14:2a–c

John described the sound he heard in three ways. The first two ways indicate that it was loud. The third way indicates that it was music. The third way probably implies that the music was beautiful.

14:2a

heaven: The word heaven refers here to the place where God lives.

14:2b

the roar of many waters: The Greek phrase is literally “the sound of many waters” (as in the Revised Standard Version). The phrase refers to the sound of a lot of water moving rapidly. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a roaring waterfall (Good News Translation)
-or-
the roar of mighty ocean waves (New Living Translation (2004))

See how you translated the same Greek phrase in 1:15 (Berean Standard Bible: “the roar of many waters”).

the loud rumbling of thunder: This phrase refers to loud thunder. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the sound of loud thunder (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
the roar of thunder (New Jerusalem Bible)

14:2c

harpists strumming their harps: The word harpists refers to people who play harps. Other ways to translate this clause are:

musicians playing their harps (Good News Translation)
-or-
people playing harps (New Century Version)

harps: A harp is a stringed instrument. It makes beautiful sounds. People play it by plucking its strings with their fingers. There were several types of harps.

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

• Use the word for harps from the major language. If this word is unfamiliar, you may then want to explain what a harp is in a footnote. For example:

A harp is a stringed instrument.

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

stringed instruments

• Use a descriptive phrase along with its name. In some languages other stringed instruments (such as guitars) are known but harps are not. For example:

stringed instruments called harps

See how you translated this word in 5:8.

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