image

The Greek that is rendered as “image” in English translations is translated in Pökoot with körkeyïn, a word that is also used to translate words like parable and example.

See also parable.

worship

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The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are often translated as “worship” (also, “kneel down” or “bow down”) are likewise translated in other languages in certain categories, including those based on physical activity, those which incorporate some element of “speaking” or “declaring,” and those which specify some type of mental activity.

Following is a list of (back-) translations (click or tap for details):

  • Javanese: “prostrate oneself before”
  • Malay: “kneel and bow the head”
  • Kaqchikel: “kneel before”
  • Loma (Liberia): “drop oneself beneath God’s foot”
  • Tepeuxila Cuicatec: “wag the tail before God” (using a verb which with an animal subject means “to wag the tail,” but with a human subject)
  • Tzotzil: “join to”
  • Kpelle: “raise up a blessing to God”
  • Kekchí: “praise as your God”
  • Cashibo-Cacataibo: “say one is important”
  • San Blas Kuna: “think of God with the heart”
  • Rincón Zapotec: “have one’s heart go out to God”
  • Tabasco Chontal: “holy-remember” (source of this and all above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Bariai: “lift up God’s name” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Q’anjob’al: “humble oneself before” (source: Newberry and Kittie Cox in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 91ff. )
  • Alur: rwo: “complete submission, adoration, consecration” (source: F. G. Lasse in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 22ff. )
  • Obolo: itọtọbọ ebum: “express reverence and devotion” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Ngäbere: “cut oneself down before” (“This figure of speech comes from the picture of towering mahoganies in the forest which, under the woodman’s ax, quiver, waver, and then in solemn, thunderous crashing bury their lofty heads in the upstretched arms of the surrounding forest. This is the experience of every true worshiper who sees ‘the Lord, high and lifted up.’ Our own unworthiness brings us low. As the Valientes say, ‘we cut ourselves down before’ His presence. Our heads, which have been carried high in self-confidence, sink lower and lower in worship.)
  • Tzeltal: “end oneself before God.” (“Only by coming to the end of oneself can one truly worship. The animist worships his deities in the hope of receiving corresponding benefits, and some pagans in Christendom think that church attendance is a guarantee of success in this life and good luck in the future. But God has never set a price on worship except the price that we must pay, namely, ‘coming to the end of ourselves.'”) (Source of this and the one above: Nida 1952, p. 163)
  • Folopa: “die under God” (“an idiom that roughly back-translates “dying under God” which means lifting up his name and praising him and to acknowledge by everything one does and thanks that God is superior.”) (Source: Anderson / Moore, p. 202)
  • Chokwe: kuivayila — “rub something on” (“When anyone goes into the presence of a king or other superior, according to native law and custom the inferior gets down on the ground, takes a little earth in the fingers of his right hand, rubs it on his own body, and then claps his hands in homage and the greeting of friendship. It is a token of veneration, of homage, of extreme gratitude for some favor received. It is also a recognition of kingship, lordship, and a prostrating of oneself in its presence. Yet it simply is the applicative form of ‘to rub something on oneself’, this form of the verb giving the value of ‘because of.’ Thus in God’s presence as king and Lord we metaphorically rub dirt on ourselves, thus acknowledging Him for what He really is and what He has done for us.”) (Source: D. B. Long in The Bible Translator 1952, p. 87ff. )

In Luang it is translated with different shades of meaning:

Source: Kathy Taber in Notes on Translation 1/1999, p. 9-16.

complete verse (Revelation 13:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 13:15:

  • Uma: “The second animal was given power/authority to give breath to the idol that looked like the first animal, with the result that the idol was able to speak. He ordered that anyone who did not worship that idol must definitely be killed.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That second creature was also given power to make the statue of the first creature alive therefore it could talk already; and that statue ordered all people to be killed that did not worship it/him.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “It was also permitted that this second beast should cause the image to breathe. And because of this the image of the first beast could speak and could kill also anyone who did not worship him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It was also permitted to the second animal that he cause-to-breathe the animal-image so that it could-speak and condemn to death all who refused to worship it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That second monster was also permitted to cause to breath/live that image which had been made. Well without anything further, that made-thing was able to speak, and he ordered that the people be killed who didn’t worship him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When the people had made the idol, the second terrible animal who had come out of the earth was given power so that he caused that the idol had life and spoke. And the idol ordered that all the people who did not want to worship it would be killed.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 13:15

It was allowed: God allowed him.

To give breath to the image of the beast: that is, to make the statue of the first beast come to life. So something like “to breathe life into the statue” may be said. See 11.11 for similar language.

So that the image of the beast should even speak: it is not necessary to repeat, as Revised Standard Version does, of the beast; this is quite redundant here. And the word even does not seem warranted by the Greek text.

To cause those … to be slain: the subject here is not the second beast, as Revised Standard Version has it, but the living statue of the first beast. New Revised Standard Version is better: “so that the image of the beast could even speak and cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” Even New Revised Standard Version retains the needless redundancy of the second “of the beast.”

As Revised Standard Version shows, the full phrase the image of the beast appears three times in this verse. This stylistic feature of the book need not be carried over into translation. A more natural way may be used, one that does not omit any information:

• The second beast was allowed (by God) to make the statue of the first beast come to life, so that the statue could talk and could order anyone who did not worship it to be put to death.

Or:

• God allowed the second beast to make (or, cause) the statue of the first beast to have life, so that the statue could talk and could command them (or, people) to execute anyone who did not worship it.

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 13:15

13:15a

The second beast was permitted: This clause is passive. Some ways to translate it are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

Permission was given to him
-or-
it was allowed (Revised Standard Version)

• Use an active clause. Probably the dragon or the first beast gave the permission. (God allowed the second beast to have the power as a part of his plan.) For example:

⌊the dragon⌋ gave power to him

• Use a verb that implies that someone gave permission to him. For example:

he received permission

to give breath to the image of the first beast: These words probably refer to causing the statue to move and speak by some means, which John does not tell us. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

put breath into the idol, so that it could speak (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
breathe life into the image (Good News Translation)
-or-
give life to the image (NET Bible)

13:15b

so that the image could speak: This phrase implies that the image spoke. In some languages a literal translation would not imply that the statue actually spoke. If that is true in your language, indicate that it did speak. For example:

so that it spoke

13:15c

and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed: There are two ways to interpret the Greek words here:

(1) The image caused those who refused to worship it to be killed. For example:

Then the statue commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) The beast caused those who refused to worship the image to be killed. For example:

And the second beast was given power to command all who will not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the Greek form of the two verbs “speak” and “cause” indicate that they are parts of one purpose statement for what the image will do. That purpose statement starts with “so that” in 13:15b.

cause all who refused to worship it to be killed: The clause be killed is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

cause ⌊someone⌋ to kill all who refused to worship the image
-or-
order ⌊someone⌋ to kill all who refused to worship the image, ⌊and that person did so⌋

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