complete verse (Acts 25:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 25:17:

  • Uma: “After that, several Yahudi leaders came with me from Yerusalem. When we (excl.) arrived here, I did not wait long. The next day I immediately ordered people to carry Paulus here, and I judged [sat-on] his case.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore when they were all gathered here, I did not delay anymore. But the next day I sat in the judgment room and commanded that Paul be brought inside.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when they came here to Caesarea, I wasted no time because the next day I sat there in the court and I commanded that he be brought before me.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When they arrived here then, I didn’t delay his case but rather I began-it on the next morning. I had-the prisoner -called,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Therefore when I returned here they accompanied me. I didn’t delay it, but on the contrary, the next day I sat down on the seat of the judge and then had Pablo fetched.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 25:17

I lost no time (see Jerusalem Bible “I wasted no time”) must be understood in the sense of “I acted as quickly as I could.” In the Greek sentence the only finite verb is ordered, with all of the other verbal forms either participles or infinitives depending upon this main verb.

As in other contexts, an expression such as I sat in the judgment court may be rendered as “I took my place as judge.” Similarly, the final clause following the verb ordered may be put into the form of direct discourse: “ordered the soldiers, Bring the man in.”

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 25:17

Paragraph 25:17–21

25:17a

So: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek conjunction that introduces this verse as So. This Greek conjunction is often translated as “therefore.” Festus spoke of proper Roman justice in 25:16, therefore he had the trial as soon as the accusers came to Caesarea (25:17a). For example:

Therefore (King James Version)

Some English versions allow the context to indicate the connection and do not translate the conjunction.

when they came here with me: This clause in Greek is literally “having assembled here.” The Greek grammar indicates that the clause refers to the Jewish leaders gathering together in front of Festus after they traveled from Jerusalem. Other ways to translate this clause are:

When…they came together here (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
When his accusers came here (New Living Translation (2004))

I did not delay: This clause in Greek is literally “I, having made no delay.” But Festus was speaking of the trial, and you may want to make this clear. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I did not delay the case (New International Version)
-or-
I made no delay (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
I wasted no time (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
immediately (God’s Word)

25:17b

I sat on the judgment seat: The Greek words here are literally “I having sat down on the seat of judgment.” The judgment seat refers to a special chair that the judge sat on when he was ready to judge cases. See how you translated this clause in 25:6.

25:17c

ordered that the man be brought in: Festus ordered someone in the room to go and bring Paul. The clause the man be brought is passive. Festus may have spoken to one of his servants, an official of the court, the head jailer, or a soldier. Who exactly Festus ordered is not important to the story. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

ordered ⌊someone⌋ to bring the man in
-or-
summoned the man (God’s Word)
-or-
commanded ⌊a soldier⌋ to fetch the man

© 2001, 2021 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.