1:16a
He held in His right hand seven stars: Here the phrase He held in His right hand implies that Jesus had authority or care over something.
He held: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as held also means “had.” Here the word indicates that Jesus in some way possessed or controlled the seven spirits and the seven stars. Translate using a word with that meaning. For example, the King James Version says:
He had
stars: This word is symbolic of the churches (1:20). But you should use the normal word for stars here.
In some languages a literal translation would not communicate the meaning of these images. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain in a footnote. For example:
This implies that Jesus had authority or care over the stars. The stars are symbolic of the churches.
1:16b
a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth: Here the word came indicates that the handle of the sword was in his mouth and the blade of the sword extended forward from his mouth. The word here does not indicate that the sword was leaving his mouth. The NET Bible translates this as:
a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth
double-edged: This word indicates that both edges of the blade of the sword were sharpened.
sword: A sword is a hand-held weapon that is used to cut or stab. The swords of that time were 60–120 centimeters (2–4 feet) long and made of metal. The picture shows some of the various kinds of swords used at that time.
In some languages people are not familiar with swords. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Translate the meaning in your translation. For example:
long knife
-or-
cutting/sharp weapon
-or-
war machete/bush-knife
• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
A sword is a hand-held weapon that is used to cut or stab. The swords of that time were 60–120 centimeters long and made of metal.
1:16c
His face was like the sun shining at its brightest: This clause indicates that his face was shining very brightly, just as the sun shines. Another way to translate is:
His face was ⌊shining brightly⌋ like the sun shines in all its brilliance
at its brightest: The Greek phrase is literally “in its power.” This phrase refers to the sun shining very brightly, and it implies that no clouds block the sun’s light. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
in full strength (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
at its brightest time (New Century Version)
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