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 (excluding the addressee).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 28:2:
Uma: “The townspeople on that island had very good hearts toward us. They received us well and lit a fire for us to warm ourselves by, because it was raining again and cold.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “The people living there minded/paid-attention to us (excl.) very well. Because it was starting to rain and it was cold, they built a fire and they all attended to us (excl.).” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for the inhabitants there, they were very kind to us. It was raining then and it was very cold, and they built a fire.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The inhabitants there, very-good was their treatment of us (excl.). They lit a fire-for-us (excl.) -to-warm-up-by, because it was raining and chilly.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “The ways/natures of the people from there were really good for their grace/aid to us was far-from-ordinary. They at once lit a fire for us to warm up by, for we were extremely chilled now, and for another thing the rain wasn’t stopping.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
The natives (Jerusalem Bible “the inhabitants”) renders a term which refers primarily to people who speak a language other than Greek; to render as “barbarous people” (King James Version) or “rough islanders” (New English Bible) is to press the meaning of the word too far. The equivalent in some languages is “the tribe of people who lived there.”
Friendly comes from the same root as the word rendered kind in 27.3. In some languages friendly may be rendered as “they welcomed us,” while in other languages the closest equivalent is “they helped us.”
In order to present what is a more logical and chronological order for the English reader, the remainder of this verse has been inverted from the Greek order. The kind of fire referred to here is a wood fire built out in the open. The two references to us in this verse are very vague. Did Luke have in mind all of the persons from the ship or, more specifically, merely the Christian group? It seems almost impossible to imagine that two hundred and seventy-six people could have gathered around a fire, and it is quite likely that Luke is now limiting his interests to the attitude of the islanders toward Paul and his companions.
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 .
The islanders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as islanders refers to those who did not speak Greek as their mother tongue. It implies a different culture as well. The people of Malta spoke Punic and culturally were Phoenician, but they were familiar with Greek and Roman languages and cultures. Other ways to translate this word are:
the natives (Revised Standard Version) -or-
The inhabitants (New Jerusalem Bible)
showed us extraordinary kindness: The Greek tense probably indicates that the islanders showed kindness for some time. They did not just help them once and then ignore them. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
were very friendly to us (Good News Translation) -or-
treated us with uncommon kindness (Revised English Bible)
extraordinary kindness: This phrase in Greek is literally “no ordinary kindness.” This emphasizes that the people showed them much kindness, more than what would normally be expected. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
unusual kindness (New International Version) -or-
did many good things for us, much more than we anticipated
28:2b
The Greek conjunction usually translated “for” introduces the clauses here. It introduces how the people of the island were kind to the people from the shipwreck. Here is another way to translate this:
for (Revised Standard Version)
They kindled a fire: Here the verb kindled refers to piling wood and starting a fire. Many languages would use a different verb here. For example:
they lit a bonfire (Revised English Bible) -or-
They started a fire
it was raining: The Greek clause indicates that the rain had started earlier and was still raining. Other ways to translate this clause are:
the rain that had set in (New American Standard Bible) -or-
It had started to rain (Good News Translation)
cold: This was probably about 10°C (50°F). This is cold but not freezing. The people from the ship had already swum in cold sea water and the rain was cold and the wind was blowing.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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