complete verse (Revelation 11:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 11:5:

  • Uma: “They have power to make fire come out of their mouths to kill anyone who wants to do evil to them. That is always how their enemies who want to do evil to them die.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If anyone causes trouble for them, there will be fire coming out of their mouths to destroy whoever opposes them. Therefore whoever does bad to them will certainly simply die.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And as for these two, if anyone persecutes them fire will come out of their mouths and their enemies will be burned up. And by means of this they will kill anyone who tries to persecute them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If someone tries to injure them, fire comes-out of their mouths to burn him, and that is the cause-of-death of all their enemies who try to injure them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “If there is any who wants to hurt them, there is fire which will come out of their mouths, this being what burns up those enemies of theirs. For that is the determined death of whoever wants to harm these two.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Should any person want to kill these two persons, they are not able to kill them. Because fire comes out of their mouths and finishes off their enemies. Therefore whoever wants to kill them gets killed themselves.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

enemy / foe

The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)

In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).

Translation commentary on Revelation 11:5

If any one would harm them: the same verb is used in 2.11; 7.2; 9.4, 10 (“hurting”), 19 (“wound”). Other ways of expressing this are “Whoever tries to hurt them” or “If any person attempts to injure them.”

Fire pours from their mouth: this is like the fire that pours out of the horses’ mouths in 9.17-18. Elijah called down fire from heaven to destroy his enemies (2 Kgs 1.10, 12).

And consumes their foes: one should avoid leaving the reader with the impression that the foes and any one in the first part of the verse are two different sets of people. Perhaps one may translate the first part of the verse as “If any person tries to hurt these two men, fire shoots out of their mouths and destroys these enemies.” Their foes: in certain languages this will be expressed as “the people who hate them.”

Consumes: this translates the Greek verb “eats up”; so something like “kills,” or “destroys,” or any other verb that goes with fire, is a satisfactory translation.

If any one would harm them: this clause is repeated from the beginning of the verse, although in Greek the verb form is different. The literal repetition of this clause may not be effective in some languages, and something like Good News Translation may be preferable.

Thus: that is, by means of the fire. Good News Translation “in this way.”

He is doomed: this translates the impersonal verb “it is necessary,” “it must be,” or “it is proper,” which is generally used of the divine judgment and will (see 1.1). So the final clause may be rendered as “and in this way God will kill whoever tries to hurt them.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 11:5

11:5–6

The Greek and the Berean Standard Bible use present tense in these verses. It indicates that the events here occur throughout the 1,260 days (11:3b). Use the proper tense and grammar to indicate that the events here occur throughout the 1,260 days.

11:5a–b

If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies: The word anyone is singular, but refers generally to their enemies. The singular word indicates that whoever the enemy is, he will be destroyed. Other ways to translate these words are:

Fire comes from their mouths and consumes their enemies if anyone tries to harm them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Any enemy who tries to harm them will be destroyed by the fire that comes out of their mouths (Contemporary English Version)

11:5b

fire proceeds from their mouths: This indicates that flames of fire leave the mouths of the witnesses. It is implied that the flames leave their mouths forcefully.

devours: This word refers to eating something. But it also refers to the way fire burns something until only ashes are left. Use a word that refers to when fire burns something completely. The word probably implies “immediately” or “quickly” here. Other ways to translate this word are:

consumes (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
completely burns

11:5c

In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed: The Greek words are literally “If anyone tries to harm them, it is necessary for him to be killed in that way.” The words indicate that any enemy attacking the two witnesses will certainly die. They will die from the fire coming from the mouths of the two witnesses. Other ways to translate this are:

anyone who tries to harm them will certainly be killed in this way (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
so shall anyone die who tries to do them injury (Revised English Bible)

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