The Greek that is translated as “centurion” in English is translated in Noongar as “boss of the Roman soldiers (lit.: ‘men of fighting’)” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang), in Uma as “Roman army warchief” (source: Uma Back Translation), in Western Bukidnon Manobo as “a person who was not a Jew, the captain of a hundred soldiers” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation), and in Mairasi “leader of Roman warriors” (source: Enggavoter 2004).
complete verse (Acts 24:23)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:23:
- Uma: “After that, he ordered his officers to guard Paulus. But even though he was guarded, he was not like a person that was really jailed. Because he was indeed given the opportunity to walk around, and his friends were permitted to give him whatever he needed.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “Then he ordered the lieutenant, telling him to guard Paul but not very much. And commanded not to stop/forbid his friends from going there to bring him the things he needed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he told the sergeant that he should not stop guarding Paul, however he should take care of him and it would be possible that Paul could be visited by his friends in order that they might help him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “Then he commanded the captain to have-Pablo -guarded, but that they consider him as a non prisoner and also permit the going of his friends to take what he needed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “And then he handed Pablo over to a captain of soldiers. But he said that he wasn’t to be treated really strictly and also his friends weren’t to be prevented who would come to visit him bringing him what he was in need of.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Translation commentary on Acts 24:23
The Good News Translation, the Jerusalem Bible, and the New English Bible have translated the pronoun “him” as Paul to clear up a possible ambiguity from the point of the English reader (note the Revised Standard Version “then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody”).
It is difficult to determine precisely what is involved in to give him some freedom. This could involve “freedom to go in and out of the prison” or “freedom from being guarded so closely.” Some translators may want to render this as “to be considered like a person who was not a prisoner, even though he was still being guarded.”
Allow his friends to provide for his needs is actually given in the Greek in a negative statement, “and to prevent none of his friends from providing for his needs,” but in English this is stated much more naturally in the positive. This last clause may be rendered as “to permit his friends to help Paul in any way they wanted to.”
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 .