complete verse (Acts 23:29)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 23:29:

  • Uma: “In their examining him, there was no wrong of his deserving to be killed or jailed because of. Their accusation was just about customs of their own religion.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When there already, only then did I know that what the Yahudi were accusing him of was about some matters in their law. He has done nothing that he deserves to be killed for or to be imprisoned.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there I found out that there wasn’t after all anything bad that he had done worthy of being put in prison or of being killed. The only thing they accused him of was breaking the customs in their law.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What I found-out was, he has no sin/crime that would suffice for his death or imprisonment, because it’s only about their law.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There I found out that there’s nothing he has done which makes it essential that he be imprisoned or that his life/breath be severed. For apparently all they had against him was the things they quarrel about concerning their handed-down laws.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

law

The Greek 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.” (wsource: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

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

Translation commentary on Acts 23:29 – 23:30

The Good News Translation has inverted the Greek sentence order of verse 29 to make it easier for the English reader. The Greek sentence construction of verse 30 is quite difficult, though the meaning is clear.

For which he deserved to die or be put in prison may be translated as “which would cause him to be killed or be put in prison” or “which would justify us in killing him or putting him in prison.”

The accusation against him may be rendered as “they accused him.”

Here the Good News Translation has made the pronominal reference “them” explicit by rendering some Jews, and has translated “the man” by him. The last sentence of verse 30 may be rendered as “I told those who accused Paul, You can go to see Governor Felix and there make your accusations against Paul.”

At the end of verse 30 some manuscripts add, as a closing salutation to the letter, an expression which may be rendered as “best wishes” or “farewell.” If this closing greeting had been a part of the original text, it is difficult to see why it was dropped. It may, however, have been added through the influence of 15.29.

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 23:29

23:29a

I found that the accusation involved: The Greek words here are literally “whom I found being accused concerning.” It indicates that the commander listened to what was said when Paul stood before the Sanhedrin (22:30–23:10). From what was said, the commander decided that the Jews accused Paul of disobeying Jewish laws. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Whom I perceived to be accused of (King James Version)
-or-
I found that he was accused about (Revised Standard Version)

found: Here this word means “discovered.” The commander listened to what everyone said in the Sanhedrin meeting (23:1–23:9) and learned of what the Jews accused Paul.

accusation: The Greek word is literally “being accused.” Some Jews accused Paul of disobeying Jewish law.

questions about their own law: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as questions refers to issues about which people do not agree. So these were questions that caused people to disagree. For example:

disputed points of the Law (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
controversial matters (Revised English Bible)

23:29b

there was no charge worthy of death or imprisonment: Here the commander referred to Roman law. Some Jews thought that Paul deserved to die according to Jewish law. But according to Roman law, the commander saw no reason why he should kill Paul or put him in jail to punish him.

In some languages translating literally would still refer to Jewish law here. If that is true in your language, indicate the correct meaning. For example:

there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment ⌊according to Roman law⌋

charge: Here the word charge means “what someone is accused of doing.”

worthy: Here this word means “deserving of.” The commander found no accusation against Paul that required him to consider killing him as punishment. Other ways to translate this word are:

merited (Revised English Bible)
-or-
deserved (New International Version)
-or-

for which he should die (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he has no sin/crime that would suffice for his death or imprisonment
-or-
there’s nothing he has done which makes it essential that he be

imprisonment: This Greek word is literally “bonds.” In Roman law it would usually refer to chains attached to the arms or legs as punishment for breaking the law. It implies someone controlling where he went and what he did. Usually a punishment of bonds included hard labor, such as working in a mine. Other ways to translate this word are:

be put in jail (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
jail (New Century Version)
-or-
putting him in chains ⌊to punish him⌋

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