complete verse (Acts 2:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:6:

  • Uma: “When they heard that noise that was like wind, they came in throngs to gather-together. They were confused, because they each heard their own language being used by those apostles of Lord Yesus.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When they heard the noise (going on) inside that house where the disciples of Isa were gathered, a great number of them went there gathering. They were greatly surprised, because they heard the disciples of Isa speak like the language of each one of them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when they heard this noise, they all gathered together there, and they were very surprised because each one of the people who gathered there, he could hear his very own language being spoken by the believers.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When they heard that-aforementioned noise, many were those who went to go see. They were open-mouthed (with surprise), because when they heard what the believers in Jesus were telling, each-one heard in his own (lit. proper) language.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When they heard that sound, many approached there. On arriving, they were bewildered for they heard being spoken by those believers the languages of those lands they had come from.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When they heard that roaring-noise, they quickly went there where the believers are-gathering. They were very surprised because each one of them was-able-to-hear that it was his language being-spoken by the believers.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “When they themselves heard that sound come down, many people gathered together. They themselves their breath kept escaping because they themselves heard Yesus’ sent-ones continuously speaking in each person’s own language. ” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Bariai: “And they heard that sound, and so many of them came and gathered together, yet they were confused, because they heard talk coming forth in each of their languages.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “When they heard that noise they gathered together. As each of them heard his language being spoken, they were amazed.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 2:6

The pronoun they must refer back in some way to the Jews who have been introduced in the preceding verse, for example, “when these men heard.”

This noise may have a reference either to the noise accompanying the arrival of the Holy Spirit (v. 2) or to the talking in other languages (v. 4). The word itself is a different word for noise from the one which is used in verse 2, though this is no argument against identifying this noise with the noise mentioned in that verse. However, the nearest antecedent is the sound of the believers talking in other languages (v. 4), for example, “when they heard the believers talking in strange languages.” It is also possible to preserve a measure of ambiguity, for example, “when they heard what had happened” or “… what was happening.”

A large crowd (the Greek has only plēthos “crowd,” but this normally refers to a “large gathering”) must, in some languages, be semantically redistributed, for example, “many people gathered together.”

The Greek sentence continues through verse 6a and 6b, but the Good News Translation has introduced a break, since the causal clause goes more appropriately with the event of being excited.

This is the excitement of amazement and bewilderment, not the excitement of good news or of some thrilling spectacle. It is important, therefore, that insofar as possible the appropriate term be selected.

The causal clause may need some greater clarification of roles and events, for example, “because then each person heard the believers speak; they were speaking in that person’s own language.” In some instances one must specify “own language” as “the language which he spoke in his own town.”

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 2:6

2:6a

this sound: Some scholars think this phrase refers to the wind-like noise (2:2). Other scholars think this phrase refers to the believers speaking those many different languages (2:4). Translate in a way that allows this phrase to refer to either the wind-like noise or the noise of many people speaking. For example:

that noise

However, some languages must say what the noise was. If that is true in your language, refer to the wind-like noise of 2:2. For example:

the wind (God’s Word)

2:6b

a crowd came together: By the time the crowd gathered, the believers were probably somewhere outside of the house (2:1b). In some languages it is more natural to indicate the implied information. For example:

a crowd came together ⌊around the believers⌋ ⌊outside of the house⌋
-or-
a crowd came together ⌊around the believers⌋ ⌊because they had come out of the house⌋

a crowd: This crowd included the Jews described in 2:5. The context implies that the crowd was mostly these Jews.

in bewilderment: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in bewilderment has a number of meanings. Here it probably refers to the crowd being confused and amazed, as 2:6c explains. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Each person was startled (God’s Word)
-or-
they were surprised (Contemporary English Version)

2:6c

each one heard them speaking his own language: The pronoun them refers to the believers. Each one of these Jews heard the believers speaking the hearer’s own language. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

each one heard them speaking in the native language of each (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers (New Living Translation (2004))

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