Section 1:9–20

John introduced the revelation

In this section, John told the seven churches that he was exiled on the island of Patmos because he had preached about Jesus. The people in the seven churches had also suffered for the sake of Jesus. So John indicated that they all shared in that suffering. He explained where he was and why he was there. He then began to tell his vision of Jesus and what Jesus revealed to him.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Preliminary vision (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
John told/described his first vision
-or-
Introduction to what God revealed to John

Paragraph 1:9–11

1:9a–e

This verse is one long sentence. In some languages it is more natural to use shorter sentences. For example:

I, John, ⌊am⌋ your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus. ⌊One day,⌋ I was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

1:9a

I, John: John included his name here to clearly say who was speaking, because in the previous verse God referred to himself with the pronoun “I.” Reintroduce John in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

I, John, ⌊speak/write to you.⌋ I,…
-or-
I ⌊am⌋ John,…

your brother: Here the word brother indicates that John was also a believer, like believers in the churches. Using the word brother indicates that he had a close relationship with his readers.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate a literal brother. If that is true in your language, you may need to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

your brother ⌊in Christ⌋

• Use a different word or phrase. For example:

your fellow believer
-or-
a follower together with all of you (Contemporary English Version)

partner: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as partner refers to someone who shares something with someone else. Here John and the believers shared faith in Jesus. They also shared in suffering for Jesus’ sake, and in being part of God’s kingdom, and in enduring (1:9b). Other ways to translate the Greek word are:

companion (New International Version)
-or-

⌊one⌋ who shares with

1:9b

in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance: This phrase indicates that John and his readers shared in three things. They shared in tribulation, they shared in the kingdom, and they shared in perseverance. The three abstract nouns tribulation, kingdom, and perseverance can all be translated as verbs, since they refer to something that John and his readers did together. They all suffered, they all lived in God’s kingdom, and they all endured patiently.

In the Greek, these three things are closely connected in the grammar. So some English versions interpret the grammar to indicate that the terms modify each other rather than refer to three separate actions. For example:

in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom (Good News Translation)

However, in some languages it is more natural to translate them as three separate actions. See examples in the Display.

tribulation: The word tribulation refers to the trouble and pain that people endure. Other ways to translate this word are:

suffering (New International Version)
-or-
hardships (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
we(incl.) all suffer troubles

kingdom: The word kingdom refers to God ruling over his people. John and his readers were companions in the kingdom because they all belonged to God’s kingdom. They all acknowledged God as their king, and they all lived under God’s rule. John and his readers shared in the blessings of the kingdom and its work.

In some languages it is necessary or more natural to add a verb here. For example:

⌊we
(incl.) all belong to⌋ God’s kingdom
-or-
together ⌊we follow⌋ God as king
-or-

⌊all of us live⌋ under God’s rule

perseverance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perseverance refers to continuing to follow God even though facing hardships or opposition. Other ways to translate the Greek word are:

patient endurance (New International Version)
-or-
patience to continue (New Century Version)
-or-
we(incl.) all patiently endure
-or-
how we patiently endure ⌊difficulties/suffering/persecution⌋

1:9c

that are in Jesus: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that are in Jesus probably applies to the whole phrase “your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance” (1:9a–b). All those things are true or occur in a relationship with Jesus. John and his readers had a relationship with Jesus, so they suffered for the same reasons, shared in the kingdom of God, and patiently endured troubles for the same reasons.

Your translation of this phrase should refer to those shared experiences. Other ways to translate it are:

as we (incl.) are all in Jesus
-or-
as we follow Jesus together

General Comment on 1:9a–c

In some languages it is more natural to put the phrase “in Jesus” in a different place. For example:

9a I John, your brother, who share with you 9c in Jesus 9b the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance (Revised Standard Version)
-or-

9a I am John, your brother, and 9c as a follower of Jesus 9a I am your partner 9b in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom (Good News Translation)

1:9d

was on the island of Patmos: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was can also be translated as “came to be.” John did not plan to be on Patmos. It happened because God planned it. The Greek grammar does not indicate whether or not John was still on Patmos when he wrote Revelation after receiving these visions.

1:9e probably implies that the Roman authorities exiled John to Patmos. So some English versions use a passive clause. The passive clause in English implies that John did not go to the island voluntarily. For example:

I was sent to Patmos Island (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I was put on the island of Patmos (Good News Translation)

But the verb was probably indicates that, for this letter, it was not important to John whether or not he was exiled.

the island of Patmos: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as of is literally “being called.” It indicates that Patmos was the name of the island. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the island called Patmos (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Patmos Island (Contemporary English Version)

island: An island is land that is completely surrounded by water. Patmos is in the Aegean Sea. It is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the mainland, which was the Roman province of Asia. Patmos is about 12 kilometers (8 miles) long from the northern end to the southern end. It is about 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide at its widest place.

1:9e

because of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus: This clause indicates that someone, probably Roman authorities, put John on Patmos (as punishment) because he preached the word of God and my testimony about Jesus. The Roman emperor insisted that everyone worship him as a god. Those who believed in Jesus refused to do that. The Roman authorities probably exiled John to Patmos because he was preaching about believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

There is no subject or verb in this phrase. John was probably talking about himself and what he did. In some languages it is more natural to make the subject and verb/verbs explicit. For example:

because ⌊I proclaimed⌋ the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
-or-
because I had preached God’s word and the message about Jesus (New Century Version)
-or-
because ⌊I had declared⌋ God’s word and told/testified about Jesus

of the word of God and my testimony about Jesus: Here the phrase refers to an earlier time when John was still in the province of Asia. John used the same phrase in 1:2 to connect to that verse, but he implies a connected-but-different meaning. Here it refers more generally to the Scriptures and the gospel about Jesus. John preached the gospel in Asia. Other ways to translate it are:

of the Word of God and of witness to Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus (God’s Word)

my testimony about Jesus: In Greek this phrase is literally “the testimony of Jesus” (as in the English Standard Version). The word “of” has several meanings. There are two ways to interpret this phrase:

(1) The testimony is about Jesus. For example:

the testimony about Jesus (God’s Word)

(2) Jesus gave the testimony. For example:

the truth that Jesus revealed (Good News Translation)

Many English versions translate this literally as “of.” It is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. You may also translate this phrase so that it allows both interpretations. But some languages must choose one of the interpretations. If that is true in your language, follow interpretation (1). Other ways to translate this phrase are:

I…had told about Jesus (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I had…borne witness to Jesus (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

testimony: The word testimony means “the words spoken about what one saw or heard.” The word testimony is often used when the person speaking is expected to be truthful and accurate (as in a court of law). Other ways to translate this word are:

witness (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
message of what they saw and heard

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:10a

On the Lord’s day: This phrase refers to the first day of the week, the day of worship for believers. Believers met on Sundays to worship because that was the day on which Jesus rose from the dead.

In some languages a literal translation would not refer to the weekly day of worship. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

On ⌊a Sunday⌋ the day for worshiping the Lord
-or-
On the day of the week that we worship the Lord

• Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:

“The Lord’s Day” refers to the weekly worship day.

I was in the Spirit: In English Bibles, the titles and names of God begin with an uppercase (capital) letter. But ancient Greek writers used only one style of letters. So the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Spirit can refer to either the human spirit or God’s Spirit. There are several ways to interpret it. The main interpretations are:

(1) It indicates that John was connected to the Holy Spirit in some way that was different from the usual experience of the Holy Spirit. For example:

the Spirit came upon me (Revised English Bible)

(2) It indicates that John entered a trance-like state and experienced things in his own spirit. For example:

I was in ecstasy (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Other ways to translate this phrase are:

I came to be in the Spirit
-or-
I came under the Spirit’s power (God’s Word)
-or-
I was in strong relationship with the Spirit

I was: The verb here is the same Greek verb as in 1:9d. In 1:9d John physically “came to be” on the island of Patmos. Here in 1:10a, he spiritually “came to be” in the Spirit. John did not plan to be in the Spirit. It happened because God made it happen.

The verb does not indicate or imply being forced. But the phrase “in the Spirit” implies that the Holy Spirit began a closer connection to John’s spirit. See examples above.

in the Spirit: As interpretation (1) above indicates, John was connected to the Holy Spirit in a way that was different from the usual experience of the Holy Spirit. It does not say what circumstance John was in. It is not known if he was worshiping with others or worshiping on his own or praying or if he was in some other situation when John experienced the Holy Spirit in this way.

1:10b

a loud voice like a trumpet: This phrase does not explain how the loud voice was like a trumpet. It may have been that it was loud and clear, like a trumpet call. If you need to say how it was like a trumpet, you may want to make that explicit. For example:

a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet (Contemporary English Version)

a trumpet: The word trumpet refers to a musical instrument that was often used to alert people to danger. It was also used to announce important messages. At that time trumpets were made from metal or from animal horns. A metal trumpet was a narrow tube probably about half a meter (18 inches) long. It had a mouthpiece at one end and a wide opening at the other end. People blew into it to produce a loud sound.

The particular kind of trumpet is not important here. In some languages people use trumpets made of animal horns, shells, bamboo, or other materials. If that is true in your language, you may want to use the word for that kind of trumpet here.

Some languages do not have a word for trumpet. If that is true in your language, you can:

• Use a word for another loud instrument, preferably one that someone blows into.

• Use a method of announcing in your area.

• Use the major language word.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:14a

white like wool, as white as snow: Both of these phrases indicate that Jesus’ hair was very white. Both wool and snow are examples of very white things. The two phrases together emphasize the whiteness. For example:

were as white as wool, even as white as snow (NET Bible)

In some languages people are not familiar with either wool or snow. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate the meaning without the similes. For example:

very, very white

• Use a substitute for the words wool and snow. Use something considered very white in your culture. For example:

white as ⌊bright⌋ clouds
-or-
The whiteness of his hair was like a broken wave

You may then want to explain the literal words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “white like wool, as white as snow.” Wool and snow are examples of very white things.

• Use the major language words, if people are familiar with them. You may want to explain their use in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Wool and snow are examples of very white things.

wool: The word wool refers to the hair of sheep and some kinds of goats. Other ways to translate this word are:

sheep hair
-or-
very white animal hair

snow: The word snow refers to frozen ice crystals that fall from the clouds. Snow falls instead of rain when it is very cold. That is, it may precipitate in the form of snow when the air temperature is below freezing. Snow is white and fluffy; it is not clear like rain.

1:14b

His eyes were like a blazing fire: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blazing fire is literally “a flame of fire” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This simile probably refers to the brightness of his eyes. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

his eyes were like a fiery flame (NET Bible)
-or-
his eyes looked like flames of fire (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
his eyes were ⌊bright⌋ as flames

Translate in a way that does not imply that Jesus was angry or that he showed any other specific emotion.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

1:15a

His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace: There are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as refined :

(1) The bronze, a kind of metal, was no longer hot, so the Greek word means “refined.” It indicates that the bronze was heated until melted. The impurities then floated to the top and were removed. The bronze was allowed to cool, and it returned to solid form again. The bronze was then pure and shiny. It was without impurities. For example:

His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace (Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

(2) The bronze was still hot, so the word means “glowing.” Metals glow red when they are very hot. For example:

His feet were glowing like bronze being heated in a furnace (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because if the metal glowed red-hot, John could not have seen what kind of metal it was. Other ways to translate this word following interpretation (1) are:

His feet were like bronze purified in a furnace
-or-
His feet were like bronze made pure in a furnace

His feet were like polished bronze: This clause indicates that His feet were similar in color to polished bronze. The clause may also imply strength or moral purity. The clause does not indicate that his feet were hard or unbending like metal.

bronze: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bronze refers to a metal that is a mixture of copper and another metal, either tin (which makes bronze) or zinc (which makes brass). Bronze, as pictured below, is a brown metal color.

In some languages people are not familiar with bronze or brass. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the word in your translation. For example:

⌊shiny brown/tan metal called⌋ bronze

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

shiny brown/tan metal

• 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:

Bronze is a metal that is a mixture of copper and tin. It is a brown metal color.

furnace: This word refers to a kind of oven that can be heated so hot that it melts metal. Other ways to translate this word are:

oven
-or-

⌊metal-⌋ refinery

1:15b

His voice was like the roar of many waters: This clause probably indicates that his voice was loud and powerful. Other ways to translate this clause are:

his voice was like the roar of many waters (NET Bible)
-or-
his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves (New Living Translation (2004))

the roar of many waters: Here this phrase refers to a lot of water and to the sound that water makes when it is moving fast. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

raging waters (God’s Word)
-or-
the roar of ⌊many⌋ waterfalls
-or-
flooding water (New Century Version)

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.