pray / prayer

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “pray” (or “prayer”) in English is often translated as “talking with God” (Central Pame, Tzeltal, Chol, Chimborazo Highland Quichua, Shipibo-Conibo, Kaqchikel, Tepeuxila Cuicatec, Copainalá Zoque, Central Tarahumara).

Other solutions include:

  • “beg” or “ask,” (full expression: “ask with one’s heart coming out,” which leaves out selfish praying, for asking with the heart out leaves no place for self to hide) (Tzotzil)
  • “cause God to know” (Huichol)
  • “raise up one’s words to God” (implying an element of worship, as well as communication) (Miskito, Lacandon) (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • “speak to God” (Shilluk) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237)
  • “talk together with Great Above One (=God)” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter, 2004)
  • “call to one’s Father” (San Blas Kuna) (source: Claudio and Marvel Iglesias in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 85ff. )
  • “beg” (waan) (Ik). Terrill Schrock (in Wycliffe Bible Translators 2016, p. 93) explains (click or tap here to read more):

    What do begging and praying have to do with each other? Do you beg when you pray? Do I?

    “The Ik word for ‘visitor’ is waanam, which means ‘begging person.’ Do you beg when you go visiting? The Ik do. Maybe you don’t beg, but maybe when you visit someone, you are looking for something. Maybe it’s just a listening ear.

    When the Ik hear that [my wife] Amber and I are planning trip to this or that place for a certain amount of time, the letters and lists start coming. As the days dwindle before our departure, the little stack of guests grows. ‘Please, sir, remember me for the allowing: shoes, jacket (rainproof), watch, box, trousers, pens, and money for the children. Thank you, sir, for your assistance.’

    “A few people come by just to greet us or spend bit of time with us. Another precious few will occasionally confide in us about their problems without asking for anything more than a listening ear. I love that.

    “The other day I was in our spare bedroom praying my list of requests to God — a nice list covering most areas of my life, certainly all the points of anxiety. Then it hit me: Does God want my list, or does he want my relationship?

    “I decided to try something. Instead of reading off my list of requests to God, I just talk to him about my issues without any expectation of how he should respond. I make it more about our relationship than my list, because if our personhood is like God’s personhood, then maybe God prefers our confidence and time to our lists, letters, and enumerations.”

In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning (click or tap here to read more):

  • For Acts 1:14, 20:36, 21:5: kola ttieru-yawur nehla — “hold the waist and hug the neck.” (“This is the more general term for prayer and often refers to worship in prayer as opposed to petition. The Luang people spend the majority of their prayers worshiping rather than petitioning, which explains why this term often is used generically for prayer.”)
  • For Acts 28:9: sumbiani — “pray.” (“This term is also used generically for ‘prayer’. When praying is referred to several times in close proximity, it serves as a variation for kola ttieru-yawur nehla, in keeping with Luang discourse style. It is also used when a prayer is made up of many requests.”)
  • For Acts 8:15, 12:5: polu-waka — “call-ask.” (“This is a term for petition that is used especially when the need is very intense.”)

Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.

See also Nehemiah’s prayer (image).

Translation commentary on Acts 2:42

The Greek text of this verse (literally “they were devoting themselves to the teachings of the apostles and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers”) lends itself to two possible arrangements. It is possible to take the four items listed as being in two pairs, with the two items in each pair joined by the connective and, or it is possible to understand these as four separate items. The Good News Translation has followed this latter arrangement.

Though the subject of the four events mentioned in this verse is, strictly speaking, the group of new believers, nevertheless this listing of the four aspects of the life of the believers serves primarily to introduce what is to come in the following paragraphs. At the same time, the immediately following paragraph serves as an introductory statement to much of what is in the succeeding chapters (3.1–5.16).

The translation of the Greek term proskarterountes (Good News Translation they spent their time in) is by no means easy, especially when it is necessary to relate this to the events which follow. In some languages one may use “they gave themselves to,” “they were eager for,” or “they were very desirous of.”

The learning from the apostles may be rendered as “to have the apostles teach them.”

Fellowship (a word which occurs only here in Acts) may refer either to the common spirit which the believers shared with the apostles, or, more likely, to the communal spirit which they shared with the total group, and which is described in verses 44-46. In many languages this fellowship may be described as “they shared what they had with the others” (or “the other believers”) or “they were one with the others.”

Sharing in the fellowship meals (in Greek literally “in the breaking of bread”) represents a Greek phrase which occurs only here and in Luke 24.35. It is generally agreed that these fellowship meals were common meals shared in by the early Christian community, and followed by the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

A literal translation of “breaking bread” is rarely satisfactory, especially in areas where bread is not broken, but cut or divided. The implication of this expression is that “they ate together as believers.” Obviously, there is more than merely having one’s meals with one another. This eating together was an aspect of their common loyalty to Jesus Christ. In view of the fact that the agapē (the fellowship meal) did involve the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, it would be entirely appropriate to have a marginal note to explain the precise nature of these meals, which were so characteristic of the believing community.

The prayers which the disciples shared in were probably not limited to the prayers of the Christian community only, but likely included as well the Jewish prayers at their stated hours (see 3.1). The prayers may be translated as “they prayed to God together.”

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 2:42

2:42a

They: This pronoun refers to all believers here, including the new believers of 2:41a.

devoted themselves to: This phrase refers to being faithful in doing something and persevere in doing it. This action applies to the next four activities: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. The Greek tense indicates they did this for some time. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

were continually devoting themselves to (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
spent their time (New Century Version)
-or-
persevered in

the apostles’ teaching: The word teaching probably refers to both public preaching and private instruction. The apostles taught about what Jesus did and said and who God said he was.

the fellowship: The word fellowship refers to the believers being closely associated with other believers. This would include meeting together regularly. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

share the common life (Revised English Bible)
-or-
they were like family to each other (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
sharing (New Century Version)
-or-
the community ⌊of believers⌋

2:42b

the breaking of bread: This phrase refers to eating a meal. The kind of bread most often eaten by the Jews was hard, so it would break rather than tear. At meals, the hard loaf was broken and shared among the people eating. Here it probably refers both to eating regular meals together and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

sharing in the fellowship meals (Good News Translation)
-or-
sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper) (New Living Translation (2004))

to prayer: Here this word refers to the believers gathering together to pray as a group or groups.

prayer: This word refers to what people say to God. It can include both requests and praises.

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