13:25a

the stars will fall from the sky: The clause the stars will fall from the sky indicates that the stars will fall out of their positions in the sky. It is not clear whether they will fall all the way to the earth.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

The stars will fall out of the sky
-or-
The stars will fall from their positions in the sky

In some languages it may be unnaturally redundant to say that stars fall from the sky. If that is true in your language, you may make the phrase from the sky implicit. For example:

The stars will fall

13:25b

and the powers of the heavens: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as powers of the heavens is probably a poetic way to refer to the stars and other lights in the sky. It may also refer figuratively to spiritual forces that controlled the stars and other heavenly lights. These forces include Satan and his evil spirits. (This interpretation is mentioned as a possibility by UBS Handbook (page 414), TRT (page 180), and others. Greek writers sometimes referred to these lights as the “armies” or “powers” of the heavens. Other scholars understand “powers in the heavens” to refer to the stars as the armies of heaven. Still others, including Edwards (page 402), speak of the other heavenly bodies as being included.)

In most languages it will not be possible to find an expression that refers both to stars and to powerful beings in the sky. If that is true in your language, you may use an expression that refers to the stars or to all the lights in the sky. You may also want to add a footnote that gives the figurative meaning along with an explanation. For example:

Literally, the “powers” or “armies” in the sky. This phrase probably refers figuratively to the stars and other lights in the sky. It may also refer to evil spirits. Many people thought that evil spirits controlled the stars.

heavens: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heavens means “in the sky.” This is the same Greek word as the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “sky” in 13:25a. It does not refer to heaven where God lives. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

in the sky

See also heaven, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

will be shaken: The phrase will be shaken means “will be shaken violently/strongly,” so that they fall from their positions.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

will be driven from their courses (Good News Bible)

The verb is passive. In some languages it may not be natural to use a passive verb here. If that is true in your language, here are some options to consider:

• Choose a verb that does not need to indicate an actor. For example:

will move/shift chaotically

• Use an impersonal expression. For example:

something will force [the heavenly bodies] from their normal places

• Supply God as the actor. This option should only be used if it is necessary. For example:

and God will violently shake all these things in the sky

Paragraph 13:26–27

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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