14I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
The Greek that is translated as “washed their robes and made them white” is translated in Copainalá Zoque as “have been pardoned and washed from their sins.” (Source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.)
In Saluan the word “wash” (nombaso’i) is based on the word for “blood” (baso’), giving an interesting added layer of meaning to the concept of “wash in blood.” See the repeated word for “blood” in the translation of Revelation 7:14b: Aha nombaso’imo juba’ nu aha nu baso’ nu Anak nu Domba aijo’ da mopute’. (Source: this blog and this verse of the Saluan Bible)
The term that is translated as “lamb” in English is typically translated as “offspring of a sheep” in Ixcatlán Mazatec since there is no specific word for “lamb.” Since this could distract readers with thoughts of God being the sheep when the “lamb” refers to Jesus the translation into Ixcatlán Mazatec chose “little (individual) sheep” for those cases. (Source: Robert Bascom)
In Dëne Súline the native term for “lamb” directly translated as “the young one of an evil little caribou.” To avoid the negative connotation, a loan word from the neighboring South Slavey was used. (Source: NCEM, p. 70)
For the Kasua translation, it took a long process to find the right term. Rachel Greco (in The PNG Experience ) tells this story:
“To the Kasua people of Western Province, every four-legged animal is a pig. They call a horse a pig-horse, a cow, a pig-cow, and a sheep, a pig-sheep, because all of these animals have four legs, which is kopolo, or pig, in their language.
“When the translation team would translate the word, ‘sheep’ in the New Testament, they would translate it as ‘pig-sheep’. So when Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb,’ (John 1:29; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 17:14), they translated as ‘pig-sheep’ so that in John 1:29 it would read: ‘Behold, the pig-sheep of God.’
“When some members of the translation team attended the Translators Training Course, they had the opportunity to observe and study sheep for the first time. As they watched and learned more about the animals’ behavior, their understanding of these creatures—and God’s Word—rotated on its axis.
“Once during the course, Logan and Konni — the translation team’s helpers — were driving with the team to a Bible dedication when Amos, one of the team members, said passionately, ‘We can’t use the word kopolo in front of the word, ‘sheep’! Pigs know when they’re about to die and squeal and scream.’ The team had often watched villagers tie up pigs so they wouldn’t escape.
“’But,’ Amos said, ‘Jesus didn’t do that.’ The team had learned that sheep are quiet and still when death walks toward them. They had observed, as they translated the New Testament, the words of Isaiah 53 fulfilled: ‘Like a lamb led to the slaughter, he did not open his mouth.’ And now they understood what it meant. For this reason, the team decided not to put pig-sheep in the New Testament for the word ‘sheep,’ but used sheep-animal or, in their language, a:pele sipi.
“The Kasua translation team also chose to discard the word ‘pig’ before sheep because pigs are unclean animals to the Jews. The team knew that Jesus was called the ‘Lamb of God’ in the New Testament to show that he is unblemished and clean. Hopefully the Lord will open up the Kasua villagers’ eyes to these same truths about Jesus as they read of Him in their own language.”
Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 7:14:
Uma: “I answered him, ‘I do not know them. Tell me.’ [So] he did tell me: ‘Those are people who have already passed the very big Time of Persecution. They laundered their clothes and made them white [or can be taken passively: Their clothes were laundered and made white] with the blood of the Lamb.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘I don’t know, Sir. You are the one who knows it,’ that is what I answered. He said to me, ‘They are the people who have experienced the great persecution/suffering. They have washed their clothes in the blood of the Sheep and they are white now, that means their sins have been removed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I answered, ‘You are the one who knows.’ And he said, ‘These people come from the great tribulation there on the earth. They have washed their clothing in the blood of the young sheep to make it white, which is to say, their sins have been removed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “‘I don’t know, sir. Kindly tell (me),’ I said in reply. Then he said, ‘These are the ones who joined-in-experiencing the time of fearful hardship. They laundered their clothes in the blood of the Sheep so they would-become-white.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “I answered, saying, ‘Respects to you, I don’t know. I don’t know where those have come from. Probably you are the one who knows.’ He said next to me, ‘They are the ones who experienced great hardship, but even though it was like that, they didn’t give-up/let-go but on the contrary their believing/obeying held fast. They really have cleaned their clothes and made them white in/by the blood of this Young Sheep.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I then said: ‘Listen, sir, it is you who know about them. He said: ‘Those are the ones who suffered overflowing suffering. And they have washed their clothing, they whitened it with the blood of the Lamb.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.
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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God or a person or persons to be greatly honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-zonji (ご存じ), a combination of “know” (zonji) and the honorific prefix go-.
Before the time of Abraham at least five breeds of sheep had already been developed in Mesopotamia. From mummified remains (that is, preserved dead bodies) and ancient art it is also known that at least two different breeds had reached Egypt by about 2000 B.C. Thus it is likely that the sheep mentioned in the Bible were of more than one breed.
The Hebrew word kar seems to be used of imported foreign sheep and may refer to a special breed but some scholars think it refers to a wether (castrated ram), since this word is never used in the context of sacrifice. This word is also used for a battering ram, that is, a heavy pole suspended on a rope, used in war for breaking down walls. ’Ayil is the word for a ram or adult male sheep, rachel is a breeding ewe or female sheep, and taleh is a very young lamb, probably still unweaned. The remaining Hebrew words refer to sheep in general.
The Greek word probaton is the general word for sheep, or flocks that may include goats. Krios is the Greek word for a ram or male sheep. Pascha is a technical name for the Passover lamb exclusively, and the remaining Greek words all mean lamb. Ovis is the Latin word for sheep.
Click or tap here for the rest of this entry in United Bible Societies’ All Creatures Great and Small: Living things in the Bible.
The early Hebrews were nomadic shepherds to whom sheep were the most important domestic animal. While goats eat almost any vegetation, sheep are much more selective about the grasses and plants they eat. This meant that suitable grazing for them was not always easy to find, and shepherds had to keep moving their flocks from place to place. This led to a nomadic lifestyle, with movable tents rather than houses being the normal household shelter. It was not until the occupation of Canaan after the Exodus that the lifestyle of the Israelites changed, and they became settled village-dwelling farmers and fruit growers.
However, even then, most households owned sheep, and some family members would function as shepherds, often living away from home for fairly long periods.
Sheep in the Bible were a source of meat, milk, wool, hides, and horns, and it seems likely that various strains were bred selectively to enhance production of these commodities. Wool is mentioned in the Bible as early as the Mosaic Law, which forbade the weaving of cloth containing both wool and plant fibers. The shearing of sheep is mentioned even earlier, in Genesis 31:19. Wool was in fact the most common and available fiber known to the people of Israel.
There was a very extensive wool trade in biblical times, stretching from Egypt to China. In the Middle East wool was cheaper than cotton or linen, which were the other common fibers. (Silk was known by the time of Solomon, but it was extremely expensive as it was produced in China and handled by numerous traders on its way west.) It would be a mistake to think of all wool at that time as being white, as Genesis 30 indicates quite clearly that there were also dark colored sheep and sheep that had dark and light patches, probably varying combinations of black, white, and brown.
We can be fairly sure that one breed of sheep known to the Israelites was the Fat-tailed Sheep Ovis laticaudata and that its fatty tail is referred to in Exodus 29:22, Leviticus 3:9 et al.
Rams’ horns had a variety of uses. Whole ram horns were used as drinking vessels, jars, and trumpets. But pieces of horn were used as handles for knives and other household implements, and for jewelry such as bracelets and beads. Needles too, and probably also arrow heads, were made from horn, as well as from bone and later from bronze and iron.
Sheep were also very important in Israelite religion. They were a very important element in the sacrificial system and in the traditional religious feasts, especially the Feast of Passover.
Sheep and goats belong to the same general family. They differ in that sheep produce wool, which is a special type of soft hair, among the ordinary hairs on their bodies. A ram’s horns too differ in shape from a goat’s horns, those of a ram curling down in a tight spiral beside its face, with those of a goat curving more gently back towards its shoulders. The sheep of biblical times produced much shorter wool than is common with wool-bearing breeds of today.
The fat-tailed or broad-tailed sheep is a smallish breed usually brown and white with a very broad tail. Like most other breeds of sheep in the Middle East it has large floppy ears.
Sheep are generally fairly timid animals, lacking the self-confidence and adaptability of goats. While goats will spread out in their search for food and then regroup without much difficulty, sheep become very insecure when they are separated from other sheep and tend to stay bunched together. They thus require a lot of shepherding. In the Middle East the method of shepherding involves training the dominant ram to follow the shepherd. The remaining sheep then follow this dominant ram, which often wears a wooden clapper or a bell. As they feed, the sheep usually keep within earshot of this sound. It is likely that this method is centuries old.
In most modern breeds only male sheep have horns, but in most ancient breeds female sheep had short horns too. This made separating sheep from goats in a single flock more difficult than it is today.
Of all animals the sheep was the most important for the Israelite nation. It had great religious, social, and economic importance.
The metaphor of a lamb is used in the New Testament to refer to Christ, with an emphasis on his being a sacrifice for the sin of the world. This is especially the case in John’s gospel and Revelation. In the latter book the metaphor is introduced in a very striking way. In Revelation 5:5 as the writer is mourning the fact that no one can be found to open the scroll, he is comforted by one of the elders who tells him that “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” has triumphed and can thus open the scroll. Then the writer, expecting to see the Lion, sees instead a Lamb that looks as if it has been killed for sacrifice. The remainder of the book is then concerned with describing the triumph of this Lamb over the forces of evil.
In the gospels Jesus also refers to his disciples as “sheep” and “lambs” (Matthew 10:17; John 10:1 et al.).
The metaphor of the shepherd is extended to God himself who is the ultimate “Shepherd of Israel” (Psalms 23:1; 80:1). Then those who are responsible for the nurture, guidance, ruling, and protection of Israel, be it kings, prophets, or priests, are also likened to shepherds (Isaiah 56:11; Jeremiah 23:4; 49:19; Ezekiel 34:2; Zechariah 10:2).
The Messiah is also called a shepherd (Isaiah 40:11), and Jesus refers to himself as “the good shepherd” (John 10:11). In Hebrews 13:20 he is referred to as “the great shepherd of the sheep” and in 1 Peter 2:25 he is called “the Shepherd and Guardian of your lives”.
In languages that have a word for sheep, it is advisable to translate according to the meanings given above. If possible, the feminine forms should be translated as “female lamb” or “female sheep”. In languages in which sheep are not known, a word has usually been coined or borrowed by the time Bible translation begins, and this word should be used. It is not advisable to substitute another locally well-known animal in this case, since doing so negates the ritual and symbolic importance that sheep had for the biblical cultures.
In translating Psalms 23:1 it is extremely important to make sure that the phrase “my shepherd” preserves the relationship intended by the writer and reflects the psalmist’s theme that Yahweh is his benefactor, protector, and guide. There are really two metaphors involved in the opening verse-the caring shepherd (God) and by clear implication, the dependent sheep (the psalmist). In many languages the literal phrase “my shepherd” depicts a wrong relationship, meaning something like “the one who looks after my sheep” or “the one I employ to watch my sheep.” In many African languages unwary translators have produced a rendering that means “The Chief is (nothing more than) my herdsman.” It is often necessary to restructure the whole verse as something like “I am a sheep, and the lord is my shepherd.”
Sir, you know: the title Sir represents the Greek kurios, which may mean “master” or “lord,” or “a respected elder.” Here Sir is the appropriate equivalent in English.
They who have come out of the great tribulation: the verb “to come out (of)” has here the meaning “to survive,” “to live through,” or “pass through … safely.” In 2.22 reference is made to “a great tribulation”; here, however, it is the great tribulation, that is, the time of distress and cruel persecution that will take place before the end of the world (see Matt 24.21). Revised English Bible and New Revised Standard Version translate “the great ordeal,” and Barclay has “the terrible time of trouble.” Or it can be “the time of great (or, terrible) suffering.”
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: this figurative language, as elsewhere, is a way of talking about purification from sin by means of the death of Christ (see 1.5b; 22.14; Heb 9.14; 1 John 1.7). For robes see 3.4-5; 6.11; 7.9, 13; 22.14; and for the blood of the Lamb, see 1.5b. There may be a logical inconsistency in the statement that the robes are made white by being washed in blood. It would be very difficult, however, and quite inappropriate to attempt to avoid this inconsistency. As in 1.5, the blood of the Lamb means the sacrificial death of Christ. In certain languages this sentence will be expressed as “They have used the blood of the Lamb to wash their robes and make them white.”
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• I answered, “I don’t know.”
He said to me, “These are people who have passed through the time of terrible suffering safely (without dying). They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb to make them white.
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 .
Sir: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Sir is literally “my lord.” The phrase is used to show honor to someone of higher status. The Berean Standard Bible and many other English versions use the more general word Sir. But in English “my” is not natural before Sir.
you know: This phrase indicates that John expected the elder to tell him what he knew. This rhetorical statement is a polite request that the elder tell him who they are. John probably did not know or did not want to guess. The pronoun you is emphasized in the Greek. You may need to include some implied information to indicate that John expected a reply. For example:
it is you who knows, ⌊so would you please tell me?⌋ -or-
I do not know but you do. ⌊Please tell me.⌋
7:14b
the ones who have come out of the great tribulation: Here, the phrase come out indicates that earlier these people were in the great tribulation. They experienced all or part of the suffering of that time. The phrase come out also indicates that the great tribulation no longer affects them. They now stand before God and Jesus (7:9). Other ways to translate these words are:
They are those who have passed through the great ordeal (Revised English Bible) -or-
people who have ended their time in the great tribulation -or-
believers who have finished experiencing/enduring the great tribulation -or-
people who have been through the great trial (New Jerusalem Bible)
the great tribulation: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tribulation means “distress,” “trouble,” or “oppression.” This phrase probably refers to the time just before Jesus returns. At that time God will send severe troubles upon the people of the earth. People will also severely persecute believers during that time. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
the great ordeal (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
the terrible suffering (God’s Word) -or-
the great distress (New Century Version)
In some languages it is necessary to translate the noun tribulation using a verb. For example:
the time when people suffer terribly
If you have translated Matthew 24:21 (“great tribulation”), see how you translated this meaning there.
7:14c–d
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb: These words refer figuratively to the believers becoming clean with respect to sin. Jesus’ blood cleans them.
In some languages a literal translation would not indicate the figurative meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:
These words refer figuratively to Jesus cleaning the believers from their sin.
• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, ⌊that is, he has made them clean⌋ ⌊from sin.⌋
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
they have become clean ⌊from sin⌋ by means of the blood of the Lamb
You may also want a footnote to explain the literal words. An example footnote is:
Literally: “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
7:14c
robes: A robe is a one-piece, long, loose garment that the people of that time wore. See how you translated this word in 7:9.
7:14d
made them white in the blood of the Lamb: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as made them white refers to removing stains from white cloth. The cloth becomes pure white again. These words refer figuratively to being made pure.
in the blood of the Lamb: This phrase belongs with both verb phrases (“have washed their robes” and “made them white”). Place this phrase where it is natural in your language. For example:
in the blood of the Lamb they have washed their robes and made them white
General Comment on 7:14c–d
The word “washed” and the phrase “made them white” probably refer to the same event. The robes are made white by being washed.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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