complete verse (Acts 21:36)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 21:36:

  • Uma: “The many people kept following, and they shouted/jeered: ‘Just kill him!'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For they were following after Paul and shouting, ‘Kill him.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “and they shouted out saying, ‘Let’s kill him!'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and they were-accompanying them shouting, ‘Let’s kill-him!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because as for that crowd, they followed-right-behind the soldiers, calling out, ‘Kill him! Don’t let him live!'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Teutila Cuicatec: “They were as thick as hornets shouting: ‘Kill that man'” (Source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)

Translation commentary on Acts 21:36

The pronoun they which begins verse 36 must, of course, refer to the Jews, not to the soldiers.

It is agreed among the commentators that the words “away with him” (so King James Version, Revised Standard Version) mean kill him (Good News Translation, Phillips, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible). The imperative expression kill him is not directed to the soldiers. The Jews were not simply asking the Romans to kill him. Rather, it was a declaration of their own intent, and therefore in many languages must be rendered as “let us kill him” or “come, we must kill him.”

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 21:36

21:36

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as For introduces this verse. Here it introduces additional information about the crowd. For example:

for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him! (New American Standard Bible)
-or-

and indeed the whole mob was after them, shouting, ‘Do away with him!’ (New Jerusalem Bible)

The Berean Standard Bible uses the conjunction, but the New International Version and many English versions omit the conjunction and allow the context to indicate that meaning.

the crowd that followed him kept shouting: The Greek grammar indicates that the crowd continued following and shouting. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The crowd were following and shouting
-or-
the crowd followed behind shouting, “Kill him, kill him!” (New Living Translation (2004))

the crowd: This phrase in Greek is literally “the multitude of people.” It refers to the crowd/mob (21:35c). Here its meaning is very similar to “crowd.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the mob of the people (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
they (Good News Translation)

Away with him: This command probably implies killing Paul. Some English versions translate the implied meaning. For example:

Kill him! (Good News Translation)

The command is addressed to someone the crowd would call “you(sing).” They probably said this to the commander.

Some languages must use a pronoun in a command. If that is true in your language, use “you(sing)” here. For example:

You(sing), take him away
-or-
You(sing), kill him

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