angel (Acts 12:15)

The Greek in Acts 12:15 that is translated as “angel” in English is translated into the Khmer Standard Version (2005) as “soul” because people believe that the “soul” of a dead person can come back and knock on the door asking for food any time up to 7 days after death.

See also angel.

fool, insane

The Greek that is translated as “fool” (in Matthew 5:22) or “insane” is translated in Mairasi as “(your/their) vision has dried up.” The opposite (“sane”) is “vision is well-split” (see right mind / sound-minded).

In Elhomwe it is idiomatically translated as “not grasping the head.” (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

See also You are out of your mind!.

You are out of your mind!

The Greek that is translated as “You are out of your mind!” or similar in English is translated in Low German idiomatically as Du büst wull nich bi Trost lit. “you can’t even be comforted anymore” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006).

See also insane / fool.

angel

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The Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Acts 12:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 12:15:

  • Uma: “They said to her: ‘You (sing.)’re crazy!’ But she repeatedly said that it was indeed he. That is why they said to her: ‘That’s not Petrus. That’s his angel.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “‘Perhaps you are out-of-your-mind,’ they said to Roda. But she kept repeating that it was really true Petros was there. Then they said, ‘That is his angel.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And her companions said to her, ‘You’re crazy.’ But Rhoda insisted saying, ‘No, it really is Peter.’ And they said, ‘It’s not Peter, but rather it is the angel of God that watches him.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Why, you (sing.) are foolish indeed,’ they said. When she kept-on-insisting that it was true, they said, ‘It’s probably his angel.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But they didn’t believe. In fact they said to that woman/girl that she was crazy. But she said emphatically, ‘It really is he!’ They were saying, ‘Maybe it’s just his angel.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Mezquital Otomi: “…. it’s not Peter, it’s God’s angel, Peter’s guardian.'”
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “They told her: ‘You are crazy, girl’ But the girl said it was really him. Then they said: ‘It is not him. Probably it is the angel that looks after him.'” (Source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Translation commentary on Acts 12:15

Since Rhoda’s announcement in verse 14 may very well be in direct discourse, “Peter is standing outside,” it may be necessary to modify the verb of speaking referring to the response of the people, “they answered her,” “they responded to her,” or “they replied.”

You are crazy! captures both the spirit and the meaning of the people’s response to Rhoda’s statement. She insisted that it was true may be rendered as “she kept saying that Peter was really there.”

Among certain of the Jews it was believed that each individual had a spiritual counterpart, who could appear if the person were alive or dead, and this was known as his angel.

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 .