bound themselves by an oath

The Greek that is translated in English as “bound themselves by an oath” or similar is translated in Lalana Chinantec as “cursed themselves.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Paul (and Saul)” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a Georgian Orthodox icon of Paul the Apostle from the 14th century (located in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church

“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 23:14)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

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 exclusive form (excluding the chief priests and elders).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

complete verse (Acts 23:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 23:14:

  • Uma: “So, those that had vowed went to the leading priests and other leaders of the Yahudi people, they said: ‘We(excl.) really promised with vowing, that we (excl.) would not first eat anything if we (excl.) have not-yet killed Paulus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then they went to the leading priests and to the elders to tell about this. They said, ‘We have sworn that we really will not eat as long as we (excl.) have not been-able-to-kill Paul.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then they went to the chiefs of the sacrificers and of the elders and they said, ‘Our agreement is drawn very tight that we should not eat or drink until we have killed Paul.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they went to the leaders of the priests and elders of the Jews and said, ‘We (excl.) have sworn that we (excl.) will not eat until our (excl.) killing of Pablo.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “After they had vowed, they then went to the chiefs of the priests and important tribal-leaders. On arriving, they said, ‘There is something we (excl.) have vowed, which is that we (excl.) won’t taste food until we (excl.) have killed Pablo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 23:14

Although this verse begins with a participle, most translations employ a finite verb—for example, they went.

The difference between vow in verse 12 and solemn vow in verse 14 is simply an expression of the intensity with which the vow is affirmed. One might reflect this difference in some translations by using in verse 12 “have made a promise,” and in verse 14 “have made a very strong promise.”

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 23:14

23:14a

chief priests: This phrase refers to the priests who were leaders of the Jewish priests. (The high priest was top leader of the priests.) See how you translated this phrase in 4:6 or 22:30.

elders: The word elders describes leaders in Jewish society who were not priests. See how you translated this word in 21:18 or 24:1.

23:14b

have bound ourselves with a solemn oath: Here the clause in Greek has the same verb that means “speak a curse” in 23:12. The clause in Greek also has the word that means “with a curse.” This emphasizes that they are completely committed to fulfilling their promise to kill Paul. Translate in a similar way as you did in 23:12. For example:

We have bound ourselves under a great curse (King James Version)
-or-
We’ve asked God to curse us (God’s Word)
-or-
promised with a great curse of bad consequences ⌊should we not fulfill it⌋
-or-
promised, saying “We will indeed do this or else ⌊die trying⌋!”
-or-
promised, saying “We will indeed do this or else ⌊may God kill us⌋!”

not to eat anything: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as eat is literally “taste.” It refers to either eating or drinking a small amount. It implies any amount of food or drink. For example:

to taste nothing (New American Standard Bible)

In some languages, translating this word as taste would imply that they could eat as long as it was more than just a taste. If that is true in your language, indicate that they meant not eating or drinking at all. For example:

to eat or drink nothing

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