bedridden

In Gbaya, the notion of being bedridden in Acts 9:33 is emphasized with mgbaɓala, an ideophone used to describe a state of sitting or lying down without getting up or even moving.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

complete verse (Acts 9:33)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 9:33:

  • Uma: “In that town of Lida, he met a man, his name Eneas. This Eneas had been lame for eight years, he could not get up from his bed.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There he saw a man named Aneyas. This man had not been able to get up from his bed for eight years already because his body was paralyzed (dead).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there he saw a man who was named Aeneas, and this Aeneas, for eight years now he could not get up because half of his body was dead.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “he came-upon a man named Eneas who had-been-lying-down for eight years, because he was a cripple.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, there was a man he saw who was named Eneas. Eight years already was how long he had been bed-ridden, for he was paralized (lit. there was a dead part of his body).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 9:33

For eight years may mean “since he was eight years old,” but most translations and commentaries render this phrase in the sense of the Good News Translation.

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 .