The Greek that is translated as “we have received no letters from Judea about you” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) idiomatically with für und bist du ein unbeschriebenes Blatt. Wir haben keinen Brief aus Judäa erhalten or “You are a blank slate (lit.: “empty sheet of paper”) for us. We have not received any letter from Judea.”
boat, ship
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated “boat” or “ship” in English is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “that with which we can walk on water” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.), in Chitonga as a term in combination with bwato or “dugout canoe” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 72), and in Tangale as inj am or “canoe-of water” (inj — “canoe” — on its own typically refers to a traditional type of carved-out log for sleeping) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).
In Kouya it is translated as ‘glʋ ‘kadʋ — “big canoe.”
Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains how the Kouya team arrived at that conclusion:
“Acts chapter 27 was a challenge! It describes Paul’s sea voyage to Italy, and finally Rome. There is a storm at sea and a shipwreck on Malta, and the chapter includes much detailed nautical vocabulary. How do you translate this for a landlocked people group, most of whom have never seen the ocean? All they know are small rivers and dugout canoes.
“We knew that we could later insert some illustrations during the final paging process which would help the Kouya readers to picture what was happening, but meanwhile we struggled to find or invent meaningful terms. The ‘ship’ was a ‘big canoe’ and the ‘passengers’ were ‘the people in the big canoe’; the ‘crew’ were the ‘workers in the big canoe’; the ‘pilot’ was the ‘driver of the big canoe’; the ‘big canoe stopping place’ was the ‘harbour’, and the ‘big canoe stopping metal’ was the ‘anchor’!”
In Lokạạ it is translated as ukalangkwaa, lit. “English canoe.” “The term was not coined for the Bible translation, but rather originated in colonial times when the English arrived in Nigeria on ships. The indigenous term for a canoe was modified to represent the large, ocean-going ship of the English.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
See also ships of Tarshish, harbor, anchor, and sailor.
with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead
The Greek that is translated as “with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with am Bug mit den Bildern der Dioskuren Castor und Pollux geschmückt or “decorated on the bow with the images of the Dioskouri Castor and Pollux.”
More information about Castor and Pollux .
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Acts 28:11-13)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the exclusive form (only including the people on the boat).
Source: SIL International Translation Department (1999).
complete verse (Acts 28:11)
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 28:11:
- Uma: “We having been on the island of Malta for three full months, we left again, going on a ship that was from Aleksandria. That ship had stopped a long time at the island waiting for the cold season to pass. The name of the ship was ‘Twin Spirits [Anitu]’.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “It was three months before we (excl.) could sail from that island. We (excl.) rode on a ship from the city of Iskandal that had stopped on that island during the windy season. The name of the ship was ‘The Twin Gods.’ So-then we (excl.) sailed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “After we had lived there on that island for three months, we continued. We got onto a boat which had stayed there during the rainy season. It was from Alexandria, and the way we could tell it and the thing that was its mark there on its forward end was an image of twin gods.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “We (excl.) stayed in Malta three months, then we rode in a boat from Alexandria that had stayed there during the typhoon-season. Its mark, the Twin Gods.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “But it was a long time till we were able to sail for we waited for cold season to pass. We reached three months there on that island and then we could sail again. What we sailed in was a ship which had sheltered there, waiting out that time too. As for that ship, it also came from Alejandro and was called Castor and Polux.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Translation commentary on Acts 28:11
If the ancient historian Pliny is correct, sailing began on February 7, the beginning of spring. Assuming that the ship left as early as possible, after three months would indicate that they had been shipwrecked since the early part of November. It may, however, be necessary to relate after three months to some intermediary verbal expression—for example, “after we had stayed there three months, we sailed away,” “after being there three months, we sailed away,” or even “we stayed there three months, and then we sailed away.”
A ship from Alexandria may either be “a ship whose home port was Alexandria” or simply “a ship which was coming from Alexandria.”
The word translated called may have the meaning of “having as a figurehead.” The precise meaning of this word is disputed, though it is known that the ancients often named their ships by the figurehead on the bow of the ship. For this reason it is safe to assume, along with the Good News Translation (so also An American Translation* and New English Bible), that the meaning here is “called” or “named.” It is important, however, that the name The Twin Gods be applied to the ship and not to Alexandria. It may be very useful at this point to have some marginal note to explain that the principal beam at the prow of the ship may have been carved into the shape of The Twin Gods. The Twin Gods (Jerusalem Bible “the Twins”) translates one word in Greek, which refers to the twin gods Castor and Pollux (see New English Bible), who were often worshiped by sailors.
The equivalent of winter in some languages is “the cold months”; in other languages it is “the time of storms.” Either reference would be perfectly appropriate in this context.
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 28:11
Section 28:11–16
Paul and others traveled from Malta to Rome
In this section, Paul, Luke, other Christians traveling with Paul, and the soldiers sailed on a ship that landed at Syracuse, Rhegium and finally Puteoli. They probably then walked to Rome, which was about 210 kilometers (130 miles) away. This is usually a five-day walk. Or they may have traveled by wagon or cart. Believers met them part way at the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When they arrived in Rome, the official in charge of foreign prisoners allowed Paul to live in a place he could rent himself rather than putting him in prison. But a soldier still guarded him.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
Paul Goes to Rome (New Century Version)
-or-
We(excl) went to Rome
Paragraph 28:11–16
28:11a
After three months: This refers to three months after the shipwreck. If you moved this time phrase up to 28:10, you should not repeat it here.
we set sail: This refers to leaving the place where the ship was tied and begin traveling on the sea. See how you translated this clause in 27:2 (“put out to sea”).
The context implies that they sailed from Malta. In some languages it is clearer to include that implied information in your translation. For example:
we set sail ⌊from Malta⌋
we: This pronoun probably refers to Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, the centurion, the other soldiers, and the other prisoners.
28:11b
an Alexandrian ship: The ship’s home port was Alexandria, a city in Egypt. See how you translated this phrase in 27:6.
28:11c
that had wintered: The winter season is cold and has many storms. The verb wintered refers to waiting at a safe place until the time of storms passed. See how you translated these words in 27:12.
in the island: The ship stayed at a safe harbor on the island. It was probably Valletta, the main port of Malta, rather than the beach of the shipwreck. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
at the island
-or-
in ⌊the port of⌋ the island
28:11d
It had the Twin Brothers as a figurehead: The Greek words are literally “marked by the sons of Zeus.” It refers to stories that were told about two brothers named Castor and Pollux who were thought to be the twin sons of the god named Zeus and a woman named Leda. Some people believed that Castor and Pollux were gods themselves and helped sailors. So the owner of this ship had carved either a picture or a symbol of these brothers on the front of his ship to give it their protection. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
which had the Twin Brothers for its figurehead (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
The ship had the gods Castor and Pollux carved on its front. (God’s Word)
-or-
On the front of the ship was the sign of the twin gods. (New Century Version)
General Comment on 28:10a–11d
The time phrase “After three months” in 28:11a also refers to the events of 28:10b–c. Some languages must have this time phrase before all the events it refers to. To indicate that, you will need to reorder 28:10a–11d and combine the verse numbers 10–11. For example:
10–11The people on the island gave us many honors. When we were ready to leave, three months later, they gave us the things we needed. (New Century Version)
Paul Goes to Rome
We got on a ship from Alexandria that had stayed on the island during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign of the twin gods.
Note the section heading in the middle of the combined verses.
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