apostle, apostles

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The Greek term that is usually translated as “apostle(s)” in English is (back-) translated in the following ways:

Scot McKnight (in The Second Testament, publ. 2023) translates it into English as commissioner.

In American Sign Language it is translated with a combination of the signs for “following” plus the sign for “authority” to differentiate it from disciple. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


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

cast lots

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    The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “casting” or “drawing lots” in English is often translated with a specific idiom, such as “to take out bamboo slips” — 掣 籤 chè qiān (in most Mandarin Chinese Bibles), “each to pick-up which is-written (i.e. small sticks inscribed with characters and used as slots)” (Batak Toba), a term for divination by means of reed stalks (Toraja-Sa’dan).

    In some cases a cultural equivalent is not available, or it is felt to be unsuitable in this situation, e.g. in Ekari where “to spin acorns” has the connotation of gambling, one may have to state the fact without mentioning the means, e.g. “it came to him,” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel). In Shipibo-Conibo there was no equivalent for “casting lots” so the translation for Mark 15:24 is descriptive: “they shook little things to decide what each one should take” (source: Nida 1952, p. 47).

    Other solutions include:

    • Purari: “throw shells” (source: David Clark)
    • Kwara’ae (in Acts 1:26) “they played something like dice to find out who of the two God chose (God revealed his will that way)” (source: Carl Gross)
    • Navajo: “draw straws”
    • Yatzachi Zapotec “raffle”
    • Chol “choose by a game” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
    • Chichimeca-Jonaz: “threw one or two little hard things that had a sign…to see which person it would be”
    • Kekchí: “try with luck”
    • Lalana Chinantec: “there were little things they played with that made evident who it would be who would be lucky”
    • Chuj: “enter luck upon them”
    • Ayutla Mixtec: “put out luck” (Source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
    • Lacandon: “play with small stones in order to see who was going to win” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)

    In North Alaskan Inupiatun a term for “gambling” is used. The same Inupiatun term is also used in Esther 3:7, “though there winning and losing is not in view, but rather choosing by chance” (source: Robert Bascom)

    The stand-alone term that is translated “lots” in English is translated as “two pieces of potsherd” in Highland Totonac. (Source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)

complete verse (Acts 1:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 1:26:

  • Uma: “After they prayed, they threw lots as their decision-maker [lit., thing that makes straight/clear]. The one pointed-out by this decision-maker of theirs was Matias. So he was lifted becoming an apostle of Lord Yesus so that they were a complete twelve as in the beginning.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “After that, they drew lots and the name of Mattiyas was drawn. So he was added to the eleven men/persons whom Isa had commissioned.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when they had finished praying, they cast lots for the two, and the one who was chosen was Matthias, and he was made one of the apostles just like those eleven.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they drew-lots, and Matias was drawn, and he joined the eleven apostles.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “After they had prayed, they then drew lots. Matias was chosen, therefore he joined the eleven disciples.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 1:26

They drew lots to choose between the two names translates “they gave them lots.” The precise meaning of this clause is unclear, but the next clause (literally, “the lot fell on Matthias”) helps to clarify it. These two clauses when taken together seem to indicate that the choice was made in a manner similar to that in which the Urim and the Thummin were used in Old Testament times. The names, written on stone, would have been placed in a vessel which was then shaken; the first stone to fall out would indicate the man chosen.

The phrase drew lots involves a number of complications in some languages. In the first place, where the custom does exist, one may have a number of different types of expressions to identify the procedure, for example, “threw down the names,” “picked up the lots,” or “saw the way the names fell.” At the same time it is important that any expression for the casting of lots does not involve heavy connotations of magic.

Where the custom of casting lots is not known, one can employ a kind of descriptive equivalent, for example, “decided which person it would be by writing the names on pieces of stone,” with a fuller explanation of the possible procedures and their cultural function in a marginal note.

In a number of languages one does not choose between the two names but “must choose between the two men.”

The use of choose would imply some agent, but it would be both awkward and ill-advised to try to introduce God as the specific manipulator of the lots. Rather, one may often have an equivalent such as “the lot showed that the right man was Matthias” or “the name on the lot was that of Matthias.”

He was added to the group translates the Greek word which appears only here in the New Testament. Originally the verb meant “to choose (by a vote) together with,” but in this verse the meaning seems to be simply “to be added (to the eleven apostles).”

The passive expression he was added to the group may need to be put into an active form, for example, “the believers considered Matthias as one of the twelve.”

Languages differ considerably in the ways in which they specify the relation of one person to others, for example, “he was one with the eleven,” “he was one among the twelve,” “he was added to the eleven,” or “with the eleven he became the twelfth.”

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 .