complete verse (Acts 5:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:6:

  • Uma: “From there, several men wrapped up the body of Ananias, and they carried it away and buried it.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the young men entered to shroud Ananiyas and they brought him out to bury.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Ananias heard these words, God punished him, and immediately he fell down and died. And then some young men came to him and tied up his body and carried it out and buried it. And all who heard about this happening were very much afraid.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon Ananias’ hearing what Pedro said, he simultaneously (with hearing it) fell down dead. The young men wrapped-around-his body -with-strips (of cloth), then they took him out and went and buried him. And great was the fear of all who heard what happened to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What the young people there did was, they wrapped up that one who had died and then carried him to bury him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 5:6

Young men seems merely to be a statement regarding the age of the men rather than a description of their precise status or function in the Jerusalem church. In a number of languages young men may be translated by a term designating unmarried men. This is probably the closest functional equivalent. Came in translates the Semitic expression “getting up” and is merely a way of speaking of the initiation of an action; it does not imply that the young men were either sitting or lying down, though most translations render the expression something like “got up.” Wrapped up (with a shroud for burial) is employed by most translations, though no one is at all certain as to the exact meaning of this word.

A receptor-language term for bury may have certain local denotations which need to be avoided. For example, in some languages the closest equivalent is “burn the body.” In other cultures it may specify placing the body on a special platform for putrefaction. It is preferable, therefore, to try to represent the biblical pattern of burial which means “place the body in the ground” or “place the body in a tomb.” Since there are so many references to burial in the Bible, it is important to represent carefully the ancient customs in a consistent manner.

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 5:6

5:6a

Then: The Greek word is often translated “and.” The events of 5:6 occur after the events of 5:5. Here are some other ways to translate this:

And (King James Version)
-or-
The young men…

the young men: This refers to men under 24 years of age. These young men have not been mentioned before in this story. In some languages it would be more natural not to use the word the here. For example:

some young men (New Living Translation (2004))

stepped forward: The Greek is more literally “having arisen.” There are several ways to interpret the Greek word:

(1) It refers to arising from a sitting position. For example:

rose

(Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Revised English Bible)

(2) It refers to being in the room already and coming before Peter as their leader. This is the interpretation of the Berean Standard Bible and the New International Version. Peter then probably acknowledged them for the task of taking care of the dead body.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version)

(3) It refers to being somewhere and coming. For example:

came

(New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

(4) It refers to being outside the room and coming into it. For example:

came in

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because “having arisen” probably implies that these men were nearby. Interpretation (2) is also a sense of the Greek word, so is possible too.

wrapped up his body: This phrase probably indicates that the young men wrapped a large piece of cloth around his body to prepare it for burying it. Here are some other ways to translate this:

wrapped him in a shroud (TLV)
-or-
wrapped his body in a sheet (God’s Word)

5:6b

carried him out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as carried…out refers to carrying something out of a building or out of an area. Here it refers to carrying the body of Ananias, wrapped in a large cloth, out of the building where Peter was.

In some languages it is more natural to refer to the body here. For example:

carried out his body

buried him: According to Jewish custom, people would put a body in a hole dug in the ground or in a tomb carved out of the bedrock. The hole with the body in it would be filled again with dirt or the entrance to the tomb would be closed with a large stone.

In some languages it is more natural to refer to the body here. For example:

buried it

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