20:10a
the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur: The clause who had deceived them tells the reader more about the devil. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are more than one chief leader of demons. It would also indicate that only this one deceived the nations. If that is true in your language, translate these words so that they tell more about the devil. For example:
the devil was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. He ⌊was the one who⌋ deceived the nations.
-or-
the devil, the deceiver of the nations, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur
the devil…was thrown: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. The person who threw might be God, Jesus, or the angels. For example:
⌊the angels⌋ threw the devil, who had deceived the nations
-or-
⌊on God’s behalf⌋ ⌊someone⌋ threw the devil, who had deceived the nations
devil: This refers to the leader of the evil spirits, Satan. The Greek word means “slanderer.” See how you translated this word in 20:2.
the lake of fire and sulfur: The Berean Standard Bible literally represents the Greek here. But the fire and sulfur were probably mixed together. Sulfur burns readily. Here the phrase has the same meaning as the phrase “the fiery lake of burning sulfur” in 19:20e. The Greek phrase “fire and sulfur” also occurs in 14:10. See how you translated it there.
20:10b
into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown: This clause tells the reader more about the lake of burning sulfur. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other lakes of burning sulfur and the beast and the false prophet had been thrown only in this one. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the lake of burning sulfur. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
The beast and the false prophet had been thrown in there.
-or-
This was the place where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:
⌊Jesus⌋ had thrown the beast and the false prophet
-or-
⌊the rider on the white horse⌋ had thrown the beast and the false prophet
false prophet: A true prophet is a person who speaks the message that God gives to him. A false prophet is one who speaks a message that does not come from God. Here this phrase refers to the second beast. Other ways to translate this are:
deceitful/lying prophet
-or-
he who says he is a prophet but teaches lies
-or-
spokesman for Satan
-or-
false prophecy say-er
See how you translated this phrase in 16:13 or 19:20.
20:10c
There they will be tormented: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active or intransitive clause. For example:
⌊The lake/fire⌋ will torment them
-or-
they will be in pain (Contemporary English Version)
tormented: This word refers to causing someone to suffer. See how you translated this word in 11:10 or 14:10.
day and night: This phrase indicates that the devil, the beast, and the false prophet will suffer continually.
forever and ever: The Greek phrase is literally “into the ages of the ages.” The word “age” refers to a very long time, so the phrase “the ages of the ages” refers to eternity. For example:
for timeless ages (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
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