At the beautiful gate (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1968).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

complete verse (Acts 3:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 3:5:

  • Uma: “He did stare at them, because he hoped he would get money from them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “The man looked at them expecting to receive from them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And he looked up at them because he supposed that there was money that was going to be given to him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So he looked at them because he expected that they would give something to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Without anything further, he looked for he was waiting to be given to.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 3:5

The Good News Translation marks the transition in activity by the particle so. This is a legitimate as well as a useful transitional device.

In English the lame man as well as Peter and John can be identified by pronouns, but in some languages one or another of the participants may need to be specified by nouns.

He looked at them is not the same verb as is used in the preceding verse (Look at us!), although in the context the meaning of both verbs are essentially the same. The Greek verb in this verse is actually one which normally occurs with a direct object (“fix [object] on someone”), but in this Greek sentence there is no object expressed. The object may either be one’s mind or one’s eyes; the Good News Translation takes it to mean he fixed his eyes on them, that is he looked at them.

It may not be easy to translate a term such as expecting. This may need to be shifted to a form such as “thought in himself (or even, said to himself), I will get something from them.”

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 .