Paragraph 1:12–16

1:12a

to see the voice that was speaking: The phrase the voice represents the person who spoke to John. In some languages it is more natural to refer to that person here. For example:

to see who was speaking (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
to see the person who spoke with that voice

1:12b–13c

In these verses the lampstands, the long robe, and the sash may imply a situation similar to that of a Jewish priest leading worship at the temple. A priest wore a long robe and sash, and a lampstand stood in the temple. These things may also imply high status for Jesus. Your translation should allow for one or both implied meanings.

1:12b

And having turned: John already referred to the action of turning in 1:12a. So referring to it a second time here emphasizes that action and what John saw. Other ways to translate this clause are:

And immediately upon turning
-or-
And when I turned (New International Version)
-or-
and so/indeed

golden: The word golden indicates that the lampstands were made of gold. Gold is a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful. Below is a picture of a gold coin made in the Roman era of Caesar Augustus (who was the Roman emperor when Jesus was born).

Some languages do not have a word for “gold.” If that is true in your language, you should use the word from the major language in your area. The people in your language may not be familiar with gold. If that is true in your language, you may want to include a footnote. For example:

Gold is a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful.

lampstands: A lampstand is a 1–2 meter (3–6 feet) tall rack or pillar for holding a lamp. It has a place for a lamp on its top. This context implies that there were lamps on the lampstands. There were many kinds and styles of lampstand. John did not say what kind of lampstand he saw. The drawing here only shows generally what lampstands look like.

A lamp in John’s time was a small clay or metal container in which people burned oil. The lamp was shaped to hold a wick on one side. The exact kind of lamp is not important here. So if you translate the term lampstand with a phrase that means “a holder for a lamp,” in that phrase you should use a word that refers generally to a lamp or light-producing device. Some of the styles of lamps used in John’s time are shown below.

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