Started living is literally “he became an alien,” an idea which is brought out by the Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Phillips, and Moffatt, but is not emphasized in the Good News Translation, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, or An American Translation*, unless one assumes that it is implied by the additional phrase in the land of Midian.

The expression started living is rendered in some languages as “became a resident of” or “built a house in,” this being the idiomatic way of indicating taking up residence.

A translation of he had two sons must be indicated in a somewhat more expanded fashion in some languages, for example, “his wife gave him two sons” or “he and his wife had two sons.” Many languages, however, have a special term for “begetting” (that is, the function of the male in reproduction), for example, “he begot two sons” or “he became the father of two sons.”

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 .