complete verse (Acts 21:38)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 21:38:

  • Uma: “Aren’t you (sing.) that Egyptian person who some time ago incited the people and led four thousand people into the desert to make opposition to the government?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If that is the case (lit. if like that),’ he said to Paul, ‘you are not the man of Misil who opposed the Roman government recently and who brought four thousand armed outlaws into the wilderness (lit. lonely place)?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Aren’t you that Egyptian who some time ago rebelled against the government and headed up four thousand bandits there in the land where no people don’t live?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I thought you (sing.) were the one-from-Egipto who battled the government previously. He is the one who went to the place with no inhabitants leading four thousand bandits.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Isn’t it so that you are that taga Egipto who was causing trouble in the past? Isn’t it so that you rounded up four thousand people who were murderers, whom you took to the wilderness place and then you were being robbers?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 21:38

That Egyptian fellow may be rendered as “that man from Egypt.” Started a revolution may be rendered as “caused an uprising against the government” or “caused fighting against the government.”

The term which the Good News Translation has rendered armed terrorists (New English Bible “terrorists”) has been translated in a variety of fashions: “assassins” (Phillips, Moffatt, Dios Habla Hoy), “cut-throats” (Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, An American Translation*); it has been transliterated by La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée with a footnote explaining the meaning of the term. These men were extreme nationalists and considered themselves the enemies of all Romans and of all Jews who were pro-Roman; they got their name from the small dagger which they carried with them and by which they would execute their enemies as they mingled with the crowds at the various festivals. By spelling the word with a capital A (“the Assassins”), the Revised Standard Version and Barclay have tried to indicate that they were a special group among the Jews and not just a spontaneous group of cutthroats. The verb rendered started a revolution (see New English Bible “started a revolt”) is the same verb translated caused trouble in 17.6. It is quite unlikely that the Egyptian fellow referred to considered himself to be the Messiah; it seems more probable that he was merely a rebel who believed that God would help his revolution.

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 .