rising up in numbers

In Gbaya, the notion of rising up in large numbers in the referenced verses is emphasized in with the ideophone gɛrɛm.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

synagogue, temple (inner), temple (outer)

In many English translations the Greek terms “hieron” (the whole “temple” in Jerusalem or specifically the outer courts open to worshippers) and “naos” (the inner “shrine” or “sanctuary”) are translated with only one word: “temple” (see also for instance “Tempel” in German [for exception see below] and “tempel” in Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans).

Other languages make a distinction: (Click or tap here to see more)

  • Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” (for naos)
  • Balinese: “inner part of the Great Temple” (“the term ‘inner part’ denoting the hindmost and holiest of the two or three courts that temples on Bali usually possess”) vs. “Great Temple”
  • Telugu: “womb (i.e. interior)-of-the-abode” vs. “abode”
  • Thai: a term denoting the main audience hall of a Buddhist temple compound vs. “environs-of-the-main-audience-hall”
  • Kituba: “place of holiness of house-God Lord” vs. “house-God Lord”
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “deep in God’s house” vs. “God’s house” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022): “inner court of the temple” (Tempelinnenhof) vs. “temple”

Languages that, like English, German, Dutch, Danish, or Afrikaans, don’t make that distinction include:

  • Mandarin Chinese: “聖殿 Shèng diàn” (“holy palace”)
  • Loma: “the holy place”
  • Pular: “the sacred house” (source for this and the one above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Zarma: “God’s compound”
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “big church of the Jews”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “big house on top (i.e. most important)”
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: “house that is looked upon as holy, that is sacred, that is taboo and where one may not set foot” (lit. “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” — because taboo is violated — using a term that is also applied to a Muslim mosque) (source for this and the three above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Mairasi: Janav Enggwarjer Weso: “Great Above One’s (God’s) House” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: Maya-maya-Kooranyi: “Sacred House” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Huehuetla Tepehua: “the big church of the Israelites”
  • Aguaruna: “the house for talking to God” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Guhu-Samane: “festival longhouse of God” (“The biiri, ‘festival longhouse’, being the religious and social center of the community, is a possible term for ‘temple’. It is not the ‘poro house’ as such. That would be too closely identified with the cult of poro. The physical features of the building, huge and sub-divided, lend it further favor for this consideration. By qualifying it as ‘God’s biiri’ the term has become meaningful and appropriate in the context of the Scriptures.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in The Bible Translator, 1965, p. 81ff. )
  • Enga: “God’s restricted access house” (source: Adam Boyd on his blog )

Another distinction that tends to be overlooked in translations is that between hieron (“temple” in English) and sunagógé (“synagogue” in English). Euan Fry (in The Bible Translator 1987, p. 213ff. ) reports on this:

“Many older translations have simply used transliterations of ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ rather than trying to find equivalent terms or meaningful expressions in their own languages. This approach does keep the two terms separate; but it makes the readers depend on explanations given by pastors or teachers for their understanding of the text.

“Translators who have tried to find meaningful equivalents, for the two terms ‘temple’ and ‘synagogue’ have usually made a distinction between them in one of two ways (which focus on the contrasting components of meaning). One way takes the size and importance of the Temple to make a contrast, so that expressions such as ‘sacred meeting/ worship house of the Jews’ and ‘big sacred meeting/worship house of the Jews’ are used. The other way focuses on the different nature of the religious activity at each of the places, so that expressions such as ‘meeting/worship house of the Jews’ and ‘sacrifice/ceremony place of the Jews’ are used.

“It is not my purpose in this article to discuss how to arrive at the most precise equivalent to cover all the components of meaning of ‘temple’. That is something that each translator really has to work through for himself in the light of the present usage and possibilities in his own language. My chief concern here is that the basic term or terms chosen for ‘temple’ should give the reader of a translation a clear and correct picture of the location referred to in each passage. And I am afraid that in many cases where an equivalent like ‘house of God’ or ‘worship house’ has been chosen, the readers have quite the wrong picture of what going to the Temple or being in the Temple means. (This may be the case for the word ‘temple’ in English too, for many readers.)”

Here are some examples:

  • Bambara: “house of God” (or: “big house of worship”) vs. “worship house” (or: “small houses of worship”)
  • Toraja-Sa’dan: “house where-the-belly-gets-swollen” (see above) vs. “meeting house for discussing matters concerning religious customs” (and “church” is “house where one meets on Sunday”)
  • Navajo (Dinė): “house in which worship is carried out” vs. “house of gathering” (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida)

    • Bangandu: “the great house of God” vs. “house of prayer” (Source: Ervais Fotso Noumsi in Le Sycomore, 16/1, 2022 )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Herod’s temple (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing synagogues in New Testament times (source: Bible Lands 2012)

See also this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Acts 24:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:12:

  • Uma: “I was not one time found arguing with anyone or inciting the crowd at the House of God or at a/the house of prayer, or anywhere in the town.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I was never seen by these Yahudi arguing with anyone there in the temple. They did not see me stir up the people in their prayer-houses or anywhere in the city of Awrusalam.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now the Jews did not see me debate in the church, the House of God, or there in the churches of the Jews.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “While I was there, no one saw me arguing in the Temple or throwing-into-turmoil the people whether in the various-synagogues or in other places.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Not even once did they observe me quarreling with anyone inside the Templo, or rounding-up-followers in the worship-places or any other place in that city.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 24:12

In some languages an expression such as did not find me arguing may be rendered as “when they saw me, I was not arguing.” The same would, of course, apply to the next phrase.

There is some question regarding the exact meaning of the phrase stirring up the people (see An American Translation* “creating a disturbance among the people” and Moffatt “causing a riot”), though in the present context it seems to have a much stronger force than what is given to it in the New English Bible, “collecting a crowd,” or in Phillips, “gathering a crowd.”

The last two phrases, either in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city, may require some additional neutral verb—for example, “I was not doing this in their synagogues, and I was not doing it any place else in city.” In the city is not the normal way of the expressing the idea of “in”—for example, “throughout the city” (see New English Bible “up and down the city” and An American Translation* “about the city”).

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 24:12

24:12a–b

Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city: There are two ways to interpret this verse:

(1) Both actions refer to all three locations. For example:

and it is not true that they ever found me arguing with anyone or stirring up the mob, either in the Temple, in the synagogues, or about the town (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version)

(2) The debating only refers to in the temple, and the riling up a crowd refers to in the synagogues and in the city. For example:

The Jews did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor did they find me stirring up the people, either in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because each of the three locations has the Greek word that means “neither” before it: “neither in the temple, neither in the synagogues, neither in the city.” So it is best to understand the two actions referring to all three locations.

24:12a

my accusers: The Greek is just a verb ending that means “they.” For example:

they (Revised Standard Version)

The Berean Standard Bible explains “they” here in order to be clear who it refers to. In some languages “they” would not clearly refer to the Jews accusing Paul here and explaining it would helpful. For example:

The Jews (Good News Translation)
-or-
These people/Jews who are accusing me ⌊of wrongdoing⌋

in the temple: This phrase refers to the temple courtyards, not in the temple itself. See how you translated a similar phrase (“the temple”) in 24:6. Another way to translate this phrase is:

at the temple (New International Version)

24:12b

riling up a crowd: The Greek words refer to causing a crowd to gather. It implies the crowd is excited or angry, and perhaps about to become a mob.

Paul did not make public statements in Jerusalem. He did not want to cause an argument with a large group or start a riot. But Tertullus claims this here. Other ways to translate the Greek words are:

cause an ⌊angry⌋ crowd to form
-or-
gather a crowd

synagogues: Here the word “synagogue” refers to a building where Jews would teach and discuss religious matters. See how you translated this word in 22:19.

in the city: This phrase in Greek is literally “throughout the city.” Nowhere in the city did Paul publicly argue or cause a crowd to gather.

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