Ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παρρησίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου Δαυὶδ ὅτι καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν καὶ ἐτάφη, καὶ τὸ μνῆμα αὐτοῦ ἔστιν ἐν ἡμῖν ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης.
29“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
The Greek that is translated as “my Father” in English is translated in Matumbi as Tati’ bangu’ or “my fathers.” “Our Father” is translated as “our Fathers” (and likewise “our ancestor” as “our ancestors”). Matumbi uses a majestic plural as an honorific when addressing parents. (Source: Tim Macsaveny)
See also addressing one’s or someone else’s father humbly / respectfully in Japanese (父) and Father (address for God).
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the listeners).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:29:
The name that is transliterated as “David” in English means “beloved.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying king and a sling (referring to 1 Samuel 17:49 and 2 Samuel 5:4). (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. )
“Elizabeth” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
In German Sign Language it is only the sling. (See here ).
“David” in German Sign Language (source )
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
The (Protestant) Mandarin Chinese transliteration of “David” is 大卫 (衛) / Dàwèi which carries an additional meaning of “Great Protector.”
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: David .
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. )
If a term for brothers does not lend itself to generalization in identifying fellow countrymen, one can often use another kinship term which will have this essential function, for example, “relatives,” “kinsmen,” or “cousins.”
Quite plainly translates “with boldness” or “with confidence.” The same phrase is used in 4.31 and is translated there with boldness; the expanded phrase occurs in 4.29 and 28.31 where it is translated with all boldness. A literal rendering of the phrase speak to you … plainly may turn out in some languages to be only a reference to the quality of utterance or pronunciation. Hence, one may need to shift the focus to something like “I must make you to understand clearly.”
Patriarch (a word which occurs in the New Testament only here and in 7.8, 9 and Hebrews 7.4) implies progenitor and “founder of the nation,” but in the present passage it is an honorary title applied to David, the king of Israel. The term patriarch is equivalent in many languages to “forefather,” “grandfather in ancient times,” “our big grandfather,” or “elder many years ago.”
If it is necessary to specify the agent of the expression was buried, one can simply say “he was buried by the people” or “the people buried him.” Nothing more explicit is required.
In order to avoid speaking as though Peter was addressing the crowd in a cemetery, one may wish to shift the expression here to “near here.” In some languages, however, one cannot speak of a grave as “near” someone or something, since graves are not regarded as “movable.” Therefore, it may be necessary to shift the focus, for example, “and we here are near to (or, not far from) his grave.”
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 .
Paragraph 2:29–31
2:29a
The quote from Old Testament ended at 2:28b. In 2:29a Peter began to speak his own words again.
In some languages the grammar for ending the quote in 2:28b will clearly indicate this change. But in some languages an introduction to 2:29a is needed or helpful to clearly indicate the change. For example:
⌊Peter continued,⌋
-or-
⌊Peter, now finished quoting that scripture, said,⌋
Brothers: The Greek text is literally “Men, brothers.” It is a polite way for Peter to address his fellow Jews, both men and women. Here are some other ways to translate this Greek phrase:
My people, my brothers and sisters
-or-
Fellow countrymen
-or-
My relatives
I can tell: The Greek text is literally “it is permitted (for me) to speak.” Here it is a polite introduction to what Peter wanted to say about King David. He did not want to offend anyone when he told them that King David was still dead and buried. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
allow/let me to say
-or-
I wish/want to say
with confidence: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with confidence can often mean “with plainness/frankness.” It indicates that Peter was convinced of what he was about to say and told it plainly. Here are some other ways to translate this word:
plainly (Good News Translation)
-or-
freely (King James Version)
patriarch: The word patriarch refers to David as the founding ancestor of a family line. Here are some other ways to translate this word:
famous ancestor (Good News Translation)
-or-
⌊great⌋ forefather
died: King David died about one thousand years before the time that Peter spoke here. In some languages a literal translation might cause people to think that David died soon before Peter spoke. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in the text. For example:
died ⌊long ago⌋
2:29b
was buried: The clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:
⌊people⌋ buried him
his tomb is with us to this day: David’s tomb was built of stone. Even a thousand years later, in Peter’s time, it was there in Jerusalem. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
his tomb is still with us (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the place where people buried him still exists here today
-or-
his grave is in our town to this time
tomb: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tomb refers to a cave or small room that was cut out of a rock hillside. The people placed a dead body in a tomb and then covered or filled the opening.
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