complete verse (Acts 23:34)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 23:34:

  • Uma: “After the Governor read the letter, he asked Paulus: ‘Where is the village of your (sing.) birth?’ Paulus answered: ‘In the land of Kilikia.’ When the Governor knew that,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The governor read the letter and he asked Paul from what land/place he was. When the governor knew that he was from Kilikiya,” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he read the letter, and he asked Paul which province he was a subject of. And when Paul answered that he was a subject of the province of Cilicia,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The governor read the letter, then he inquired of Pablo what province he was from. When Pablo said that he was from-Cilicia,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When the governor had read that letter, he asked Pablo which place he was from. When he knew that he was a taga Cilicia, which was indeed under the jurisdiction of that governor,” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 23:34

The Governor read the letter translates a participle which has neither an explicit subject nor a given object (literally “having read”). Phillips has translated in a way very similar to the Good News Translation: “when the Governor had read the letter.”

In a number of languages a verb of “asking” must introduce direct discourse: “he asked Paul, What country do you come from?” or “… What province are you from?”

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 .