In the Greek, verse 10 is a continuation of the sentence begun in verse 9. Although it is possible that the word rendered gifts may refer to the money given to a physician for his fee, in the present context it means either “presents” or “honors.” The New English Bible accepts the latter possibility: “they honored us with many marks of respect” (so Jerusalem Bible). However, it is quite unlikely that the islanders would have shown their respect in any other way than by presenting gifts.

In rendering the last clause of this verse, it may be necessary to introduce some such expression as “later” or “some time after that.” Otherwise, it might appear, at the end of verse 10, that Paul and his comrades had sailed from Malta, whereas the sailing is actually not specifically mentioned until verse 11, where it is clearly stated that this took place three months later.

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 .