SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 1:4

Section 1:4–8

John greeted the churches and praised Jesus

In this section, John identified himself and indicated to whom the letter was addressed. He greeted them in the usual way that was done in letters at that time. He then praised Jesus and told the readers of this letter what its theme was.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Greetings to the Seven Churches (Good News Translation)
-or-
John introduced himself and greeted the seven churches
-or-
Greeting ⌊and introduction⌋ from John

Paragraph 1:4–5c

1:4a–b

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: After John introduced the content and purpose of this letter and announced a blessing (1:1–3), here he identified himself and those to whom he was writing. Other languages may use another order or other introduction words. For example:

From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia (Good News Translation)
-or-
This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
To the seven churches in the province of Asia. This letter is from ⌊me,⌋ John

1:4a

John: John is the name of the person who wrote the letter. In some languages it is more natural to make this clear by using the first-person pronoun, “I.” For example:

I am⌋ John. ⌊I write⌋ to the seven churches in Asia
-or-

I,⌋ John, ⌊am writing this letter⌋ to the seven churches in the province of Asia

1:4b

To the seven churches in the province of Asia: The phrase the seven churches in the province of Asia refers to seven groups of believers in Asia. The phrase does not imply that only seven groups of believers existed in Asia.

seven churches: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as churches refers generally to a gathering of people. Someone summoned the people for a particular purpose. Here, as almost always in the NT, it refers to groups of believers.

In the Bible this word never refers to church buildings. You also should not use a phrase that refers to separate groupings of churches where each group has its own name. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

seven congregations
-or-
the believers ⌊who live in⌋ seven cities
-or-
the seven gatherings of believers

the province of Asia: The Berean Standard Bible adds the phrase the province of. At that time the name “Asia” referred only to a small region in what is now the western part of the country of Turkey. But in English the name now refers to a large region of the world that includes the country of China. So the Berean Standard Bible and some English versions add the phrase the province of to indicate the old meaning.

You may also want to explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

At that time, the name Asia referred to a province under Roman rule that was across the Aegean Sea east of Greece. It was in the western part of what is now the country of Turkey.

1:4c

Grace and peace to you: The saying Grace and peace to you was a common greeting among believers at that time. So authors of the books in the New Testament usually began their books that way.

This greeting has no verb. In some languages it is more natural to add a verb. For example:

May⌋ grace and peace ⌊be given⌋ to you
-or-

May⌋ you ⌊receive⌋ grace and peace
-or-
Grace and peace be yours (Good News Translation)

Grace: The word Grace here refers to God being kind to those who do not deserve it. God does things for people because he wants to and not because they earned it. Other ways to translate this are:

kindness (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
help
-or-
favor

In some languages, it is necessary to translate Grace using a verb. For example:

voluntarily/graciously be kind
-or-
help ⌊as a gift/favor

If you need to translate Grace using a verb, you may need to reorder the sentence. This is discussed in the General Comment on 1:4c–5c.

peace: In Jewish culture the word peace describes a situation of well-being that can include safety, wholeness, and health. It often describes harmony and friendship between God and people, or between individuals or groups of people. Other ways to translate peace here are:

harmony
-or-
wellness

In some languages, it is necessary to translate peace using a verb. For example:

live whole/well/peacefully
-or-
be calm/peaceful

Again, you may need to refer to the General Comment on 1:4c–5c for ways to reorder the sentence.

1:4d

from Him who is and was and is to come: These words refer to God. John described God here in the middle of his request for grace and peace.

John described God using three phrases. In your translation, make sure that it is clear that the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is to come all refer to God. Other ways to translate this saying are:

from the One who is and was and is coming (New Century Version)
-or-
from him who exists, who ⌊always⌋ existed and who is coming
-or-
from God, who is, who was, and who is to come (Good News Translation)

is to come: The clause is to come uses a different Greek verb that the verb used in the previous two clauses. Those clauses use the verb meaning “be/exist.” The verb in this clause probably refers to God coming to do the things written in this book. Other ways to translate this clause are:

who is still to come (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
who is coming (God’s Word)

The clause is to come does not refer to Jesus returning. So you should not translate this as “who is to return.”

1:4e

from the seven Spirits: This phrase is connected to “Grace and peace to you” (1:4c). It indicates that John also asked the seven spirits to give grace and peace.

the seven Spirits: Many scholars believe that the phrase the seven Spirits is a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit. The number seven then represents completion or perfection. Other scholars believe that the phrase refers to seven angels. These angels could be either seven archangels, or seven other spirits who serve God. Since the meaning of this phrase is not clear, you may want to:

Translate literally. You may also want to explain the various opinions about its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Scholars have several opinions about the words “the seven spirits.” Some think the words refer symbolically to the Holy Spirit. Others think the words refer to seven angels of highest rank. Others think that the words refer to seven spirits of a special kind that only serve God at the throne.

Indicate that the phrase refers symbolically to the Holy Spirit. For example:

the Spirit ⌊symbolized by⌋ ⌊the word/number⌋ seven

If you do that, then you may want to include a footnote to indicate the literal words. An example footnote is:

Literally: “the seven spirits.” John may have used this phrase to refer to the Holy Spirit, seven angels of highest rank, or seven spirits of a special kind who serve God at the throne.

before His throne: Here the phrase before His throne indicates that the seven spirits are always in God’s presence. It is implied that God is seated on his throne. It is more clear in some languages to indicate the implied information. For example:

before the throne ⌊where God is seated

throne: This word refers to the official chair of a king. When the king is seated on his throne, he rules over his people and his country. Therefore, the word throne is a symbol for authority to rule. Another way to translate this word is:

leader’s place to rule

© 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.

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