21unless it was this one sentence that I called out while standing before them, ‘It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.’ ”
The Greek and Latin that is translated as “resurrection” in English is translated in Chicahuaxtla Triqui and Pohnpeian as “live-up” (i.e. return to life) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel) and in Iloko as panagungar: a term that stems “from the word ‘agungar,’ an agricultural term used to describe the coming back to life of a plant which was wilting but which has been watered by the farmer, or of a bulb which was apparently dead but grows again.” (Source: G. Henry Waterman in The Bible Translator 1960, p. 24ff. )
Likewise, in Matumbiyu’ya carries the meaning of “raise from the dead, resuscitate, come back from near death” and is used for dry plants that come back to life when you water them or sick children who revive after being healed. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
In Estado de México Otomi, it is translated as “people will be raised from the dead,” in Teutila Cuicatec as “the dead having to come to life again,” in San Mateo del Mar Huave as “arose from the grave” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Kriol as gidap laibala brom dedbala or “get up alive from the dead” (source: Sam Freney in this article .)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:21:
Uma: “Only one word of mine they took-offense-at. While I stood in their midst, when I said loudly like this: ‘The reason I am being examined here, is because I believe that dead people will live again.’ ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Because they don’t know of any sin (that I have done) except perhaps while standing before them, I said hep, ‘The reason I am judged/tried by you this moment is because I believe that the dead will be caused to live again.’ ‘” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because there is nothing that they know about except that which I shouted out to them when I said, ‘The only thing that you are accusing me of today is my belief that sometime in the future the dead would be raised.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because while I was there, I raised (lit. made-strong) my voice saying, ‘I believe that the dead will live again. That is the reason why you are trying me today,’ I said only to them there.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “All that I said was, speaking loudly, when I was there in their presence, ‘I am being interrogated today here in your presence because I am sure that God will make alive those who have died.”” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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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 choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
Except for the one thing I called out correctly translates the Greek idiomatic expression “or concerning this one voice which I called out.” Most translations have rendered this in a way similar to what the Good News Translation has done. In a number of languages, however, it is difficult to introduce a clause with except for. One can therefore say “but I did do one thing. I called out….”
The passive expression I am being judged by you can be changed into the active “you are judging me,” but in this particular instance “judging” does not imply neutral determination of a case but primarily condemnation. Therefore one may translate in some languages “you are condemning me today because I believe that the dead will rise to life.”
On the remainder of this verse see the comments on 23.6.
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 .
unless it was this one thing I called out as I stood in their presence: Paul believed what he said in 24:21b–c to be true. But he knew it was no crime to believe that. The Pharisees also believed in resurrection. So he used the word unless only to make the leaders admit that it was no crime to believe in resurrection.
In some languages, a literal translation would wrongly indicate that Paul thought his statement in 24:21b–c was a crime. If so, include some implied information or translate unless in a different way. For example:
unless ⌊they want to now make a crime of this:⌋ I shouted this one thing as I stood in their presence -or-
But I did shout one thing when I stood before them: (New Century Version) -or-
They can tell you only that while I stood among them I shouted this one thing ⌊which was not wrong/unlawful⌋,
24:21b–c
It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today: Here Paul quoted what he said in 23:6. It is not an exact quote, but there is no important difference in meaning.
The phrase concerning the resurrection of the dead is emphasized in the Greek clause by being first in it. English emphasizes it in a similar way but must begin with the words It is to be natural. If possible translate the emphasis in a natural way. Another way to translate the emphasis in English is:
Concerning the resurrection of the dead, that is what I am on trial about today before you!
24:21c
before you: The pronoun you here refers to the members of the Sanhedrin. (Paul quoted here what he said in 23:6.) It does not refer to Felix.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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