wisdom

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in Amganad Ifugao and Tabasco Chontal as “(big) mind,” in Bulu and Yamba as “heart-thinking,” in Tae’ as “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel), in Palauan as “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton), in Ixcatlán Mazatec as “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom), in Noongar as dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember), and in Dobel, it is translated with the idiom “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes).

See also wisdom (Proverbs).

complete verse (Acts 6:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 6:10:

  • Uma: “But they were unable to answer what Stefanus said, because the Spirit of the Lord God gave him wisdom [lit., clearness of heart] to speak.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But the Spirit of God gave Estepan knowledge therefore when he spoke, they could not fight/challenge/win over him in arguing.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “However, the Holy Spirit gave Stephen wisdom. That’s why they could not overcome his arguments.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But they could not defeat him, because the Holy Spirit helped him and he was intelligent/skillful in answering.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But they didn’t defeat the wisdom/understanding of Esteban and the things he was saying by the inspiration of the Espiritu Santo.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 6:10

The Greek of this verse is literally “and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking.” Most commentators and translators agree that the spirit referred to is the Holy Spirit, and the sentence construction lends itself to the interpretation of the text that the Good News Translation has given: But the Spirit gave Stephen such wisdom that when he spoke they could not resist him (see also Jerusalem Bible, “they found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said”).

Gave … such wisdom is equivalent in some languages to “caused him to be so wise” or “caused him to speak such wise words.”

The expression could not resist him may be rendered as “were not able to answer him” or “were not able to argue against him.”

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 .