11:9a–10b
The Greek uses the present tense for the verbs “view,” “permit,” “gloat,” and “celebrate.” The Greek grammar indicates that people will do those things throughout the three and a half days. Many English versions use the future tense. They use the phrase “For three and a half days” to indicate the continuous action.
11:9a
three and a half days: Some languages do not usually refer to half a day. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain it in your translation. For example:
three ⌊whole⌋ days and ⌊part of⌋ another day
-or-
three ⌊whole⌋ days and the next day ⌊until noon⌋
all peoples and tribes and tongues and nations: The word all applies to each of the four kinds of groups. For example:
from every tribe, every language, every people, and every nation
See how you translated this phrase in 5:9 or 7:9. But note that the order of the groups is different here.
peoples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as peoples here refers to a large group of people. But it is sometimes used to refer to a whole country, which may have many people groups in it.
See how you translated this word in 5:9 or 7:9.
tribes: This word can refer to a whole people group like “tribe” or to subgroups within the people group like “clan.”
See how you translated this word in 5:9 or 7:9.
tongues: This word refers to all the people that speak one language as a group.
nations: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as nations here refers to groups of people who share a common culture. But it is sometimes used to refer to whole countries, which may have many people groups in them. It is similar in meaning to “peoples” above, but probably it here refers to groups of people each under one government.
See how you translated this word in 5:9 or 7:9.
will view their bodies: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as view is the normal word for “look at (something).” The people looked at the bodies because they were happy that the two witnesses were now dead. The word or phrase that you use should not imply that the people were sad that the two witnesses were dead. For example:
will stare at their corpses (New Jerusalem Bible)
11:9b
will not permit them to be laid in a tomb: The people will be very upset because the two witnesses caused much suffering. So they will not let anyone bury the two witnesses. Preventing anyone to bury them shows that the people reject them. The people do not honor them in any way. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
they will refuse to bury them (New Century Version)
-or-
will not allow them to be buried (Good News Translation)
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