San Blas Kuna: “witnesses to God” (meaning “those who speak up and out for God” (source for this and all above: Bratcher / Nida, except Balanta-Kentohe: Rob Koops)
Mairasi: sasiri atatuemnev nesovnaa or “sent witnesses” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
Khmer: Christtout (“messenger representing Christ”) or when Jesus addresses them: Tout robas Preah Ang (“his messengers-representatives”) (source: Joseph Hong in The Bible Translator 1996, p. 233ff.)
Pwo Karen: “eyeballs” (i.e., “right-hand men”) (source: David Clark)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “one who goes about preaching the good word” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
Noongar: Moorta Ngany Waangki-Koorl or “People I (Jesus) Send” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Ayutla Mixtec: “those who bore the word of God’s mouth”
Chichimeca-Jonaz: “elders messengers” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
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
The Greek that is translated in English as “fellowship” or “communion” is translated in Huba as daɓǝkǝr: “joining heads.” (Source: David Frank in this blog post )
Other translations include:
Lalana Chinantec: “they were very happy since they were with their brothers”
Eastern Highland Otomi: “their hearts were happy because they all thought alike” (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:42:
Uma: “Those new followers of Yesus continually requested-teaching of the apostles of Lord Yesus, and they kept gathering together. They ate together, breaking/chunking bread to remember the Lord Yesus death, and they also prayed together.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “They were-very-happy/liked to be taught by the persons/people commissioned by Isa and they were all of one liver. They joined the ones trusting in eating bread to remember the death of Isa, and they also joined in praying to God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And everyday they listened to that which the apostles taught them. They had fellowship with all of the believers, and they made a memorial of the death of Jesus by means of eating bread, and they were always praying.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They persevered in studying and following what the apostles were teaching. They also singlemindedly/persistently joined-in-companioning and praying-with their fellows who believed, and eating-together the bread that was their means-of-being-reminded of Jesus’ death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And all of them, they really persevered in what the apostles were teaching and they often/always gathered-together. They also shared-with-one-another food including doing Communion and were also often/always praying.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Morelos Nahuatl: “They continued studying with the apostles. They had joy in living together as brethren. Together they ate and prayed.”
Teutila Cuicatec: “All of them would gather day by day and study the messages that the apostles would teach. They lived peacefully together, used to pray to God and break bread as our Lord Jesus established.” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Spanish uses a formal vs. informal second-person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Spanish Bibles all use only the informal second-person pronoun (tú), with the exception of Dios Habla Hoy (third edition: 1996) which also uses the formal pronoun (usted). In the referenced verses, the formal form is used.
Sources and for more information: P. Ellingworth in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 143ff. and R. Ross in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 217ff.
The Greek text of this verse (literally “they were devoting themselves to the teachings of the apostles and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers”) lends itself to two possible arrangements. It is possible to take the four items listed as being in two pairs, with the two items in each pair joined by the connective and, or it is possible to understand these as four separate items. The Good News Translation has followed this latter arrangement.
Though the subject of the four events mentioned in this verse is, strictly speaking, the group of new believers, nevertheless this listing of the four aspects of the life of the believers serves primarily to introduce what is to come in the following paragraphs. At the same time, the immediately following paragraph serves as an introductory statement to much of what is in the succeeding chapters (3.1–5.16).
The translation of the Greek term proskarterountes (Good News Translationthey spent their time in) is by no means easy, especially when it is necessary to relate this to the events which follow. In some languages one may use “they gave themselves to,” “they were eager for,” or “they were very desirous of.”
The learning from the apostles may be rendered as “to have the apostles teach them.”
Fellowship (a word which occurs only here in Acts) may refer either to the common spirit which the believers shared with the apostles, or, more likely, to the communal spirit which they shared with the total group, and which is described in verses 44-46. In many languages this fellowship may be described as “they shared what they had with the others” (or “the other believers”) or “they were one with the others.”
Sharing in the fellowship meals (in Greek literally “in the breaking of bread”) represents a Greek phrase which occurs only here and in Luke 24.35. It is generally agreed that these fellowship meals were common meals shared in by the early Christian community, and followed by the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
A literal translation of “breaking bread” is rarely satisfactory, especially in areas where bread is not broken, but cut or divided. The implication of this expression is that “they ate together as believers.” Obviously, there is more than merely having one’s meals with one another. This eating together was an aspect of their common loyalty to Jesus Christ. In view of the fact that the agapē (the fellowship meal) did involve the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, it would be entirely appropriate to have a marginal note to explain the precise nature of these meals, which were so characteristic of the believing community.
The prayers which the disciples shared in were probably not limited to the prayers of the Christian community only, but likely included as well the Jewish prayers at their stated hours (see 3.1). The prayers may be translated as “they prayed to God together.”
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 .
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