wonder

The Greek that is often translated as “wonder” into English is different from the term that is translated as “miracle” (see miracle) since it “usually involves some unusual phenomena in nature which are a portent of dire woe or extraordinary blessing.” In Huichol these are “awe-inspiring things,” in Yucateco they are “things which show what is coming,” and in Eastern Highland Otomi the expression must be cast into the form of a verb phrase “they will amaze the people.”

sign

The Greek that is typically translated in English as “sign” is translated in Huehuetla Tepehua as “thing to be marveled at” (source: Larson 1889, p. 279) and in Mairasi as “big work” (source: Enggavoter 2004).

complete verse (Acts 7:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:36:

  • Uma: “That Musa was the one who led them out of the land of Mesir. He is the one who did powerful things and surprising signs in Mesir, at the Red Sea and in the wilderness [empty land] during forty years.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He brought our (incl.) forefathers, the tribe of Isra’il, out of Misil, the country where they were made slaves. He did powerful works and wonder-causing works there in Misil and there at the Red Sea, and likewise there in the lonely place for forty years.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Moses led our ancestors, and they left Egypt, and there before they had left Egypt there were miracles and signs which he did. And in the sea which is called Red, and there also on the way through the land where there is no one living, he also showed works like that. Forty years Moses led them there in the land where there is no one living.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Moses moreover was the one who led the descendants of Israel in their leaving Egipto, and he did many amazing-things while they were still in Egipto and in their crossing what was called Reddish Sea/Ocean and in their walking-through the place with no inhabitants for forty years.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Yes indeed, that Moises was the one who caused them to go out from Egipto. Many were the signs he did which were amazing things there in Egipto, and at the Red Sea, and during the space of those forty years when he was leading them there in the wilderness place.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 7:36

As mentioned above he (that is, Moses) is the emphatic element in this sentence.

If the strictly temporal aspect of the participle performing (miracles and wonders) is stressed, then it technically means action which was done before Moses led the people out of Egypt. For this reason it is best to take the participle purely in its instrumental aspect, that is, “by performing miracles and wonders.” The King James Version translation (“after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years”) is a correct translation if the temporal aspect of the participle is emphasized; but this makes poor sense, inasmuch as all these actions must be looked upon as happening prior to the main verb led the people out. The Jerusalem Bible attempts to bring out the temporal notion of the participle, but the translators seem to have gone too far in rearranging it, “It was Moses who, after performing miracles and signs in Egypt, led them out across the Red Sea and through the wilderness for forty years.”

If one interprets performing miracles and wonders as being primarily instrumental, that is, “the means by which Moses was able to lead the people out of Egypt,” then one can combine much more effectively Egypt, the Red Sea, and the desert. However, it is necessary in many languages to translate “in the country of Egypt,” “along the Red Sea,” and “in the desert,” with desert often rendered as “uninhabited lands.”

Note, however, that the temporal expression for forty years must be associated only with what was done in the desert. In some languages it is necessary, therefore, to introduce a verbal expression which would refer to the performing of miracles and wonders, for example, “he continued to perform miracles in the desert for forty years.”

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 .