Acts 6:10
This was another difficult one.
When I first discovered the Aboriginal languages, one of them spoke to me. The message it gave goes: “You’re an Indo-European speaker, are you? F*** you! We don’t work that way, punk!”
This is the 3rd Verse I have translated into Manambu.
Manambu says to me: “You’re used to the Aboriginal languages, are you? Well f*** you! This is Papua New Guinea – we don’t work like that. Get good punk!”
The above is a motivation.
NJB: They found they could not stand up against him because of his wisdom, and the Spirit that prompted what he said.
KJV: And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
Manambu: Kayikir də wadək dəkəm tawtəpətəpə maa ab takwadələk.
They found (that) = -
This sentence does not appear in the original Greek. Therefore, I do not have to translate it. This is convenient for me, because I do not want to either.
they could not stand up against him = dəkəm tawtəpətəpə maa
Please see my translation of Acts 6:9, in particular my translation of “debate with Stephen”. This will help you understand this section.
(I won’t say which part – then you have to read both.)
Three components build dəkəm, which means him.
The only component I will list is də, which means he.
The other two components are pedantic jargon.
Three components build tawtəpətətə:
1. taw = a Verb which means put standing or spread out.
2. təpə = a Verb which means close or dive.
3. təpə = same as above.
As a compound Verb, tawtəpə means stand in the way or prevent from seeing.
maa means no or not.
In Manambu, Negation is complicated. It does weird things to Verb Tenses.
While looking through the examples, I found this construction. My sentence means something like there was no standing in his way.
because of his wisdom = ab takwadələk
In the original Greek, the word for wisdom is sophia (σοφια).
It can also mean skill or intelligence, but I draw you to the term insight.
This is similar to the Greek word saphes (σαφης), which means clear.
Five components build ab takwadələk:
1. ab = a Noun which means head.
…
2. takw = a Verb which means clear garden.
3. –a = the Epenthetic Suffix.
4. -də = the 3rd Person Singular Masculine Past Tense Subject Suffix.
5. -lək = the Because Suffix.
Thus, we have a phrase whose literal meaning is something like: “because he cleared (the garden of) his head”.
The full name for -lək is the Causal or Causal Medial Clause Suffix, but “Because” is far succincter.
Curiously, while takw means clear a garden, the word for woman/wife is taakw.
This is what we in the industry call a Big Hmm Moment.
and the Spirit that prompted what he said = Kayikir də wadək
In my translation of Acts 6:8, I translated spirit as mayir.
Manambu has several words which can translate as spirit, and for the Christian context, mayir is NOT the best.
A better translation for spirit is Kayik, because this also means reflection in water, ghost, shadow and most importantly: image.
Man is made in the image of God, so to be filled with the Spirit is to be filled with the Image.
Kayikir also boasts the Component –ir.
-ir (base form –Vr) is the Instrumental & Allative Case Suffix.
The Instrumental Case indicates the Spirit WITH which Stephen is speaking.
The Allative Case indicates the fate TOWARDS which Stephen is progressing: Martyrdom and eternal life WITH the Holy Trinity.
də is the Manambu word for he. (In case it doesn’t pop up later, the word meaning she is lə.)
Three components build wadək:
1. wa = a Verb which means say.
2. -də = the 3rd Person Singular Masculine Subject Suffix.
3. –k = the Same Subject Completive Suffix.
Currently, I have translated three verses from the Book of Acts into Manambu. The Translation is starting to run away from me. We will see whither this merry chase shall lead us.