motion (to speak)

The Greek in Acts 24:10 that is translated as “motion (to speak)” or “make a sign (to speak)” in English is translated Isthmus Mixe translated as “winked with both eye” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.).

See also motion to.

happiness / joy

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “joy” or “happiness” is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible idiomatically as farin ciki or “white stomach.” In some cases, such as in Genesis 29:11, it is also added for emphatic purposes.

Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

See also Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions, rejoiced greatly / celebrated, the Mossi translation of “righteous”, and joy.

Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English is translated in American Sign Language 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

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

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 )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

complete verse (Acts 24:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:10:

  • Uma: “After that, the Governor motioned to Paulus to speak. Paulus spoke, he said: ‘I am really glad, because I have been given the opportunity to say my defense in front of Father Governor. Because I know that for years-and-years Governor has been the decider/judge in our village/nation.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the governor made a sign to Paul telling him to speak, and he spoke now. He said to the governor, ‘I am happy to speak for myself here before you, Sir, because I know that for a long time now you have enforced (lit. cause-to-walk) the law here in our (excl.) tribe.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the governor motioned to Paul, which was a sign that he was allowed to speak. And Paul said to him, ‘I know that you have been in charge of our province here for a long time. That’s why I am not hesitant to make clear before you my explanation.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then the governor gestured to Pablo to take-his-turn to speak. And this was his answer. ‘Sir Governor, I know that you (sing.) have been ruling-over and judging us (excl.) Jews for a long-time, so I am happy to answer what these have-accused-me -of.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The governor then motioned to Pablo that he speak next. Therefore Pablo spoke answering that accusation of theirs. He said, ‘Respected Governor, I know that for a long time now you have been a judge here in this land. That’s why I don’t hold back from speaking concerning myself, which is my defence.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal 2nd person pronoun (Spanish)

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Spanish uses a formal vs. informal second-person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Spanish Bibles all use only the informal second-person pronoun (tú), with the exception of Dios Habla Hoy (third edition: 1996) which also uses the formal pronoun (usted). In the referenced verses, the formal form is used.

Sources and for more information: P. Ellingworth in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 143ff. and R. Ross in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 217ff. .

See also the use of the formal vs. the informal pronoun in the Gospels in Tuvan and 2nd person pronoun with high register.

Japanese honorifics (Acts 24:10)

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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, tsukasadotteko-rare-ru (つかさどってこられた) or “has been governing” is used.

Also, the lexical honorific form zonjiru (存じる), a humble form of shiru (知る) or “know,” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Acts 24:10

In Greek, verses, 10-13 are one sentence, and this requires a good deal of restructuring in order to make sense for the English reader. The order in Greek is: and Paul said, which is followed by a participial phrase indicating that the Governor had motioned him to speak; and then the content of Paul’s speech is given. In English it is more natural to follow the chronological order, indicating that the governor motioned to Paul and then Paul spoke. Paul begins his speech with the words for many years, which is also a complimentary way of beginning an address (see v. 2).

Have been a judge over this nation may be rendered as “you have judged the people of this nation.”

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 .