Bratcher, Robert and Hatton, Howard. A Handbook on the Revelation to John. New York: UBS, 1993.
They shall see his face: “they will see God face to face.” What has always been impossible (see Exo 33.20; 1 Tim 6.16) will then be possible (see Matt 5.8; 1 John 3.2).
His name shall be on their foreheads: that is, the name of God (see 14.1).
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Night shall be no more: or, as in 21.25, “there shall be no night there.”
They need no light of lamp or sun: as in 21.23.
The Lord God will be their light: the Greek verb translated will be their light (literally “will shine on them”) is used in the passive voice in 18.1, “was made bright.” Here the Lamb is not included, as he is in 21.23, as the source of light in the new Jerusalem.
They shall reign for ever and ever: see similar statements about their reign in 5.10; 20.6. On for ever and ever, see comments on 1.6, and compare 11.15. Their reign is eternal, as eternal as God’s.
Here end the visions in Revelation.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
He said to me: the speaker is the angel who came to John in 21.9 (see 21.15; 22.1).
These words are trustworthy and true: see 21.5. The reference here is probably to the whole book, so one may translate “All these words are…,” or even “All the words that you have heard are….”
And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets: some take this sentence to be the words of the author, not the angel. There is no translation, however, that separates this from the first sentence in this verse. The meaning is that God inspires the spirits of his prophets. This may be translated “And the Lord God, who inspires the prophets” (so Translator’s New Testament, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible) or, as Good News Translation has it, “the Lord God, who gives his Spirit to the prophets.” This statement is related to the one in 19.10. The meaning here is that Christian prophets (see 10.7) are inspired, or controlled, by the Holy Spirit as they proclaim their messages. The Revised Standard Version rendering, the Lord, the God of …, follows the punctuation of the Greek text; most translations, however, are like Good News Translation “the Lord God,” and it is recommended that translators follow this rendering. For prophets see 10.7. Another way to render this phrase is “For God, who causes his Spirit to empower those who preach his message….”
Has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place: see 1.1. There the text says that he sent his angel to John. This may be implied here, but it is better not to add this to the text. As in 1.1, this is a reference to all the visions and revelations in the book. Show his servants may be expressed as “to make known to all those who serve him” or “to cause all those who serve him to see.”
His servants: either the prophets (see 10.7; 11.18) or else all believers (see 2.20; 7.3; 19.5; 22.3). The latter is preferable.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
And behold, I am coming soon: see 3.11; for behold see 1.7. Revised Standard Version prints this statement as part of the direct speech beginning in verse 6. This means that Revised Standard Version probably takes the speaker in verse 6 to be Jesus, not the angel, for it is Jesus who promises to come soon (see verses 12, 20). Some translations are like Revised Standard Version; it is better, however, to take the speaker in verse 6 as the angel, and Jesus as the speaker in verse 7a. New Revised Standard Version has closing quotation marks at the end of verse 6 and opening quotation marks at the beginning of verse 7. This indicates two different speakers, but in neither case does New Revised Standard Version specify who is the speaker. Bible en français courant and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, like Good News Translation, identify the speaker here as Jesus.
A translation like Good News Translation, that translates “Listen!” (instead of Revised Standard Version‘s outmoded behold), will have a problem if, like Portuguese, Spanish, French, and other languages, there are separate forms for the singular and the plural of the verb. If a translation chooses to say “Listen” or “Pay attention,” or something similar, and has to be specific as to whether the command is in the singular or the plural form, it is better to use the plural (as Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje does), since the words are not addressed solely to John but to all believers, to all the readers (and hearers) of this book. In some languages it will be necessary to say “All of you must listen” or “Listen, all of you!”
Blessed: see 1.3.
He who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book: see 1.3. The reference to this book seems to imply that it is John himself who says this. So it is better to follow Revised Standard Version (and New Revised Standard Version) and make verse 7b a separate paragraph. For the verb “to keep,” meaning “to obey,” see 1.3; 3.8; 12.17; 14.12. The prophecy of this book may also be expressed as “the words of this book that tell about present and future events” or “what this book tells will happen now and later (or, in the future).”
To repeat what has been said about the speakers in verses 6-7: in verse 6a the speaker is the angel; in verse 6b the speaker may be John, but this is not certain; in verse 7a Jesus speaks; in verse 7b the writer of the book is the speaker.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Jesus says, “You [plural] must listen! I am coming soon.”
Or:
• Happy are those people who obey all the things that are said in this book about what will happen now and later.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
I John am he who heard and saw these things: “I am John, the one who heard and saw all these things.” The readers know who he is, and he assures them that he himself had all these visions and revelations from God.
And when I heard and saw them: it is better to follow Good News Translation and say something like “And after hearing and seeing them all, I….”
I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel: it should be clear that this means that John was about to worship the angel. So the statement should be “I fell down at the angel’s feet to worship him” (see 19.10). Another way to say this is “I prostrated myself before the feet of the angel to give him honor.” See also comments on worship at 4.10.
The angel who showed them to me: here John identifies this angel (verse 6) as the one who showed him everything he saw in his visions. For showed see 1.1; 4.1.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
The angel’s response is very much like the response given in 19.10.
A fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets: “I serve God, just as you and your brothers, the prophets, do” or “Like you and your fellow prophets, I am only a servant of God.”
And with those who keep the words of this book: the angel adds that this group, “all who obey the messages in this book,” are also his fellow servants; like them, he also serves God.
Worship God: see 19.10.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book: “Do not seal this book of prophetic messages” (see the opposite of this in Dan 12.4, 9). For the sense of the verb “to seal,” see 10.4. The angel commands John not to stamp “Top Secret,” as it were, on the book, but to leave it open and make its message available to all readers. If the verb “to seal” is difficult or impossible to represent, the translation can be “Do not keep the prophetic messages of this book a secret,” or “Don’t hide from people the prophetic messages of this book,” or “Don’t prevent people from knowing the….” For prophecy of this book see Rev. 22.7 and 1.3.
The time is near: everything that has been announced in the book will happen soon (see 1.3).
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
This rather strange command is explained by the fact that the End will come soon, and there is no time left for people to change their way of living. This situation can be clearly expressed by beginning the verse “In the meantime” or “Meanwhile.”
Let: this is the way of expressing a third-person command in English. “Those who are evil are to go on being evil.” Or it can be stated as a concession, “And so, the person who is evil may keep on doing evil” (see Dan 12.10, for a parallel).
The parallel pairs are not meant to describe two different kinds of bad people (evildoers and filthy) and two different kinds of good people (righteous and holy). Rather, this is an emphatic way of contrasting the bad and the good. The noun evildoer translates the Greek present participle of the verb “to do evil,” and do evil translates the aorist imperative of the same verb. For its use in the sense of “harm,” “injure,” “wound,” see 2.11; 9.10, 19.
Filthy: this is used in a moral and spiritual sense, not a physical sense; “immoral,” “corrupt,” “sinful.” The Greek adjective is used also in James 2.2 in a literal sense, of “shabby” clothing; the Greek verb is used only here in the New Testament. Other ways of saying this are: “minds (or, hearts) dirty from immorality” or “people who do filthy or immoral practices.”
The righteous still do right: “whoever is righteous (or, good) must keep on doing what is right.” For the adjective righteous see “just” in 15.3; 16.5; for the noun right (or, “righteousness”) see 19.11.
The holy still be holy: for the holy see comments on “saints” in 5.8; the verb “to be holy” occurs only here in Revelation. The idea may be the primary one of being dedicated to God, belonging exclusively to God. So Barclay translates “the man who is dedicated to God must continue in his dedication”; or holy may have here the idea of spiritual purity, of being free from sin. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “Whoever is holy must keep on sanctifying himself”; in the context this may be the meaning intended, or one may express this clause as “whoever is holy must refrain from doing evil” or “whoever does not sin must remain free from sin.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• And so all people who do evil must (or, should) keep on doing evil, and all those who practice immorality must continue doing filthy immoral things. And all those who do good must continue doing what is right, and all who are holy must refrain from doing evil.”
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .