angel

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The Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Revelation 8:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 8:12:

  • Uma: “The fourth angel blew his trumpet, suddenly there was something that hid one third of the sun, moon and stars, with the result that one third of their shining no longer shone. So there were times that the sun did not shine during the day. So also at night, there were times the moon and stars did not shine.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the fourth angel blew (the thing) like a tabuli’ that had been given to him. When he blew it, immediately one part of the sun and of the moon and of the stars became dark. Two parts did not. Therefore in one day it was dark in the world for four hours and also at night for four hours the moon and the stars did not give light.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet. A third part of the sun was struck, and a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars. Because of this the shining of a third part of the stars was taken away, and for a third part of the time each day it was very dark. And it was the same way for a third part of the time of every night.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “After-that the fourth angel also blew-his-horn, and a third of the sun, moon and stars were struck so that a third of their light ceased. Therefore it-was-dark a third of the day and a third of the night.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When the fourth angel also blew his horn, the third part of the sun, moon and stars was struck. That’s why a third part of their light disappeared. The third part of daytime became dark and also nothing gave light for the third part of night-time.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The fourth angel blew the trumpet. A part of the sun became dark then, but it didn’t come to half of the sun that darkened. Like this was darkened part of the moon. And there was darkened part of the stars. In the daytime four hours were in darkness upon earth. In the nighttime four hours didn’t have even any stars show.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

trumpet

The musical instrument that is most often translated as “trumpet” in English is translated in the following ways:

In the UBS Helps for Translators‘ Human-made Things in the Bible (original title: The Works of Their Hands: Man-made Things in the Bible) it says the following:

Description: The trumpet was a wind instrument, frequently used in signaling, especially in connection with war. It was made of metal (the trumpets mentioned in Numbers 10:2 et al. were made of silver). It was a straight, narrow tube, about 40-45 centimeters (16-18 inches) in length. One end had a mouthpiece, while the other end was widened into a bell shape.

Usage: The sound on the trumpet was made by blowing into the mouthpiece in such a way as to vibrate the lips. The vibrations were magnified as they passed along the widening body of the tube.

The purpose of the trumpet in Israel was primarily to signal. Numbers 10 lists a variety of occasions in which the trumpets were to be used, including signaling the people to break camp, calling all of the people together for a meeting, calling only the leaders together, sounding an alarm at the beginning of a battle, and blowing them for liturgical purposes during certain festivals. It is significant that it was the task of the priests to sound the trumpets.

Translation: Generally speaking, translators may distinguish between the Hebrew words chatsotsrah and shofar by rendering chatsotsrah as “trumpet” or “bugle” and shofar with a more generic word for “horn” or with “ram’s horn.” Note the following comment in Translation commentary on Psalm 98:4 – 98:6: “In some languages it will not be possible to make a distinction between the two Hebrew terms translated trumpets and horn. In such cases the local term for a horn will be used. The Greek Old Testament used only one term.”

The exact meaning of the Aramaic word qeren in Daniel 3:5 and following is debated. It probably refers to a brass wind instrument and is best rendered “horn.”

The present-day equivalent for the Greek word salpigx is “bugle.” A bugle is generally smaller than a trumpet and is often associated with the sounding of military signals.

Man blowing a trumpet (source: Horace Knowles (c) British and Foreign Bible Society 1954, 1967, 1972)

Quoted with permission.

See also trumpet / bugle.

Translation commentary on Revelation 8:12

At the blowing of the fourth trumpet, the sun, the moon, and the stars lost a third of their light. This suggests the plague of darkness in Egypt (Exo 10.21-23; see also Isa 13.10; Joel 2.31; Amos 8.9). The text seems to say that they shone only at two thirds of their normal intensity; but as the conclusion of the verse makes clear, it means that they shone only two thirds of the time. One third of the daytime was completely dark, for the sun stopped shining; likewise for one third of the night the moon and the stars stopped shining.

Was struck: only here in the New Testament is this verb used; it suggests some force that hit the sun, moon, and stars and made them stop shining for one third of the time. In certain languages that do not use the passive, this phrase may be rendered as “suffered hit (or, strike),” but in others one must say, for example, “Something struck….”

And likewise a third of the night: the Greek text says simply “and the night likewise”; as the context makes clear, this means that during the night, as during the day, there was complete darkness for one third of the time. For the translation of a third, see Rev. 8.7 of this chapter.

Something like the following can serve as a model for this verse:

• Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet. The sun, the moon, and the stars were all damaged (or, struck), so that they did not shine for one third of the time. There was no sunlight during one third of the daytime, and during one third of the night the moon and the stars did not shine.

Or:

• And something struck and damaged one-third of the sun, the moon and the stars. The sun did not shine (or, give light) for one third of the daytime, and the moon and the stars did not shine for one third of the night.

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 8:12

Paragraph 8:12

8:12a

fourth: The word fourth refers to the next item after three other things. If counted, this item would be counted as number four. See how you translated this word in 4:7 or 6:7.

8:12b

a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck: The word struck figuratively refers to God causing that part to become dark. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. God probably ordered someone to strike the sun and moon and stars. For example:

a third of the sun became dark, a third of the moon was struck, a third of the stars were struck
-or-

⌊someone⌋ struck/affected the sun, ⌊someone⌋ struck/affected a third of the moon, ⌊someone⌋ struck/affected one out of every three stars
-or-

⌊God had someone⌋ strike/affect a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars.

a third of: Here the word third refers to one part out of three parts. See how you translated this phrase in 8:7.

8:12c

A third of the stars were darkened: Probably a third of the stars stopped shining. For the sun and moon, there are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) It indicates that one part of three parts of the sun and one part of three parts of the moon became dark.

(2) It indicates that the sun and moon both gave one-third less light.

Translate possible in a way that allows either or both meanings. For example:

the light went out of a third of them (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
their light lost a third of its brightness (Good News Translation)

General Comment on 8:12b–c

The clause in 8:12c “A third of the stars were darkened” refers to what happened to the sun, moon, and stars. Some ways to indicate that are:

• Translate this clause as a new sentence that refers back to the whole previous sentence. For example:

a third of the sun, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck. So a third of them became dark, (New Century Version)

• Add a word such as “each” or “all.” For example:

a third of them ⌊all⌋ became dark
-or-
one-third of ⌊each⌋ turned dark

8:12d

a third of the day was without light: This clause probably indicates that the sun did not shine for four out of twelve daylight hours. You should translate this clause without describing details, since the details were not told. For example:

A third part of the day was without light
-or-
One of three parts of the day was dark
-or-
One part of the day was dark and two parts were not dark

a third of the night as well: The phrase “was without light” is implied here but not repeated. In some languages it is more natural to repeat the phrase. For example:

a third of the night ⌊was without light⌋
-or-
a third of the night ⌊was dark⌋
-or-
the night ⌊was dark⌋ a third of the time
-or-
In the nighttime four hours didn’t have even any stars show.
-or-
at night for four hours the moon and the stars did not give light.

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