complete verse (Revelation 6:2)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 6:2:

  • Uma: “When I looked, I saw a white horse. The person riding it held the war-waging instrument called a bow [Indonesian: panah], and he was given a victory hat. Off he went like a victor/defeater who defeats his enemy.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then I saw a white horse appear. The rider held a bow. And someone went and placed a golden crown on his head. Then he proceeded going to fight and he always wins since former times until now.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then I saw before me a white horse, and the one who rode on it was holding a bow. And he was given a crown as a sign of his ability to conquer. And he went out then because he will conquer mankind.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “As I gazed, a white horse suddenly-arrived with someone riding-on-his-back holding a bow-and-arrow to use-in-battle. He was given a crown and immediately-left to certainly-conquer his enemies.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As I watched, I saw a white horse. The one riding was holding a bow and he was given a crown as a sign of being victor. And then he went so that he could continue his victory here under the heavens.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I looked then and I saw a white horse. The horseman had in his hand a bow. He was given a crown. He went then to make war. He wasn’t conquered, rather wherever he went he won wars.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 6:2

And I saw, and behold: see 4.1. New Revised Standard Version is better: “I looked, and there was” (see Translator’s New Testament, Good News Translation, New American Bible, Revised).

A white horse, and its rider had a bow: in all four instances the horse is referred to first, after which comes a description of the rider (see verses 4, 5, 8). It seems more natural to say “I saw a man with a bow, riding on a white horse,” but it is better to follow the order of the Greek text and refer first to the horse. The white horse symbolizes conquest and victory. In cultures where horses are unknown, a translator should not try to find an equivalent animal from that culture. The picture in this context is of a horse, but a mule, camel, or some other animal that can be ridden may be used as long as it is commonly ridden. However, since the colors of the horses are important, an animal such as a zebra should not be employed. So a picture of a horse, along with a description of it in a footnote or glossary item, will be helpful to readers.

Its rider: in some languages there may not be a general word like rider to refer to someone who is riding an animal, and so it may be necessary to say “and the one who was riding it,” or “the one who was mounted on it.” If possible it is better to avoid something like “person,” or “man,” or “angel.” It may be necessary to say “something that looked like a person (or, human).” The problem may be especially difficult in verse 8, where the rider’s name is given.

A bow: this weapon requires arrows, and it may be necessary to say “a bow and arrows.” Where bow and arrows are unknown, it may be necessary to say “a weapon” or “a weapon that shoots darts (or, missiles),” without specifying what kind of weapon it is, while carefully avoiding the implication that it is a firearm, that is, a gun that shoots bullets. The weapon should be recognized as useful in battle.

A crown was given to him: as in 4.4, 10, the crown is a sign of equal authority and power; the rider is crowned a king. The passive was given implies that God, or an angel, gave him the crown of a king. However, since it is not certain who the agent is, in languages that do not have the passive it will be possible to say “he received a crown” or “… a chief’s hat.”

Went out: that is, out of heaven, over the earth, in order to do battle. In some languages it will be necessary to translate “went out of heaven over the earth to….”

Conquering and to conquer: Translator’s New Testament translates “a victor searching for victory”; Bible en français courant “as a conqueror and to conquer again,” or it can be “as one who has already conquered, and will conquer again.” In languages where the verb conquer requires an object, one may say “conquer others” or “conquer his enemies.”

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 6:2

6:2a

So I looked and saw a white horse: The Greek words are literally “I saw, and look, a white horse.” The phrase “and look” emphasizes or calls attention to the words that follow. It also probably indicates surprise, unexpectedness, or suddenness. Other ways to translate these clauses are:

And I looked, and behold, a white horse. (New King James Version)
-or-
I looked, and before my eyes was a white horse (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
I looked up, and suddenly/hey I saw a white horse
-or-
Then there appeared before me a white horse!

saw a white horse, and its rider held a bow: The Greek words are literally “a white horse and one sitting on it having a bow.” It indicates that John saw both the horse and the rider at the same time but described the horse first. These verses also indicate that the rider held a bow when John saw him. Other ways to translate these Greek phrases are:

was a white horse and rider with a bow
-or-
was someone on a white horse and holding a bow

horse: A horse is a large, four-legged animal that weighs 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) or more. Horses are about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high at the back. People often use horses for transportation.

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

• Explain the word in your translation. For example:

riding animal ⌊called a horse⌋

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

A horse is a large animal that a person can ride. The person could direct the horse to go where he wanted.

rider: The Greek word does not say whether the rider was a human being, an angel, or another being. You should translate rider in a way that allows for any being. See the examples above.

a bow: A bow is a weapon which is used to shoot arrows. The rider may have been only carrying the bow and not shooting an arrow. But it is probably implied that he had arrows as well.

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

• Explain what the bow is in your translation. For example:

⌊a war weapon called⌋ a bow

• Use a general word or phrase. For example:

a war weapon

• Explain it in a footnote. For example:

A “bow” is a war weapon.
-or-
A “bow” is a weapon used in war. It is a long piece of wood bent and tied with a string. A straight reed/stick with a sharpened front end is called an “arrow” and is fitted to the string and the string pulled back, creating spring tension. When the warrior releases the string, the arrow shoots forward.

• Explain it in a footnote together with an illustration. Include an illustration that shows a bow and arrow being used. You could put the illustration in your glossary, if you did not want to include one in your translation. For example:

A “bow” is a weapon used in war. See illustration on this page.
-or-
A “bow” is a weapon used in war. See illustration in glossary.

• Use a traditional war weapon common in your area. But you should not use a name of a modern weapon such as “gun.” You may then want a footnote to explain the literal word. For example:

Literally: “bow.” It is a long piece of wood bent and tied with a string. The warrior uses it to shoot sharp sticks called arrows at the enemy.

6:2b

he was given a crown: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active or intransitive clause. For example:

⌊Someone/They⌋ gave a crown to him
-or-

⌊God⌋ gave a crown to him
-or-
he received a crown

In some languages the words “take” and “receive” are translated by the same verb. The English verb “receive” implies that someone gave the crown, but the English verb “take” does not imply that. Your translation should imply or indicate that someone gave it.

a crown: Here, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crown probably refers to a wreath worn on the head as a sign of victory over something. Here, it symbolizes victories in war (6:2c). See how you translated this word in 2:10 or 4:4.

6:2c

he rode out to overcome and conquer: The Greek words are literally “he went forth conquering and/even that he might conquer.” The clause emphasizes that the rider rode out to win battles, and he continuously won battles. Other ways to translate this clause are:

he went out conquering and to conquer ⌊many⌋
-or-
He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory (New Living Translation (2004))

© 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.