A Translation Conundrum

[John of Japan]

Again, apologies about the OP: I originally said "plural" after "or many," and it is a singular. (I fixed it.) However, it can present a plural concept if it is taken as "many" instead of "much." That would be where we get the rendering "words" rather than time. Of course we could say "many minutes" if we wanted to make it a matter of time.

 

[John of Japan]

I think it would be safest to leave the ambiguity. We don't know if Agrippa meant "few words", just that he meant Paul's attempt to convince fell short. It could mean effort, time, or the content of his argument fell short. How to express that without a footnote, I don't know.

Using a footnote is acceptable in such cases.

 

[Deacon]

"In short order" ... "wish to God that both in short order and in great measure"...

Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles (p. 1055).

 

[robustheologian]

I particularly like the HCSB's take. Whether it is little time, words, or persuasion, Agrippa was getting at if Paul thought it would easy with so little of whatever persuade him.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?”

 

[Rippon]

Maybe a little bit but it was mostly anger. I think he was mad. In verse 24, right after Paul mentioned Jesus' rising from the dead, Agrippa abruptly interrupted him and yelled at him, basically, "ARE YOU INSANE?"

I have never thought that Agrippa was angry with Paul despite his shouting. I can perfectly imagine him respecting Paul and yet puzzled as to why with such a high intellect Paul could believe in a resurrection of the dead.

So when Agrippa huffs, "Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian with so little (effort, words, time) I think there is an element of indignation and anger.

No huffing and puffing at all. Agrippa is clearly impressed with Paul and yet wonders "how such a mind could swallow all that cultic stuff."

 

[John of Japan]

I particularly like the HCSB's take. Whether it is little time, words, or persuasion, Agrippa was getting at if Paul thought it would easy with so little of whatever persuade him.

That's not a bad rendering; I like the HCSB generally (except that they seem to translate checed as "steadfast love" in the OT and ignore the "mercy" meaning).

 

[John of Japan]

A Greek prof friend pointed out to me that ἐν ὀλίγῳ is clearly about words in Eph. 3:3. In Dan. 11:23 in the LXX the phrase is "with a small people," (though the word for "people" is there, ἔθνει), though that is not strictly parallel, since the phrase in Acts only has the two words in the prepositional phrase. Again, in Wisdom 4:13 in the LXX Apocrypha, the phrase occurs as "in a short time" with nothing for ὀλίγῳ to modify, as in our Acts usage.

 

[John of Japan]

Let's look at the grammar in Acts 26 a little more. The word ὀλίγῳ (oligo) is an adjective. Now, if there were a definite article before the adjective (after the preposition), we could say that it was the substantival usage--that is, where the adjective is being used as a noun. Since there is no article, I have to say that the use is clearly just as an adjective. This means we have to look for an understood noun for the adjective to modify, since there is no noun to modify in the text.

To me, this leaves only two main possibilities: "a few words" or "a small amount of time." Paul's answer and the usage by Paul in Eph. 3:3 have almost convinced me that "a few words" is what is meant in our conundrum.

By Paul's answer, I mean in the Byzantine Textform, not the UBS4 (Alexandrian) reading of "great" instead of "many," which would allow for the possibility of "persuasion," as robustheologian has suggested.

 

[John of Japan]

Double post.

 

[John of Japan]

"In short order" ... "wish to God that both in short order and in great measure"...

Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles (p. 1055).

This is following the critical text, which has "great" (μεγάλῳ) rather than "many" (πολλῷ) in Paul's answer in v. 28. Never mind my Byzantine priority position, the Byz. reading just makes more sense to me, since there Paul's answer there is more sophisticated, using opposites.

 

[jonathan.borland]

Hello Baptistboarders (and John!),

Acts 26:28-29 is a conundrum for translators & interpreters alike. Is it a question or a statement? A "little" or "much" . . . of what exactly? Is the word PEIQEIS "you persuade/convince" (as the active usually is rendered) or something else? If the former, then what, as John has already questioned, does POIHSAI mean, if the UBS/NA text is right?

Not to argue, but I think the KJV/NKJV gets the main thrust right. EN OLIGW (however one takes it) must correspond in some way with EN POLLW/MEGALW in 26:29. If it means a little time, why would Paul wish for everyone listening to become Christians in a great amount of time? That's absurd. Likewise with "little/many words": why would Paul wish everyone to convert by means of a great amount of words? How dumb. The best sense is that EN is acting as a marker denoting kind and manner, namely, "a little bitly" or rather "a little bit," while in the next verse Paul wishes them not just to become a little bit like him (= a Christian) but "muchly" like him. The KJV/NKJV's "almost" and "altogether" gets at this use of EN, and therefore I like it the best here.

Sincerely,

Jonathan

 

[John of Japan]

Hi, Jon. Thanks for weighing in. ("In dis conaaaa,")

Hello Baptistboarders (and John!),

Acts 26:28-29 is a conundrum for translators & interpreters alike. Is it a question or a statement? A "little" or "much" . . . of what exactly? Is the word PEIQEIS "you persuade/convince" (as the active usually is rendered) or something else? If the former, then what, as John has already questioned, does POIHSAI mean, if the UBS/NA text is right?

Indubitably.

Not to argue, but I think the KJV/NKJV gets the main thrust right. EN OLIGW (however one takes it) must correspond in some way with EN POLLW/MEGALW in 26:29. If it means a little time, why would Paul wish for everyone listening to become Christians in a great amount of time? That's absurd. Likewise with "little/many words": why would Paul wish everyone to convert by means of a great amount of words? How dumb. The best sense is that EN is acting as a marker denoting kind and manner, namely, "a little bitly" or rather "a little bit," while in the next verse Paul wishes them not just to become a little bit like him (= a Christian) but "muchly" like him. The KJV/NKJV's "almost" and "altogether" gets at this use of EN, and therefore I like it the best here.

Sincerely,

Jonathan

Please note the further textual difference, with μεγάλῳ in the UBS, but πολλῷ in the Byz. I think your observation is accurate about the UBS text, but arguable about the πολλῷ.

 

[Van]

In summary the meaning of "en oligo" is ambiguous, meaning either "in a brief time" or "in few words" or "in few persuasive words." Based on a review of the places where Paul uses the phrase, "a few persuasive words" is most probable, as Paul does not use the phrase in reference to time. Many of my favorite translations go with time (NASB, NET, LEB) but the WEB, HCSB, and NKJV avoid a reference to time.