Translation commentary on Acts 4:30

Stretch out your hand is in the Greek a subordinate clause dependent upon the main verb phrases take notice of the threats and allow us … to speak (v. 29). It may be related to the main verbs as temporal “while you are stretching out your hand,” or as instrumental “by means of stretching out your hand.” However, it is also possible to do as the Good News Translation has done and to understand this verb and the following verb, grant, as an extension of the imperative content of the main verb. If the passage is understood in this fashion, then there are four requests made on the part of the disciples: take notice of the threats, allows us … to speak your message, stretch out your hand, and grant that wonders and miracles may be performed.

The phrase stretch out your hand is in many languages quite meaningless. A nonfigurative equivalent in some languages is “show your power,” “make people see your strength,” or “cause people to see that you are strong.”

The verb to heal must frequently have some goal, for example, “to heal people” or “to cause people to become well.” The causative implied in grant … may be performed may be restructured as a straightforward causative in a number of languages, such as “caused wonders and miracles to happen” or “… to be performed.”

Whenever two terms such as wonders and miracles or “signs and wonders” can be employed, this is, of course, preferable. However, in some languages there is simply no way of designating two different types of miracles, and in this context there is no special emphasis upon the distinctive varieties. Therefore, in some languages it is simply “great miracles,” since the two terms tend merely to reinforce one another rather than to provide distinctions between types of events.

The passive construction may be performed may be equivalent in some languages to “happen.” In other languages an agent, such as “we,” may be introduced, for example, “so that we may perform wonders and miracles.”

If one retains the use of the word name, it is possible in this type of context to use the phrase “using the name of your holy Servant Jesus.” Where the use of name is misleading, this expression may be equivalent to “by the power of your holy Servant Jesus.”

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 4:30

4:30a

as: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as is literally “in the.” It probably means “while” here, and introduces events that would happen at the same time as the believers speaking boldly (4:29b). For example:

while you stretch out your hand (English Standard Version)
-or-
At the same time, stretch out your hand
-or-
Also, stretch out your hand

In some languages the correct meaning occurs by omitting this phrase. For example:

Reach out your hand to heal (Good News Translation)

You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders: The Greek is more literally “extend your hand for healing and signs and wonders.” There are two ways to interpret the connection between “healing” and signs and wonders:

(1) All three things (“healing and signs and wonders”) are a part of what the believers ask God to stretch out his hand to do. For example:

stretching out your hand to heal and to work miracles and marvels (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible)

(2) The signs and wonders are separate from “healing.” The believers only ask God to stretch out his hand to heal. For example:

you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed (English Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, New Living Translation (2004), New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because nothing in the Greek indicates or implies interpretation (2).

stretch out Your hand to heal: The phrase stretch out Your hand is an idiom that means “do.” Here it refers to the believers asking God to use his power to heal people. For example:

Reach out your hand to heal (Good News Translation)

In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the meaning of the idiom. For example:

Show your power by healing (God’s Word)
-or-
use your power and heal

perform: Here this word means “do.”

signs: Here this word refers to a miracle that has a symbolic meaning. An example is the healing of the lame man by Peter and John. Some languages can use signs with that meaning. See how you translated this phrase in 2:22 (“signs”) or 4:16 (“remarkable miracle”).

wonders: This word refers to an amazing action or event that indicates something. Here unusual things will happen in the sky that would cause people to be amazed. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

amazing occurrences/events
-or-
portents

See how you translated this word in 2:43.

4:30b

through the name of Your holy servant Jesus: The word through indicates that God would do healings, signs, and miracles because people would call on the name of Jesus for those things. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

through your holy servant Jesus
-or-
by the power of Jesus, your holy servant (New Century Version)

holy servant: See how you translated this phrase in 4:27b.

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