complete verse (Acts 5:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:36:

  • Uma: “Because a few years ago, there was one man named Teudas. He said he was a person that had power. Many people followed him, there were about four hundred. But in the end he was killed, and his followers were scattered-scattered, with the result that their purpose no longer went forward.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Remember that not long ago, there was a man named Tudas who exalted himself. There were four hundred men who became his followers. But eventually this Tudas was killed and his followers were scattered. They did not accomplish anything.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because long ago there was a person named Theudas who wanted it believed that he was not just a common person. And there were about four hundred men who followed him. However, he was killed, and his followers were scattered, and what they were doing came to nothing.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because before, there was something like this that happened. There was Teudas who appeared (lit. came-out) who made-himself -important, and about four hundred people followed-him -as-disciples. But they killed him, and then his disciples scattered and it was ended.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For probably you haven’t forgotten Teudas who was praised as being, it was said, an important person. Without anything further, he was able to round-up four hundred poeple to join him. But, when he was killed, that crowd who followed/obeyed him were scattered. It turned out to amount to nothing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

large numbers in Angguruk Yali

Many languages use a “body part tally system” where body parts function as numerals (see body part tally systems with a description). One such language is Angguruk Yali which uses a system that ends at the number 27. To circumvent this limitation, the Angguruk Yali translators adopted a strategy where a large number is first indicated with an approximation via the traditional system, followed by the exact number according to Arabic numerals. For example, where in 2 Samuel 6:1 it says “thirty thousand” in the English translation, the Angguruk Yali says teng-teng angge 30.000 or “so many rounds [following the body part tally system] 30,000,” likewise, in Acts 27:37 where the number “two hundred seventy-six” is used, the Angguruk Yali translation says teng-teng angge 276 or “so many rounds 276,” or in John 6:10 teng-teng angge 5.000 for “five thousand.”

This strategy is used in all the verses referenced here.

Source: Lourens de Vries in The Bible Translator 1998, p. 409ff.

See also numbers in Ngalum and numbers in Kombai.

Translation commentary on Acts 5:36

Theudas is mentioned only here in the New Testament. Although there are certain questions of chronology raised by the mention of Theudas in this verse and by the mention of Judas the Galilean in the following verse, the details of these questions are not important for the translator, and so they will not be dealt with here. The temporal expression some time ago is perhaps best translated as “a few years ago.” One should avoid giving the impression of a long period of time.

Claiming that he was somebody great may be of necessity shifted into direct discourse, for example, “said, I am a great leader.”

The expression joined him may be translated variously, for example, “became his helpers,” “followed him,” “became his henchmen.”

The passive construction was killed may be shifted into an active in two forms, either “died violently” or “died by violence” (implying some agent who killed him), or one may say “some people killed him” not specifying precisely the agent. The passive were scattered may simply be shifted to “went in all directions.”

In many languages movements cannot die out. They can, however, “stop,” “cease,” or “become nothing.”

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 .