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)

complete verse (Acts 24:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 24:5:

  • Uma: “‘We say that that Paulus over there is a man who bothers towns. Everywhere he incites the Yahudi people to oppose the government. And he is a leader of those who follow the teachings of Yesus of Nazaret.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “We (excl.) have observed that this person is very troublesome. He is the one who troubles the Yahudi tribe throughout the world. And he is the leader of the people who follow the teaching of the man of Nasaret.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This is it. We know that as for this man, he is very troublesome because what he does has caused the Jews to riot everywhere, and he is also one of the leaders of the people that are called Nazarenes.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Our (excl.) experience concerning this person, he is a trouble-maker, because he has thrown-into-turmoil the Jews in all the towns/countries on the face (lit. surface) of the earth. He moreover is one of the leaders of a group/party that follows one who is from-Nazaret.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, as for this person, we (excl.) have observed that he is really troublesome. What he does is, he goes all over all the lands inciting the Jews to cause trouble. He is also one of the leaders of those people called Nazaretanen.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 24:5)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (excluding Felix).

Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.

Translation commentary on Acts 24:5

In the use of a term such as found one must not suggest that the Jews were out looking for this man. Rather, the meaning is “we experienced the fact that this man” or “we realized the fact that this man.”

The term rendered dangerous nuisance is a word which in other contexts may mean “plague” or “pestilence.” The accusations made against Paul in this verse are three: (1) he is a dangerous nuisance, (2) he starts riots among the Jews all over the world, and (3) he is a leader of the party of the Nazarenes. Even though all three of these charges are actually made on the basis of religious grounds, they are calculated to make the Roman governor suspect Paul as a political nuisance and danger. The designation of the Christian movement as the party of the Nazarenes came from the fact that its founder was Jesus of Nazareth (see 2.22). It is quite likely that the term rendered party in the present context is used in a rather derogatory sense (see Jerusalem Bible).

The rendering of dangerous nuisance may be “he causes trouble and he is a danger to the country” or “… a danger to the government.” Tertullus obviously has is mind an accusation which would not only indicate that Paul was a troublemaker but that he was potentially dangerous to the Roman power.

The reference to the party of the Nazarenes is no doubt also an attempt by Tertullus to implicate Paul as being politically active and therefore, by implication, a threat to Roman power.

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 24:5

Paragraph 24:5–9

24:5a

The Greek conjunction often translated as “for” introduces this verse. It introduces the reason or basis for Tertullus to ask for Felix to listen to him.

In some languages it may be more natural to omit this conjunction here.

We have found this man to be a pestilence: The word found here indicates that the Jewish leaders have already seen that Paul was making trouble for them. Other ways to translate this clause are:

We have seen/observed that this man causes dangerous trouble
-or-
It is our experience that this man is a dangerous nuisance

The word found here does not indicate that Paul was lost or hidden and they searched for him.

this man to be a pestilence: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pestilence is literally “plague.” Here it refers figuratively to someone who causes trouble that is dangerous for many others. Tertullus was probably implying rebellion against the government or something similar. Other ways to translate this word are:

this man to be like a deadly disease
-or-
this man a pestilent fellow (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
this man is dangerous and causes troubles

24:5b

stirring up dissension among the Jews: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as dissension can also mean “rebellion.” Disturbing people so that they riot or rebel was a very serious charge, worthy of the penalty of death in Roman law. Tertullus probably used this word so that Felix would consider the death penalty for Paul.

Some languages may have a word that means both “dissension” and “rebellion.” But many languages must choose the meaning of “dissension” or “rebellion.” If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate it as “dissension” in your translation and explain the other meaning in a footnote. Other ways to translate this clause using “dissension” are:

stirring up riots among the Jews (New International Version)
-or-
He starts big fights among all Jews
-or-
disturber of the peace among the Jews (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

An example footnote is:

The word “dissension” can also mean “rebellion” in Greek. Disturbing people so that they riot or rebel was a very serious charge, worthy of the penalty of death in Roman law.

• Translate it as “rebellion” in your translation and explain the other meaning in a footnote. Other ways to translate this clause using “rebellion” are:

He causes the Jews to rebel

An example footnote is:

The word “rebel” can also mean “dissension” in Greek. Disturbing people so that they riot or rebel was a very serious charge, worthy of the penalty of death in Roman law.

The Greek word can also mean “a dispute,” as in 23:7. The Jewish leaders probably felt that Paul caused them to argue angrily in 23:6–7. But the stronger meaning of “riots/rebellions” is probably meant here, as rioting and rebellion were against Roman law.

stirring up dissension: The phrase stirring up means “cause” here. Tertullus claimed that Paul caused people to riot. For example:

starts riots (Good News Translation)

all over the world: The Greek phrase is literally “throughout the world,” as in the Revised Standard Version. It indicates that Paul went and preached in many places and those places were scattered in many parts of the world. For example:

everywhere in the world (New Century Version)
-or-
in many lands

Paul had visited some countries, but there were many countries Paul had not visited. Tertullus exaggerated where Paul had been to emphasize that Paul was causing great trouble for Jews.

24:5c

He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: Here Tertullus claimed that Paul was one of the leaders of a group whom the Jews called the Nazarenes. The word sect was probably used in the sense of a group with bad/wrong beliefs. The English word ringleader indicates a leader of a bad group. Other ways to translate this clause are:

a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
a leader of that ⌊misled/deceived⌋ group called Nazarenes

ringleader: The Greek word here just means “leader.” But to help show the negative attitude of the Jews toward the Nazarene sect, the Berean Standard Bible and many English versions use the word ringleader, which refers to a leader of a group involved in illegal activities.

the sect of the Nazarenes: Jesus was born in Bethlehem but grew up in Nazareth. The Jews sometimes connected him with the Nazarenes (Matthew 26:71, Mark 14:67, John 18:5). So the Jews now called believers in Jesus Nazarenes. In some languages, people will not connect the word Nazarenes to Jesus of Nazareth. If so, you may want to:

• Explain it in your translation. But you should probably not use the name “Jesus,” because Tertullus avoided using it here. He did not want to honor Jesus by using his name. For example:

the sect following that man from Nazareth

• Explain the connection in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Jesus was from Nazareth, so the Jews called his followers “the Nazarene sect.”

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. Here, by using this word, Tertullus implied that Christians had false beliefs and have separated themselves from the Jews. Other ways to translate this word are:

heresy (King James Version)
-or-
cult (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
group that has perverted/changed true teaching

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