Language-specific Insights

complete verse (Acts 7:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:5:

  • Uma: “At that time, God gave no land to Abraham, not even a house-plot. However, God promised to Abraham, he said: ‘This land I will give to you (sing.), arriving to your (sing.) descendants.’ But at that time, he did not-yet even have any children.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Ibrahim had not yet been given even a square hand-span of land of this country. But God promised that he would give this country to him, and it would be his and his descendants. When God promised at that time, Ibrahim had no child yet.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And at that time God had not given to Abraham even a little bit only of this land, however God promised that he would give to Abraham the land, and this would be owned by Abraham and by his descendants. And when this was promised to Abraham, Abraham didn’t yet have any children.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When he came here, he had absolutely no land that God had given him, not even one hand-span. But God promised that in the future he would give him this country so-that that is what he would bequeath to his descendants. When he said that, plural Abraham (i.e., Abraham and his wife) had no children yet.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But even though Abraham was caused to move here, God didn’t give him even one handful (lit. touched-with-flat-hand) of ground/soil for his own. But, even though it was like that, God promised that he really would cause it to be his own, being inherited by his descendants, even though he had no children yet at that time.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Lalana Chinantec: “But God did not permit that Abraham should have any land. God didn’t give Abraham a place to stand, but God said his descendants should have land. God said that even though Abraham didn’t have a son back then. This is what God said to Abraham.” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

complete verse (Acts 7:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:6:

  • Uma: “But God said to Abraham like this: ‘Your (sing.) descendants will dwell-as-aliens in the towns of others. The inhabitants of those towns will enslave them and persecute them cruelly for four hundred years.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “God also said to him, ‘Your descendants will live in a country of another tribe and there they will be made slaves and they will be very much oppressed by that tribe/nation for four hundred years.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And God said to him, he said, ‘Your descendants, they will in the future live in a place not belonging to them, and they will be made slaves by the people who live in that place. And bad is what will be done to them. And after four hundred years are passed,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God also said to him that his descendants would go to the town/country of a different people to become-slaves and be persecuted until four hundred years went-by.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And God also said to him, ‘It’s the truth that as for your descendants, they will move-to-live in the land of others. They won’t just move but will also serve for they will be enslaved. They really will be treated badly for the space of four hundred years.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:7)

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

  • Uma: “But after that, I myself will punish the inhabitants of the town that have enslaved them, and only then will they go-out from that town and come here to worship me in this land.’ Thus the words of God to Abraham.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But I will punish the tribe/nation that will make your descendants slaves. After that, I will cause-them-to-go-out/free-them from that country where they were slaves, and they will return here to this country to worship/call-on me,’ God said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I will punish those who are their slave owners, and they will at that time leave that land, and they will return home here. And as for me, God, they will worship me here.’ ‘” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “And God said that then he would punish those who had enslaved them, so then his descendants would leave there to return to this country, so that here is where-they -would-worship him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But as for that land which will enslave them, I really will punish it. After that, they will then be able to leave there and return again here to this land. And then I, God, will again be worshipped by them here.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

For the Old Testament quotes, see Genesis 15:14.

complete verse (Acts 7:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:8:

  • Uma: “After that, God made a connecting promise with Abraham, and he ordered that Abraham and all his children be circumcised. That circumcision custom became a sign of God’s promise with the descendants of Abraham. So, when the child of Abraham named Ishak was indeed born, he circumcised him on the eight day. After that also, Ishak circumcised Yakub his child. And Yakub circumcised his twelve children. And they became the ancestors of all us the Yahudi people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then God covenanted with Ibrahim and God said to Ibrahim that the male should be circumcised, a sign that they agreed to that covenant. Therefore when Isahak was born, Ibrahim circumcised him on the eight day. Isahak also, he circumcised his son Yakub, and Yakub he also circumcised his twelve children/sons. These are the ancestors/forefathers of our (incl.) Yahudi nation/tribe.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Stephen said, ‘There was also a promise of God to Abraham. God commanded that all of them who are males should be circumcized because this is the sign of their agreement with the promise of God. Therefore when Abraham had Isaac, eight days after he was born, Abraham circumcized Isaac. And when Jacob was born to Isaac, he circumcized him also, and when Jacob had children also, he circumcized the twelve sons of his who are the ancestors of us (incl.) Jews.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God also commanded plural Abraham to circumcise their male children as a sign of the agreement-he -presented to them. When Abraham’s child Isaac was born, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And that moreover was what Isaac did to his child Jacob. That was also what Jacob did to his twelve male children, our ancestors long ago.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then concerning God’s initiated-agreement with Abraham, God commanded that down through the generations they circumcize every male among them as a sign that they are included in that initiated-agreement of his. Therefore, when they gave birth to Isaac, when the eighth day came he was then circumcized. Well, Isaac was the father of Jacob, and Jacob was the father of twelve males, these being from whom the twelve clans of us Jews originated.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:9:

  • Uma: “‘Those ancestors of ours were jealous of Yusuf their relative, with the result that Yusuf was sold and enslaved in the land of Mesir. But God was with him,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘So-then,’ Estepan said, ‘Yusup was envied by his older brothers, the other sons of Yakub. Therefore they sold him to be made a slave there in the country of Misil. But God was there with him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Stephen said, ‘Joseph, one of the sons of Jacob, his older brothers were jealous of him, and they sold him and he was brought to Egypt. However God accompanied Joseph” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘But-then those ancestors of ours, they were-jealous-of their younger-sibling Jose, and they sold him to (people)-going to Egipto to become a slave there. But God was there as his companion,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Surely you indeed know what was done by those sons of Jacob to one of their brothers who was Jose. Because their jealousy of Jose was extreme, they sold him to traders who passed by and he was taken to Egipto. But it’s true, as for Jose, he was really being taken care of always by God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:10:

  • Uma: “and in the end he freed him from all his suffering. God gave him skill that gladdened the heart of Firaun the king in the land of Mesir, with the result that Firaun raised him to be the governor of the land of Mesir and to be the commander in his house.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “God delivered him from all the troubles that came to him. God also gave him knowledge, and when he went to face the king of Misil, the king was pleased with him. Therefore the king gave him the title governor of that country Misil and he was given charge of the people in his palace.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “and rescued him out of all the difficult things that happened to him. The Lord blessed Joseph. That’s why the king there in Egypt liked Joseph because he saw that great wisdom had been given to him. And as for the king, he made Joseph governor of all his kingdom, and the one who would be in charge of all of his possessions.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and he saved/rescued him from all his sufferings. He gave him intelligence and a good behavior that was the cause-of-the Faraon or king of Egipto’s -liking him. Therefore, the Faraon appointed him to-be-governor of all the towns in Egipto and to also be-in-charge of all his possessions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Proof is, he freed him from all the hardships which happened to him, and also gave him far-from-ordinary wisdom/understanding, that being why the king of Egipto was pleased with him. And then what that king did was, he set Jose up as governor who had authority over the whole land of Egipto, including the household of the king.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:11:

  • Uma: “From there, arrived a big famine all over the land of Mesir and the land of Kanaan. When this big famine arrived, many people suffered, and our ancestors also no longer had food.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then a famine came/arrived throughout the country of Misil and including the country Kana’an, the place of Yakub and company. The people were very short-of-food. Our (incl.) forefathers could not find any food.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “So,’ said Stephen to the leaders, ‘a great famine took place in all of the land of Egypt and also in the land of Canaan, and the inhabitants there were having a hard time. And our ancestors, there was no place where they could get food.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘That being so, a famine arrived in the many-towns in Egipto and in Canaan, and people were excessively hardshipped. Our ancestors, they had no place-to-get what they would eat.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, some years passed, then a painful famine occured in Egipto. It was the same in Canaan where our fore-fathers, the sons of Jacob, were living. They really had big hardship for it was hard to find where they could get food.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

complete verse (Acts 7:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:12:

  • Uma: “From there, Yakub heard that there was rice being sold in Mesir. That is why he ordered his children, those ancestors of ours, to go to Mesir. That was their first trip to Mesir.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Therefore when Yakub heard that there was food in the country of Misil, he told his sons, the forefathers of our (incl.) nation, to go there to buy food, and that was the first time they went to Misil,’ Estepan said.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore when Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, he told his male children, our ancestors, that they should go there. This is their first going there to get food.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore when Jacob heard that there was a place-to-buy-stored-up food in Egipto, he sent his children our ancestors (lit. fathers) to go buy what they would eat. That was the first-time they went.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But Jacob heard news that food was indeed plentiful in Egipto. Therefore he caused his sons to go there, those fore-fathers of ours, to get food.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)