complete verse (Acts 4:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 4:14:

  • Uma: “But those judges, they did not dare refute. Because that lame one who had been healed was also there standing together with Petrus and Yohanes.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But they could say nothing to argue with them because they could see there the man who had been crippled standing beside Petros and Yahiya.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They wanted to speak against that miracle which Peter and company had done, however since the man who was cured was there also, there wasn’t anything they could say.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “but they did not answer anything, because there was the one whose lameness was removed standing-with them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Also, because they could see that person who had been made well standing alongside Pedro-and-companion, they couldn’t find anything as a response.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 4:14

The shift of viewpoint at the beginning of verse 14 is well indicated by a conjunction such as but. While one can always say something such as there was nothing that they could say, it is often possible to render the same type of expression in an idiomatic way, for example, “their mouths were shut,” “there were no words for their voices,” or “their thoughts gave them no words.” The implication is that “they had nothing to say in response” or “… in return.”

In the translation of this verse the Greek sentence order has been reversed; in the Greek the emphatic element is “the man whom they saw standing there with them,” that is, with Peter and John. The last clause of verse 14 may be broken up into two parts, for example, “they saw the man who had been made well; he was standing there with Peter and John.”

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 .