crown

The Greek in Revelation 3:11 that is translated as “crown” in English is translated in Burunge as aliya, a special kind of earring that is traditionally worn by a person who as a recognition for having won a battle or having killed a dangerous animal. (Source: Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 67)

See also crown (2 Samuel 12:30) and crown.

complete verse (Revelation 3:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 3:11:

  • Uma: “‘I am coming soon! Hold strongly to the teaching that you know, so that God will give you a reward for your victory. Don’t let there be those who cause you to fall with the result that you do not receive that reward.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I will soon come back to the world. Really store-away/regard-highly all that has been given to you so that nobody can/will snatch away your reward.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I will soon come. Grasp tightly the true teaching which you know so that the reward which I will give you if you overcome Satan will not be given to another.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “My time-of-coming is soon, so persevere in following the true teaching so that no one will remove the crown that is your reward.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I really will come in a short while. Take care that, as for your belief in the truth and obeying the will of God, that you don’t get misled, so that my reward to you won’t be forfeited, but on the contrary you will really be able to receive it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Soon I will come. Don’t let loose what work you have grabbed so that someone else will not have come to them the payment which is meant for you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

1st person pronoun referring to God (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also pronoun for “God”.

Translation commentary on Revelation 3:11

I am coming soon: this is the final coming, to judge and to inaugurate the Messianic kingdom. The time of distress and suffering is followed by the second coming of Christ (see 1.7; 22.7, 12, 20).

Hold fast what you have: see the comments at 2.25.

So that no one may seize your crown: see the comments at 2.10. The crown that Christ gives to his followers as the prize for their faithfulness must be kept safe from all who would, by some means, take it from them. What is meant is that they are to remain faithful so as not to lose their ultimate reward: life with Christ in the Messianic kingdom. Other ways of expressing this clause are “so that no person may take away (or, steal) your victory prize by force” or “so that no one may be able to use force and steal your prize that shows that you have conquered.”

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 3:11

Paragraph 3:11–12

3:11a

I am coming: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) Jesus physically coming the second time to the whole world.

(2) Jesus spiritually visiting the believers in Philadelphia to encourage them.

The English versions translate this clause literally. It is best to translate literally; do not say where Jesus will come. Both interpretations are possible, but more scholars follow interpretation (1). See how you translated a similar clause in 2:25 (“until I come”).

3:11b

Hold fast to what you have: This clause refers to the believers remaining strong in their faith. It does not refer to the believers keeping their physical belongings. In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, make it clear that Jesus referred to their faith. For example:

Continue strong in your faith (New Century Version)

3:11c

so that no one will take your crown: This is a negative purpose clause. It expresses something to be avoided. Jesus did not say who might take away the crown. He was probably referring to Satan and other evil ones who might tempt believers to stop following Jesus. Other ways to translate this are:

so that no one may seize your crown (English Standard Version)
-or-
let no one deprive you of your crown (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
and let no one rob you of your crown (Revised English Bible)

crown: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crown refers to a victor’s wreath. It was the reward for winning a contest. Here it is a symbol for the reward of eternal life. See how you translated this word in 2:10.

In some languages it is necessary to explain what the crown is used for here. For example:

the crown that you will be given as your reward (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
your victory prize (Good News Translation)

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