complete verse (Acts 5:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 5:6:

  • Uma: “From there, several men wrapped up the body of Ananias, and they carried it away and buried it.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the young men entered to shroud Ananiyas and they brought him out to bury.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Ananias heard these words, God punished him, and immediately he fell down and died. And then some young men came to him and tied up his body and carried it out and buried it. And all who heard about this happening were very much afraid.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Upon Ananias’ hearing what Pedro said, he simultaneously (with hearing it) fell down dead. The young men wrapped-around-his body -with-strips (of cloth), then they took him out and went and buried him. And great was the fear of all who heard what happened to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What the young people there did was, they wrapped up that one who had died and then carried him to bury him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 5:6

Young men seems merely to be a statement regarding the age of the men rather than a description of their precise status or function in the Jerusalem church. In a number of languages young men may be translated by a term designating unmarried men. This is probably the closest functional equivalent. Came in translates the Semitic expression “getting up” and is merely a way of speaking of the initiation of an action; it does not imply that the young men were either sitting or lying down, though most translations render the expression something like “got up.” Wrapped up (with a shroud for burial) is employed by most translations, though no one is at all certain as to the exact meaning of this word.

A receptor-language term for bury may have certain local denotations which need to be avoided. For example, in some languages the closest equivalent is “burn the body.” In other cultures it may specify placing the body on a special platform for putrefaction. It is preferable, therefore, to try to represent the biblical pattern of burial which means “place the body in the ground” or “place the body in a tomb.” Since there are so many references to burial in the Bible, it is important to represent carefully the ancient customs in a consistent manner.

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 .