Translation commentary on Acts 4:29

The transitional phrase and now shifts the attention from the historical event to the circumstances faced by the believers, for example, “but as for now” or “but as for our circumstances.” The expression take notice of may be rendered as “listen to.” The phrase the threats they made may be rendered in some languages as “how they have threatened us” or “how they have said, You will suffer.”

The expression allow us is not really a request for permission. It is far more a prayer for the strength to be able to do something, for example, “make it possible for us to speak” or “give us the strength to speak.” The words us, your servants are equivalent in many languages to “we who serve you.”

To speak your message translates an expression that has become a technical term for the early Christian missionary preaching. It is literally “to speak the word,” and may be accompanied by a variety of modifiers, such as “of God” (see v. 31), “of the Lord,” or “of the Good News,” that is, the good news about Jesus.

As in other contexts, an expression such as with all boldness can be rendered as either “without fear” or as “speaking everything plainly.”

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 4:29

4:29a

And now: Here this word indicates a change from talking about past event to asking God to do something. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

So then
-or-
As for today

In some languages it is more natural to omit the connecting word here.

Lord: The word Lord refers to God here. See how you translated it in 4:26.

consider their threats: This clause is a command. Here it is a polite request to God for him to do something. In some languages people do not command God to do something. If that is true in your language, use the correct way to address God. For example:

please consider their threats
-or-
would you consider their threats?

consider: The Greek is literally “look upon/at.” Here it refers to observing and thinking about something. It implies doing something about it. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

observe (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
listen to (Contemporary English Version)

4:29b

enable: This is also a command to God. Translate it in the same way as you did the command to God in 4:29a.

This word in Greek is literally “give.” The believers want God to give them boldness.

Your servants: This phrase refers to the believers who were praying. In some languages the word “us” must be added to make that clear. For example:

⌊us,⌋ your servants,

Some languages must use a verb here for the correct meaning. For example:

⌊us,⌋ the people who serve you,
-or-

⌊us,⌋ the people who do what you tell us to do

Your word: This phrase refers to messages from God. Here it includes the good news about Jesus but may also include prophecy, so it is best to translate the literal meaning. But in some languages it is more natural to use the plural. For example:

your words

© 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.