amazed, astonished, marvel

The Greek that is translated as “astonished” or “amazed” or “marvel” in English is translated in Pwo Karen as “stand up very tall.” (In John 5:20, source: David Clark)

Elsewhere it is translated as “confusing the inside of the head” (Mende), “shiver in the liver” (Uduk, Laka), “to lose one’s heart” (Mískito, Tzotzil), “to shake” (Southern Bobo Madaré), “to be with mouth open” (Panao Huánuco Quechua) (source: Bratcher / Nida), “to stand with your mouth open” (Citak) (source: Stringer 2007, p. 120), “ceasing to think with the heart” (Bulu), or “surprise in the heart” (Yamba) (source for this and one above: W. Reyburn in The Bible Translator 1959, p. 1ff. ).

In Mark 5:20 and elsewhere where the astonishment is a response to listening to Jesus, the translation is “listened quietly” in Central Tarahumara, “they forgot listening” (because they were so absorbed in what they heard that they forgot everything else) in San Miguel El Grande Mixtec, “it was considered very strange by them” in Tzeltal (source: Bratcher / Nida), “in glad amazement” (to distinguish it from other kinds of amazement) (Quetzaltepec Mixe) (source: Robert Bascom), or “breath evaporated” (Mairasi) (source: Enngavoter 2004).

In Western Dani astonishment is emphasized with direct speech. In Mark 1:22, for instance, it says: “Wi!” yinuk, pi wareegwaarak — “They were all amazed, saying ‘Oh'” (source: Lourens De Vries in The Bible Translator 1992, p. 333ff. )

In Low German it is translated as grote Oken maken or “make big eyes” (sometime followed by: un kreegn dat Stillswiegen: “and became silent”) (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

In the Kölsch translation (publ. 2017) it is translated as brummte de Lück de Kopp or “the heads of the people buzzed,” Bauklötz jestaunt, lit. “marvel toy blocks,” and vür Staune de Muhl nit mieh zojekräch or “so full of marvel that they couldn’t close their mouths again.”

In the Pfälzisch translation by Walter Sauer (publ. 2012) it is often translated as baff vor staune or “speechless because of their marvel.” (source: Zetzsche)(Source: Jost Zetzsche)

See also amazed and astonished.

amazed and astonished

The Greek that is translated as “amazed and astonished” or similar in English is translated as “remained speechless and marveled” in Morelos Nahuatl, “their thinking went round and round” in Coatlán Mixe, “They lost their abdomens. They stared very much” in Chuj, and “it startled them and they were thinking it over inside their hearts” in Chichimeca-Jonaz. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

See also amazed / astonished / marvel.

complete verse (Acts 2:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:7:

  • Uma: “No kidding their surprise, they said: ‘What do you think is happening here? For those speakers there are all Galilea people.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “They were amazed and greatly surprised, so they said, ‘What’s this? These who are speaking are men from Jalil hep.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore they were startled and amazed, and they asked each other saying, ‘What maybe is this? They are Galileans who are speaking.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They were extremely amazed saying, ‘What truly is this? Aren’t all those who are speaking from-Galilea don’t-you-suppose?” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “They were really very amazed and were quesioning-one-another, saying, ‘Isn’t it so that these ones speaking in many different languages are all taga Galilea?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 2:7

The nominal expression in amazement and wonder must often be shifted to a verbal form, “they were amazed and wondered.” However, in some languages it is quite impossible to find two verbs which have essentially the same area of meaning. Therefore, one can employ one verb, but qualify it with an intensive, for example, “they were completely amazed,” since in Greek the use of the two verbs is essentially a device to indicate intensity. In other words, the second verb does not introduce any semantic components which are not already suggested in the first verb.

These men who are talking like this—they are all Galileans! represents the translation of a Greek rhetorical sentence (“Are not all of these who are talking Galileans?”), in which the expected answer to the question is “Yes.” The mention that the persons talking are Galileans is here probably intended to indicate nothing other than the fact that the languages which they are speaking are not their own native languages.

Rather than attempt to make up some adjectival form such as “Galileans,” one can often retain the name of the country and produce a text which is more idiomatic, for example, “they are all from Galilee.” On the other hand, many languages have regular formatives which indicate people from a particular town or region, in which case, of course, one should certainly use such forms.

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 .