretation (1) are:

You are the Egyptian who started a revolt and led 4000 men into the desert some time ago, are you not?
-or-
You must be the Egyptian who started a revolt and led 4000 men into the desert some time ago. ⌊Am I right?⌋

21:38a

The Greek conjunction that probably means “then” here introduces this verse. It indicates that the commander concluded that Paul was that Egyptian because he spoke Greek and the Jews were beating him. For example:

Therefore
-or-
Then (New Revised Standard Version)

But the Berean Standard Bible and many English versions omit the conjunction and allow the context to indicate that meaning.

the Egyptian: Here the word Egyptian refers to a man from the country of Egypt. He was probably a Jew that was born there.

Some languages do not use an ending meaning “person of” like the English “-ian.” For example:

the person/man/one from Egypt
-or-
the Egypt man

incited a rebellion: This phrase refers to trying to overthrow a government. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

started a revolution (Good News Translation)
-or-
led a rebellion (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
battled the government

some time ago: This phrase probably refers to three to five years before this time. Translate in a way that implies or allow that amount of time.

21:38b

four thousand: Some languages do not have large number words like thousand. If so, you may want to use numerals from the common language. For example:

4,000 (New Living Translation (2004))

members of the ‘Assassins’: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ‘Assassins’ describes extreme Jewish nationalists. They opposed Roman rule over the Jews and assassinated Jews who favored Roman rule. Their name was sicarii, “men of the sica dagger.” This dagger was curved and had a blade about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long.

To translate this word you may want to:

• Use their original name. For example:

Sicarii/Sikari

You may then want to explain this name in a footnote. An example footnote is:

The group of men called “Sicarii/Sikari” opposed Roman rule over the Jews and assassinated Jews who favored Roman rule. Their name means “men of the sica/sika dagger.” This dagger was curved and had a blade about 40 centimeters long.

• Translate the meaning of the name. For example:

assassins (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
cut-throats (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
murderers/killers
-or-

⌊men of the group called⌋ the Dagger Men/Killers

Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, capitalize the first letter to indicate it was the name of a specific group. For example:

the Assassins (Revised Standard Version)

wilderness: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as wilderness refers to a place that is empty, desolate, or uninhabited. Other ways to translate this word are:

desert (New International Version)
-or-
desolate region
-or-
empty land

This word occurs in Matthew 3:1, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:2, and John 1:23. If you have translated any of these verses, see how you translated the word there.

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