gnash / grind teeth

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The Greek that is translated into English as “gnashed their teeth” or “ground their teeth” is translated in Pwo Karen as “their eyes were green/blue with anger” (source: David Clark), in Yao as “they had itchy teeth” (“meaning they very anxious to destroy him”) (source: Nida / Reyburn, p. 56), in Estado de México Otomi as “gnashed their teeth at him to show anger” (to specify their emotion) (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.), in Coatlán Mixe as “ground their teeth in anger like wild hogs,” in Rincón Zapotec as “showed their teeth (like a dog) because of their anger” (source for this and before: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), and in Gullah as suck dey teet or “suck their teeth” (source: David Frank).

In the Protestant Mandarin Chinese Union Version and the Catholic Sigao version it is translated with a historical Chinese idiom: yǎoyá qièchǐ (咬牙切齿 / 咬牙切齒) or “gnash teeth, grind teeth.” (Source: Zetzsche)

See also gnashing of teeth and contempt / scorn / ridicule / abuse.

Stephen

The term that is transliterated as “Stephen” in English is translated in American Sign Language with a sign that combines “S” and the sign for “stoned” or “rocks,” referring to Acts 7:58. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


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

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with a signs for “see” + “heaven” + “open,” referring to Acts 7:55. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Stephen” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

See also the stoning of Stephen (image) and more information about Saint Stephen .

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

The following is a contemporary stained glass window from the Messiah Episcopal Church in St. Paul, Minnesota by Peter Dohmen. Individual glass pieces were made in Germany in accordance with Dohmen’s design, using a technique first developed by Irish monks in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Source for the image and description below: The Stained Glass Windows of Messiah Episcopal Church

“This window on the east wall of the sanctuary shows us St. Stephen, the first martyr to give his life for Christ. Faith and loyalty are symbolized in the top panel by the cross. You will notice that Stephen’s eyes are turned toward heaven and we recall his words: ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ The bottom section depicts the martyrdom of this great saint who was only in deacon’s orders when he met his death by stoning.”

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

complete verse (Acts 7:54)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:54:

  • Uma: “When the leaders heard the words of Stefanus, their hearts were irritated and they ground their wisdom teeth.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When the councilors heard that which Estepan said, they were very angry and they ground their teeth because of their anger.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the leaders of the Jews heard these words of Stephen, they were very angry. They gnashed their molars because of their being very angry.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When the leaders of the Jews heard what Esteban said, extreme was their anger while-simultaneously they gritted-their-teeth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, when those leaders of the Jews heard, they really ground/clenched their teeth with anger.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 7:54

The subject of the verbs became furious and ground their teeth is not explicit in the Greek; but the Good News Translation has made the subject explicit, the members of the Council, inasmuch as the last previous reference to the Jewish Council appeared in 6.15. As … listened … they became furious attempts to represent the significance of the Greek verb tenses. “As they heard these things” has been expanded to read as the members of the Council listened to Stephen, while in anger has been added to the expression ground their teeth at him in order to indicate for the English reader the significance of this Jewish expression. The idiom ground their teeth at him is quite meaningless in many languages. In fact, the impression may simply be of some ludicrous activity. In some languages, therefore, another idiom with equivalent meaning is employed, for example, “their hearts were very hot against him,” “their faces burned against him,” or “their hearts were very angry.”

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 .