Acts 5:17 – TIPs

apostle, apostles

The Greek term that is usually translated as “apostle(s)” in English is (back-) translated in the following ways:

Eastern Highland Otomi, Tzeltal, Western Kanjobal, Western Highland Purepecha, Navajo, Copainalá Zoque, Chol, Balanta-Kentohe, English (original meaning of “apostle”): “the sent ones”
Kituba, Pamona, Mezquital Otomi, Central Pame: “messengers”
Ngäbere: “word carriers”
Southern Subanen: “those commanded to carry the message”
San Blas Kuna: “witnesses to God” (meaning “those who speak up and out for God” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida, except Balanta-Kentohe: Rob Koops)
Mairasi: sasiri atatuemnev nesovnaa or “sent witnesses” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Ekari: “one-who-goes-and-tells-for-someone” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
Khmer: Christtout (“messenger representing Christ”) or when Jesus addresses them: Tout robas Preah Ang (“his messengers-representatives”) (source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff.)
Pwo Karen: “eyeballs” (i.e., “right-hand men”) (source: David Clark)
Tzeltal, Coatlán Mixe: “spreader-of-words”
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “one who goes about preaching the good word” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Noongar: Moorta Ngany Waangki-Koorl or “People I (Jesus) Send” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Ayutla Mixtec: “those who bore the word of God’s mouth”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “elders messengers” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as commissioner.

In American Sign Language it is translated with a combination of the signs for “following” plus the sign for “authority” to differentiate it from disciple. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)

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

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “high priest” in English is translated as “the ruler of the priests of our nation” in Yatzachi Zapotec, as “very great priest” in Chol (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.), as “first over the priests” in Ayutla Mixtec, and “chief of the priests” in Desano (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.).

In Uma it is translated as “Big Priest,” in Western Bukidnon Manobo as “high sacrificer,” and in Tagbanwa as “Most-important Priest of God.” (See here.)

complete verse (Acts 5:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:17:

Uma: “At that time, the Big Priest with his companions that followed the teaching of the Saduki, they became jealous of the apostles of the Lord Yesus. That’s why they began to persecute them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So then, the leading priest and his companions the Sadduseo in Awrusalam, they were really jealous of the commissioned ones.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And at that time the high priest and his companions and the Sadducee people, they were very jealous of the apostles.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “When that was so, the highest priest and his companions the Saducees were excessively jealous of the apostles.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When that’s how it was, the jealousy became much worse of the Most-important Priest and all his companions who were Saduceo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 5:17

In Greek, verses 17 and 18 comprise one sentence that begins with the word translated in the King James Version as “rose up.” This is the same word that is used in verse 6 and does not indicate whether the High Priest was sitting or lying down before he got up. It is used simply to indicate the initiation of an action, and is translated by the Good News Translation so they decided to take action (see New English Bible “… were goaded into action”). In many languages High Priest is rendered as “the big priest,” “the chief of the priests,” or “the priest who commands the other priests.”

His companions are “his henchmen” or, as in some languages, “his helpers” or “his followers.” (See also 5.21b.)

The appositional phrase members of the local party of the Sadducees must be clearly marked as apposition in some languages, for example, “his followers, that is to say, the members of the local party of the Sadducees” or “his followers who were part of the local group of the Sadducees.”

In translating party it is useful to employ a term which designates primarily a political group, not a religious group, for in this context the emphasis is upon the political role of the Sadducees.

In the phrase the local party of the Sadducees, local translates a Greek participial construction which is taken by commentators to mean “what is current in time or local in place.” Similar constructions are also found in 11.22 and 13.1.

It is interesting that throughout the book of Acts the Pharisees, who were representative of the heart of Judaism, are presented as generally favorable toward the Christian movement, whereas the Sadducees are strongly opposed to the Christian community.

In many languages jealous is expressed by an idiomatic phrase, for example, “their hearts burned” or “their livers were yellow.” In some instances, however, one must employ a rather full description of precisely what was involved, such as “they were not happy because everybody liked the apostles” or “they were unhappy because the apostles were doing so much.”

The verb take action must sometimes specify the goal, particularly when some kind of opposition is involved, for example, “to take action against the apostles” or “to make the apostles suffer.”

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 .

American Bible Society