mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

complete verse (Revelation 18:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 18:15:

  • Uma: “Those merchants became rich selling all those things to the Babel people. But at that time, they will gaze from afar, because they are afraid that the torture that struck that village will spread to them. They weep and are sad,” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And those traders, the ones who had become rich because of their trade with that city, they stand from far off watching because they are afraid that perhaps they might be included being punished. They weep and they wail.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And those wealth seekers who got rich doing business in that city, they will have to stay far off watching also because they are afraid that they might be included in the torment of that city. They will weep and wail.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That is what the sellers who grew-rich from their doing-business-with/-in that city will say. Because of their fear of being-punished-with her, they will stand afar-off. They will cry and mourn” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What will be done by those merchants who became rich at/through that city is, they won’t come close now, but rather will just stand at a distance, for they are afraid of being included in that suffering which is being experienced. They really will cry and grieve.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The merchants who deal with things have now very much been enriched from what they sold in the city. But now these people will stand far from there because of fear of the punishment there is in the city. They will mourn, even crying.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 18:15

Almost exactly the same thing is said of the businessmen that was said of the kings in verses 9-10.

The merchants of these wares: see verses 3 and 11.

Who gained wealth from her: see Rev. 18.3.

Weeping and mourning aloud: as in verse 11. This translates the Greek “weeping and mourning, saying”; the participle “saying” is the first word of verse 16, as in Good News Translation “and say.”

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 18:15

Paragraph 18:15–17a

18:15a

The merchants who sold these things and grew their wealth from her: The Greek words are literally “The merchants of these things, the ones having become rich from her.” It refers to the merchants in 18:11a. They sold the cargoes listed in 18:12–13. They made a lot of profit from selling those things to her. For example:

The merchants of these things, who became rich from her (New American Standard Bible)

grew their wealth from her: This phrase indicates that the merchants made a lot of money from selling their cargoes to Babylon. For example:

became rich from doing business in that city (Good News Translation)

18:15b

will stand at a distance, in fear of her torment: The Greek words indicate that the merchants stood far away because they were afraid of the suffering of Babylon. They did not want the terrible things that happened to her to also happen to them. Other ways to translate these words are:

will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
will be standing at a safe distance through fear of her anguish (New Jerusalem Bible)

torment: This word refers to feeling much hurt and pain. See how you translated this word in 18:10.

18:15c

They will weep and mourn: This phrase has the same meaning as the same phrase in 18:11. See how you translated it there.

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