Translation commentary on Acts 24:14

The introductory expression I do admit this to you must refer to what follows, not to what has just preceded. In some languages one must translate: “but I do say the following to you,” “I do confess that the following is true,” or “I do agree to the following words.”

The God of our ancestors may very well be rendered as “the God whom our ancestors worshiped.”

By following that Way may need to be somewhat restructured in some languages: “by living according to that Way” or “by believing in that Way.” That Way in the present context is, of course, a reference to the Christian way.

The word rendered false is the same word rendered party (of the Pharisees) in 15.5. Later this word came be to used in the sense of “a heresy” (see Phillips), and in the present context the meaning seems to be in this direction. That is, Paul is stating that the Jews are accusing him of worshipping in a way that is not in keeping with what they consider to be the truth. However, Paul reminds them that he also believes in all the things written in the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets, indicating that he is still faithful to what he understands to be the truth of his Jewish heritage.

The clause which they say is false must, in some languages, be translated as a clause introduced by a conjunction such as “but”—for example, “but they say that way is false” or “but they say that way is not right.” The reason for this shift is the fact that in many languages a relative clause tends to specify the characteristics of the word which it modifies rather than state the attitudes of people concerning it, especially those who might oppose it. The complexity of this relationship is implied in the embedded expression they say, and therefore a shift to a clause introduced by “but” may be far more accurate.

As in many other contexts, the Law of Moses may be translated as “the laws which came through Moses,” and the books of the prophets may be “the books that contain the words of the prophets” or “the books which the prophets wrote.”

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 24:14

24:14a

confess: The Greek word means “to say publicly that something is true.” (It does not imply being reluctant to say so.) Before this time Paul had not told Felix that he was a Christian. But at this time Paul told him in front of everyone at this meeting that he was a Christian. Other ways to translate this word are:

acknowledge
-or-
avow

24:14b

I worship the God of our fathers according to the Way: This clause indicates that Paul worshiped the traditional God of the Jews but in a new manner, namely, according to the Way. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I worship the God of our ancestors by following that Way (Good News Translation)
-or-
I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way of Jesus. (New Century Version)
-or-
I similarly worship God whom our ⌊Jewish⌋ ancestors also worshiped ⌊but⌋ as one who follows the Way

worship: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worship refers to doing religious duties. This includes praying, worship, and doing the work that God has given to someone. Paul served God in prayer, worship, doing the work of an apostle, helping others, and in other ways. For example:

serve (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
obey

See how you translated this word in 7:7.

the God of our fathers: The Greek words are literally “the ancestral God.” The word “ancestral” refers to previous generations as far back as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For example:

the God of our ancestors (Good News Translation)

according to the Way: This phrase in Greek is literally “according to the road/way.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this Greek phrase literally. This Way refers to faith in Jesus as the Christ and living as Christians. Christians referred to themselves as “followers of the Way.” In some languages a literal translation is too general and would not specifically refer to faith in Jesus as the Christ. If so, you may want to:

• Explain it in your translation. For example:

as a follower of the Way of Jesus (New Century Version)
-or-
as a follower of the Way ⌊of faith in Jesus⌋

• Translate literally and explain the meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This “Way” refers to faith/believing in Jesus as the Christ.

See how you translated the word Way in 9:2 or 22:4.

24:14c

which they call a sect: This clause tells the reader more about the Christian beliefs that Paul called “the Way” in 24:14b. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other Christian “Ways” and the Jews only called this one a sect. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the “Way.” One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

⌊But⌋ they call it a sect.

they: The pronoun they refers to the Jewish leaders (24:12a, 13). It does not refer to the Jewish ancestors (24:14b).

sect: This word refers to a group that has different beliefs from what is usually accepted as correct beliefs. It implies that they have separated themselves from the main group. See how you translated this word in 24:5.

24:14d–e

everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets: The phrase “the Law and…the Prophets” refers to the whole Old Testament.

24:14d

everything that is laid down by the Law: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as laid down by is literally “according to.” All that Paul believes about Jesus as the Christ follows what the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets say.

Other ways to translate this phrase are:

everything that is in accordance with the Law (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
everything that agrees with the Law (New International Version)
-or-
everything written in the Law of Moses (Good News Translation)

the Law: The word Law refers here to the first five books of the Old Testament. They have in them the laws that God gave to Moses. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to the laws of your country. If that is true in your language, indicate the correct meaning. For example:

the Law of Moses (Good News Translation)
-or-
our ⌊Jewish⌋ law

24:14e

and written in the Prophets: This clause in Greek is literally “and the things written in the prophets.” Other ways to translate this clause are:

and in what is written in the prophets (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
and the books of the prophets (Good News Translation)
-or-
and the Prophets (God’s Word)
-or-
and what the prophets wrote

Paul probably implied here that he believed that the books of the Prophets were Scripture. The Pharisees believed that too. But the Jewish leaders at this time were Sadducees, who believed that only the Law of Moses was Scripture.

Prophets: A “prophet” is a person who receives messages from God. The message from God may be in words or visions. It may reveal something about a past, present, or future event, or it may reveal someone’s thoughts, motives, or attitudes. It is not like a sermon, prepared by the preacher’s study of the Bible, but God may inspire a preacher with a prophecy during a sermon.

Here the word refers to the prophets of the Old Testament. Some ways to translate it are:

Spokespeople for God
-or-
those who speaks/brings God’s message/words

See how you translated this word in 21:10.

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