centurion

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).

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Roman Centurion .

save

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The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “help the heart”
  • Laka: “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “lift out on behalf of”
  • Anuak: “have life because of”
  • Central Mazahua: “be healed in the heart”
  • Baoulé: “save one’s head”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “come out well”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida),
  • Matumbi: “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Noongar: barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • South Bolivian Quechua: “make to escape”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand” (source for this and one above: Nida 1947, p. 222)
  • Bariai: “retrieve one back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

Paul

The term that is transliterated as “Paul” in English means “little.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In American Sign Language it is translated with a sign that signifies the many letters he wrote. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Paul” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a sign depicting putting away a sword, referring to his conversion from a persecutor of Christians to a Christian leader. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Paul (and Saul)” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that is based on contemporary depictions and refers to the presumed baldness of the top of his head. The description originates from the 2nd-century apocryphal text titled Acts of Paul and Thecla , which represents the earliest and most detailed physical characterization of the apostle in Christian tradition (see also the icon below). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Paul” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Paul,” the second part refers to “apostle” (source )

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a Georgian Orthodox icon of Paul the Apostle from the 14th century (located in the Art Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church

“This window is dedicated to St. Paul, the great apostle and missionary, for whom our city is named. At the top of the window is a ship which symbolizes the many missionary journeys of Paul — the Church is our ship, which carries us over the way of life. In the lower section we see Paul on the road to Damascus when he saw a great light and heard our Lord’s voice, which called him to discipleship.”

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

Click or tap here to see a short video clip about Paul (source: Bible Lands 2012)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Paul .

complete verse (Acts 27:43)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 27:43:

  • Uma: “But the warchief forbade them, because he had love/pity for Paulus. He ordered that people who knew how to swim jump into the sea and swim to land.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the captain did not want anything to happen to Paul. Therefore he restrained/forbade the soldiers telling them not to do what they were thinking. Even-more-so he told all those who knew how to swim to jump first and swim to the shore.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However the sergeant, he did not want that Paul should be killed, and he did not allow them to kill them. He commanded that those who knew how to swim should jump in and go to the shore.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But the captain forbid-it, because he wanted Pablo to live. He commanded that those able-to-swim jump into the ocean to go-ahead to go to its edge,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But their captain didn’t concur for he didn’t want Pablo to get killed. Therefore he prevented them. And then he said that whoever could swim should jump off and swim now, going ahead to shore.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 27:43

This and the following verse are one sentence in Greek. It may be of some interest to note that the word rendered to save in this verse is the same verb rendered when we were safely ashore in 28.1 and he escaped in 28.4. Wanted to save Paul is rendered in some languages as “wanted to prevent Paul from being killed” or “wanted to save Paul’s life.”

He stopped them from doing this may need to be more explicit in some languages—for example, “he stopped the soldiers from killing the prisoners.” However, in some languages this could be ambiguous, suggesting that they had started to kill some of the prisoners. Therefore one may translate as “he prevented the soldiers from carrying out their plan to kill the prisoners.”

After the verb ordered it may be preferable to have direct discourse—for example, “he ordered all the men who could swim, Jump into the water first and swim ashore” or “he ordered, All of you men who can swim must jump overboard and swim ashore.” The fact that those who could swim were the first to go may actually be rendered by placing a conjunctive adverb such as “then” or “later” at the beginning of verse 44.

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 27:43

27:43a

the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spare…life refers to bringing someone safely through a dangerous event. The centurion prevented the soldiers from killing Paul, but he was probably also thinking about getting Paul all the way to Rome. Other ways to translate this clause are:

the centurion was determined to bring Paul safely through (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the centurion wanted to keep Paul safe/alive

centurion: Translate this word as you did in 27:31.

27:43b

thwarted their plan: This refers to preventing the soldiers from doing as they had planned. He ordered them to not kill the prisoners. Other ways to translate this are:

and he did not let the soldiers do what they had planned (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
so he stopped them from doing this (Good News Translation)

27:43c

those who could swim: This refers to the prisoners and soldiers who could swim.

to jump overboard first: This refers to leaving the ship. Those that could swim would go first. For example:

to jump into the water first (New Century Version)

get to land: This implies that the swimmers would swim to land. For example:

swim ashore (Good News Translation)

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