Acts 4:7

in the name of, on the account of his (or: my) name

Some of the Hebrew and Greek phrases that are translated in English in association with “name,” including “in the name of,” “in my name,” “in your name,” “on the account of my name,” “on the account of your name” (according to a classification by Robert Bratcher in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 72ff. , phrases that belong to the categories of “Agency or instrumentality” and “Representation”) present a number of challenges in other languages.

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Eugene Nida (1947, p 178ff.) explains this way:

“The biblical attitudes toward human personality are of great theological importance. There is, however, only one word which produces any considerable difficulty in other languages. This is the word ‘name.’ The great difference attached to the significance of the name of a person in the Bible times in contrast with our own culture is very important. Note such phrases as ‘whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,’ John 14:13, ‘believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God,’ John 3:18, and ‘life through his name,’ John 20:31. These expressions are generally difficult for us to understand, for the word ‘name’ does not mean the same to us as it meant to those of Bible times. To them the name was the symbolization of the authority and personality of the individual who possessed the name. To us a name is far less important. It may be changed whenever one can convince a judge that another name might be more economically advantageous. The name is also a legal method of giving one’s written assent to certain business transactions, but to us it is not the symbol of the personality.”

The translation in Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl typically is “in someone’s authority” (for instance “I have come in my Father’s name” in John 5:43 becomes “I have come on my Father’s authority”) (source Nida 1947, p. 179), or in Highland Puebla Nahuatl with the more paraphrastic equivalent “as though on orders from you” or in Tzeltal as “by your authority, so he said” (both examples for Mark 9:38 and 39, see Bratcher / Nida).

In Guhu-Samane, Mark 11:9 (in English: “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord”) is translated as “Blessed is the Lord’s namesake who comes.” “In the name of the Lord” caused “puzzlement [because] “has he just assumed the name of the Lord, valid or otherwise? [But] with ‘blessed is the Lord’s namesake who comes’ the strong bond between the namesake and the important ancestor for whom named entitles the namesake to the deference due the ancestor. Thought very proper in this context.” (Source: Ernest L. Richert in Notes on Translation December 1963: p. 4-7; reprinted in The Bible Translator 1965, p. 198ff. )

Barclay Newman (see The Bible Translator 1974, pp, 432ff. ) reports on different solutions for the translation of the Today’s Malay Version (Alkitab Berita Baik, 1987):

In Malay “the phrase ‘in my name’ is problematic (…) since it sounds like the use of magic. For this reason [the English] Today’s English Version (Good News Bible) was followed at such passages as John 5:43 and 10:25, where ‘in the name of my Father’ is translated as ‘with my Father’s authority’ and ‘by my Father’s authority’ [respectively]. In John 12:13 ‘in the name of the Lord’ has become ‘in his (the Lord’s) behalf,’ following the common language German translation Die Gute Nachricht. In John 14:13, ‘because you are my followers’ is used, in John in 15:16, 16:23 and 24 ‘as my followers,’ in John 17:11 ‘by your own power, the power you gave me,’ and in John 14:26 ‘in my place.'”

Other translations for “in the name of Jesus Christ” include “in the authority of Jesus Christ” (Isthmus Mixe), “calling on Jesus Christ” (Teutila Cuicatec), “calling the name of Jesus Christ over you” (Ayutla Mixtec), “because of Jesus” (Tepeuxila Cuicatec), “by the power of the name of Jesus Christ” (Chichimeca-Jonaz), or “the word of Jesus Christ is strong” (Lalana Chinantec). (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.).

John (the disciple)

The term that is transliterated as “John (the disciple)” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying “beloved,” referring to John 13:23 et al. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)

“John” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with a sign that depicts John’s head resting on Jesus’ chest, referring to John 13:23.

“John” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with with the sign for “young.” This refers to the traditional belief that he was the youngest of the apostles and the fact that he was younger than his brother James (see relative age of James and John. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)

“John” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

complete verse (Acts 4:7)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 4:7:

Uma: “[When] they were all there, they commanded for Petrus and Yohanes to be carried here in front of them. When they arrived there, those judges [sitters] asked, asking Petrus and Yohanes, they said: ‘From where is your power to heal that lame person? Who gave you that power?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “So-then they commanded Petros and Yahiya to be brought to them. They questioned them, they said, ‘How did you do that? What power or whose name did you (pl.) use?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they brought before them Peter and John, and they asked them, ‘What is this power that was used to heal this person who couldn’t walk? And who gave you this power?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “They had-Pedro and Juan -stand before them, and they investigated them saying, ‘Where did your power to heal this lame-one come from? Whose name did you use?'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “When they had gathered, they caused those two apostles to stand in their presence and then questioned them. They said, ‘What is this knowledge/acquired-skill by which you were able to make well that lame person? Who gave you this skill?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Teutila Cuicatec: “Then they ordered Peter and John to be brought and placed before them. They asked them, ‘what authority do you have? Who commanded you to do these different things?'”
Tataltepec Chatino: “They went to get out Peter and John to judge them before the authorities. Those elders asked them: ‘How did you cure this lame man?’ they said. ‘Who gave you permission to cure?'” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Translation commentary on Acts 4:7

It seems to have been customary for the Jewish Council to have sat in a semicircle with the accused persons standing before them. Whatever the reason for the arrest, it becomes immediately evident that the concern of the Council is to learn by what authority the apostles performed the miracle on the lame man. Within the composition of Acts itself the question put to the disciples serves primarily as a literary technique for introducing another message by Peter. As given in the Greek, the emphatic element in the question is you; and in order to make this evident to the reader, the Good News Translation has prefaced the questions regarding the power and the name with the question, How did you do this?

The expression they made the apostles stand before them is a causative of commanding and therefore in many languages it must be rendered as “they commanded the apostles, Stand before us.” In some instances it may be necessary to identify the particular apostles concerned as “Peter and John.”

In most languages there is no difficulty involved in having a multiple subject for a verb such as “asked.” However, this is not possible in other languages and therefore one must say “one of them asked,” since presumably only one person would be speaking on behalf of the others.

The question How did you do this? may need to be made somewhat more specific since the reference to the healing of the lame man is somewhat removed from this verse, for example, “How did you make the lame man well?” or “How did you make the lame man walk?”

In most instances a term such as power must either be qualified as belonging to some person or being of a particular character. Therefore, “By whose power did you do this?” or “By what kind of power did you do this?” In some languages, however, a term such as power as used in this more or less abstract sense, is not available. Therefore, one must translate “How is it you were able to do this?” or “Who made you strong enough to do this?” This type of reference to “strength” must, of course, be understood as being more than physical prowess.

The expression whose name did you use? must be made slightly more specific in some languages as “whose name did you pronounce when you did this?” or “whose name did you say when you healed the man?”

In many languages, however, the use of name has very little meaning, and therefore a more satisfactory equivalent is “by whose authority” or “who gave you the right.”

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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Verse: Acts 4:7