The Greek that is translatede as “spirit/demon comes (out)” in various forms in English is translated in
Izii as “spirit/demon pour (out),” because “ephe (‘come’), sounds as if the demons are human beings. We use only ephe for human beings.” (Source: Samuel Iyoku in The Bible Translator 1977, p. 404ff. )
The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated/transliterated in English as “unclean spirit” or “evil spirit” is translated in Paasaal it is translated as gyɩŋbɔmɔ, which is also the term used for “demon (see here. Wyɩŋbɔmɔ are “beings that are in the wild and can only be seen when they choose to reveal themselves to certain people. They can ‘capture’ humans and keep them in hiding while they train the person in herbalism and divination. After the training period, which can range from a week to many years, the ‘captured’ individual is released to go back into society as a healer and a diviner. The gyɩŋbɔmɔ can also be evil, striking humans with mental diseases and causing individuals to get lost in the wild. The Pasaale worldview about demons is like that of others of the language groups in the area.” (Source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 8:7:
Uma: “Because he expelled demons from many people that they had possessed/entered, with the result that those people shouted, and’ the demons that had entered them did go out. And he also headed many crippled and lame people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Many people had demons come out of them. The demons cried out loudly as they came out. And many paralyzed persons (their bodies dead) and cripples were healed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “There were many people whom he cured who were afflicted with evil spirits, and the evil spirits yelled as they went out. And he also cured those who were lame and those who were paralyzed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Because the evil-spirits who had-taken-possession (of people), they left many people while-simultaneously they screeched, and many cripples and lame-people were also made-well.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “For he expelled many evil-spirits who were possessing people, and they cried out as they left. And many also were those made well by Felipe who had a part of their body dead or who were lame.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The Greek text of verse 7 contains a very unusual grammatical reference. Many people (rather than evil spirits) is technically the grammatical subject of came out; however, it is perfectly clear from the context that evil spirits are to be understood as having come out of the people.
Came out with a loud cry is often rendered by two verbal expressions, for example, “they screamed and came out.”
Paralyzed … people is usually rendered as “persons who could not move their legs” or “those who could not move their bodies.” Lame people are simply “those who walk haltingly” or “those who could not walk properly.”
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 .