complete verse (Acts 22:23)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 22:23:

  • Uma: “As they shouted like that, they tossed their shirts and scattered dust in the air, because they were carried away by the irritation of their anger.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They kept shouting and they were waving their clothes and they threw dust upward because of their anger.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “They were shouting and waving their shirts and throwing dirt overhead.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They continued shouting while-simultaneously they were-waving their clothes, and they were-tossing dust up-in-the-air to show their anger.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “They kept on calling out like that. What they did too was, they took off a layer of their clothes and threw them up in the air, and kept on picking up handfuls of dust and throwing it in the air, due to the big-size of their anger.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 22:23

There is a question as to whether the word translated waving means “to wave” or “to tear off” (see King James Version “cast off” and Phillips “ripping”). Moffatt takes the word in the sense of “to throw” (“threw their clothes into the air”). In 14.14, the tearing of clothes is the response that the people make to what they consider blasphemy. Here also the waving (or tearing) of clothes and the throwing of dust into the air must be looked upon as expressions of horror at what the Jews consider to be blasphemy on the part of Paul. At this point it may be useful to have marginal note to explain the behavior of the crowd.

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 .