OET interlinear ACTs 19:35

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

ὁ γραμματεὺς

the clerk

This city clerk was a high official in the government of Ephesus. He was not merely someone who kept records. In your translation, you could use a term for someone in a comparable role in your culture. Alternate translation: [an alderman]

Note 2 topic: translate-tense

φησίν

/is/_saying

To call attention to a development in the story, here Luke uses the present tense in past narration. If it would not be natural to do that in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. Alternate translation: [said]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἄνδρες, Ἐφέσιοι

men Ephesians

This is an idiomatic form of address. Use a way that is natural in your language to refer to a particular group of people. Alternate translation: [Citizens of Ephesus]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

τίς γάρ ἐστιν

who for is

The city clerk is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [you should stop this uproar because, after all, who is there]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τίς & ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων, ὃς οὐ γινώσκει τὴν Ἐφεσίων πόλιν νεωκόρον οὖσαν τῆς μεγάλης Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ τοῦ διοπετοῦς?

who & is ˱of˲_/the/_people who not /is/_knowing the ˱of˲_/the/_Ephesians city temple_keeper being ˱of˲_the great Artemis and ˱of˲_the fallen_from_Zeus_‹image›

The city clerk is using the question form to emphasize that the people of Ephesus do not need to be concerned that the worship of Artemis is in peril. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [there is no one of men who does not know that the city of Ephesus is the temple warden of the great Artemis and of the Zeus-fallen image!]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

τίς & ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων, ὃς οὐ γινώσκει

who & is ˱of˲_/the/_people who not /is/_knowing

The city clerk’s question becomes a double negative when it takes the form of a statement or exclamation. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression instead. Alternate translation: [all men know]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

τίς & ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων, ὃς οὐ γινώσκει

who & is ˱of˲_/the/_people who not /is/_knowing

A generalization for emphasis is implicit in the city clerk’s question, and this generalization becomes explicit when the question takes the form of a statement or exclamation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: [men know very well]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

τίς & ἐστιν ἀνθρώπων

who & is ˱of˲_/the/_people

Although the term men is masculine, the city clerk is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: [what person is there] or, as a statement or exclamation, “all people know” or “people know very well”

Note 9 topic: writing-politeness

τὴν Ἐφεσίων πόλιν νεωκόρον οὖσαν τῆς μεγάλης Ἀρτέμιδος

the ˱of˲_/the/_Ephesians city temple_keeper being ˱of˲_the great Artemis

The term temple keeper was an honorary title that cities assumed when they built and maintained temples to the gods that the Greeks and Romans worshiped or to the emperor. In your translation, use an expression that shows that the city clerk is using honorific language. Alternate translation: [the city of Ephesus has the honor of hosting the temple of the great Artemis]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τοῦ διοπετοῦς

˱of˲_the fallen_from_Zeus_‹image›

The city clerk is using the adjective Zeus-fallen as a noun to mean a specific kind of object. ULT adds the word image to show that. (Within the temple of Artemis was an image of the goddess. It had been fashioned from a meteorite that had fallen from the sky. The people of Ephesus thought that this rock had come directly from Zeus, whom they considered the ruler of their pagan gods.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [the image that fell from the sky from Zeus]

Note 11 topic: translate-names

τοῦ διοπετοῦς

˱of˲_the fallen_from_Zeus_‹image›

The word Zeus is the name of a pagan god.