persecute, suffer

The Greek that is often translated as “persecute” or “suffer” in English has the option of various terms in Luang with different shades of meaning.

For Acts 8:1 and 9:4, ramuki-rama’ala (“hit and kick”). This term refers to “physical persecution.”

For Acts 7:6, 7:19, 7:24, rnahora-rnala’a (“to send here-to send there”, “give the run-around”). This term is used when “emotional pressure or frustration is in focus.”

For Acts 20:23, kropna-kreut (“send here-there”). This term is used for “pushing people around, treating them as no better than a slave.”

For 2 Tim. 1:12, mola-ma’a (“make shame”). This term is used when “making someone lose face, generally with words.”

Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.

complete verse (Acts 7:24)

Following are a number of back-translations of Acts 7:24:

  • Uma: “When he arrived there, he saw an Israel person hit by a Mesir person. Off Musa went and avenged his relative, killing the Mesir person.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then he saw one being beaten by a man of the tribe Misil. He went to help his fellow (-Israelite) and retaliated, killing the man of Misil.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when he arrived he saw a Jewish man who was being ill treated by an Egyptian. And he helped his companion Jew, and he killed that Egyptian.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When he went, he happened-upon one whom one-from-Egipto was excessively-mistreating. He went and helped him and avenged him by killing the one-from-Egipto.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When he arrived there, he saw one of his own people who was being caused to suffer by a taga Egipto. Having seen, he helped that one of his own people. He killed that taga Egipto who was causing suffering.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Acts 7:24

By an Egyptian has been added to the first clause of this sentence so as to let the reader know immediately who it was that was mistreating the Israelite. The verb which the Good News Translation has translated killing literally means “to hit,” but here the meaning is extended to “strike down,” that is, “to kill.”

The translation of verse 24 is complicated by problems of pronominal reference to three different persons: Moses, the man who was being mistreated, and the Egyptian. In some translations the closest natural equivalent is “saw an Egyptian beating one of the Israelites, therefore Moses went to help the Israelite and took revenge on the Egyptian; he killed 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 .