complete verse (Acts 17:21)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 17:21:

  • Uma: “(Because the Atena people and other people who dwelled in Atena, their hobby [lit., happiness] was to continually hear and talk about new talk.)” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “(All the people of Aten hep and the foreigners living there, they are addicted to chatting and listening about anything new.)” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “(The reason they said this is because the Athenians and even the foreigners who come to live there they really like to listen to and tell about teachings which are new to them, even if it takes them all afternoon.)” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They said that, because all the inhabitants in Athens, even those who came-from different towns to reside-with them, they spend-their-days telling-about and listening-to new teaching.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “(That was the habit of the people in Atenas, the original inhabitants and those who had gone there to live, they were fond of listening to and relating new things. They didn’t bother with anything else.)” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 17:21

This sentence constitutes a parenthetical explanation by Luke concerning the activities of people in Athens.

Citizens of Athens may be rendered as “people who belong to the town of Athens” or even, as in some languages, “people who were born in the town of Athens.” The expression the foreigners who lived there is “those who had come to live in Athens.”

The final phrase telling and hearing the latest new thing may need to be somewhat expanded: “telling others the latest new thing they had heard and hearing from others something new.”

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 .