third hour

The Greek that is translated as “third hour (of the day)” or “nine in the morning” in English is translated in Mende as “the morning sun is only just getting strong.” (Source: John Ellington)

It is translated as “still early” in Desano, as “up-sun (9 a.m.)” in Chuj, as “still not really high sun at all” in Chichimeca-Jonaz, and as “the sun is barely gone half way to the top” in San Mateo del Mar Huave. (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

these are not drunk

The Greek in Acts 2:15 that is translated as “these are not drunk” or similar in English had to be translated in Tzotzil as “We (excluding you) are not drunk.” A literal translation would be inferring that Peter had not received the Holy Spirit along with the rest who were present in the upper room. (Source: Marion Cowan in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 90 )

drink

In Telugu different verbs for humans drinking (tāgu / తాగు) and animals drinking (cēḍu / చేడు) are required.

complete verse (Acts 2:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 2:15:

  • Uma: “We(excl.) here, we (excl.) are not drunk like you say/think, because it is not-yet of course the time for drinking. It is just nine o’clock in the morning.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “These persons/people are not drunk as you think-mistakenly, because it’s only nine o’clock in the morning.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You suppose, mistakenly, that these my companions are drunk. It cannot be because the sun has only half-way climbed up.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “You say/think that these are drunk, but (they) emphatically aren’t, because people don’t get-drunk at nine in the morning.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for us (excl.), we aren’t drunk like some suspect. How could we get drunk so soon since it’s still morning?” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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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 Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Acts 2:15

These men may be either the eleven (Peter does not seem to include himself among those who are thought to be drunk) or the larger group of the one hundred and twenty. The first part of verse 15 may be rendered in some languages as “you think these men are drunk, but they are not.”

Nine o’clock in the morning is literally in the Greek “the third hour of the day.” The first hour of the day was six o’clock in the morning, and the third hour of the day was nine o’clock in the morning. This was the hour of prayer for the Jews; breakfast would be eaten at ten o’clock in the morning. The point that Peter makes is that since the men had not yet eaten, they could not possibly be drunk.

The reason given for not believing that the men were drunk, namely, that it was only nine o’clock in the morning, may not be very convincing in many societies, but the reason must be given as Peter gave it. However, it may be quite useful to have a marginal note at this point, indicating that Jews normally ate only after the time of morning prayer at nine o’clock.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Acts 2:15

2:15a

These men are not drunk, as you suppose: The believers were not drunk. Peter corrected those who had said that the believers were drunk. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

These people are not drunk, as some of you believe.
-or-
In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk (NET Bible)
-or-
You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. (Contemporary English Version)

These men: This phrase refers to the other believers. (Peter was not drunk either, which was clear by the way he acted in front of the crowd.)

The Greek here is just “these.” It can include both men and women.

drunk: This word refers to becoming intoxicated from drinking wine or another alcoholic beverage.

2:15b

It is only the third hour of the day: The Greek is literally “for it is the third hour of the day.” At that time of year in Jerusalem, this would refer to about 8:30am to 9:30am. This is the reason that Peter gave for why the believers were not drunk. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

since it is only the third hour of the day; (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
it is only nine o’clock in the morning (New Century Version)
-or-
It is only the middle of the morning

At that time people typically got drunk at night. In many cultures people might get drunk any time of the day or night. If that is true in your culture, you may want to:

• Explain this statement in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

At that time people in Jerusalem who got drunk typically only did so at a meal. The first meal was typically at ten o’clock. So being nine o’clock in the morning is a good reason for the believers not to be drunk.

• Explain this statement in your translation. For example:

It’s only nine in the morning ⌊and people are not drunk at this time⌋

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