complete verse (Acts 12:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 12:13:

  • Uma: “So, Petrus knocked on the door outside of the house. And a girl worker of the house, her name Rode, came intending to open the door.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He knocked on the outside door. There was a female servant named Roda who went to answer.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now Peter knocked on the gate which goes into the yard, and there was there a woman servant named Rhoda, and she came to see because she would find out who it was.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He knocked and there was a helper named Roda who went to see.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When he arrived there, he knocked at the outside door. Before long, a female servant went there. Her name was Rode. She asked who it was.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 12:13

The outside door (so Jerusalem Bible; “the outer door” New English Bible) was either the door leading from the street into the inner court or else a smaller door built into the main door, and which could be used for entrance without opening the larger one. Rhoda, the name of the servant girl, means “a rose.”

In many languages one cannot speak of “answering the door” as answer it would imply. Rather, one must say “a servant girl named Rhoda came to find out who was knocking” or “… came in response to Peter’s knocking.”

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 .