17:4a
The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet: The dress that the woman wore was made of purple and scarlet cloth. Purple cloth was very expensive at that time. It was worn only by the most important officials.
Scarlet cloth was also somewhat expensive at that time. It was worn only by the very wealthy or by military leaders. Other ways to translate this clause are:
The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
The woman wore an ⌊expensive⌋ purple and scarlet dress
purple: Purple is a mix of blue and red.
Use the proper color word or use the name of something purple in your area. For example:
lavender color
-or-
the color of eggplant
17:4b
and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as adorned means “wearing.” The woman was wearing jewelry and other ornaments in order to make herself look attractive. This showed how wealthy she was. Other ways to translate these words are:
adorned with gold and jewels and pearls (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
was decorated all over with gold and valuable stones and pearls
gold: The word gold refers to a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful. See how you translated this word in 1:12 or 9:20.
precious stones: This phrase refers to rare stones that are naturally beautiful or become beautiful when shaped and polished. These rare stones are precious or expensive. The Revised Standard Version translates this phrase as:
jewels
The foundation of the new Jerusalem is made of 12 different precious stones. See the descriptions and pictures of those kinds of precious stones in the notes at 21:19–20.
pearls: The word pearls refer to hard, shiny spheres up to 10 millimeters (half an inch) across. They are found in the shellfish called oysters. Pearls are often very beautiful. Good ones are very valuable.
Some languages do not have a word for pearls. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Use the major language word. You may then want to explain it in your translation or in a footnote. Some examples for explaining in your translation are:
⌊beautiful⌋ pearls
-or-
⌊expensive things called⌋ pearls
An example footnote is:
A pearl is a hard, shiny sphere about 5–10 millimeters across. It is found in a kind of shellfish called the oyster. They are often very beautiful. Good ones are very valuable.
• Use something that people wear in your area that is beautiful and valuable. You may then want to include a footnote that explains the original word. An example is:
Literally: “pearls.” A pearl is a hard, shiny sphere about 5–10 millimeters across. It is found in a kind of shellfish called the oyster. They are often very beautiful. Good ones are very valuable.
17:4c
She held in her hand a golden cup: In some languages it is not necessary to use both the word held and the phrase in her hand. If this is true in your language, translate naturally. For example:
She had a golden cup in her hand (New Century Version)
-or-
She was holding a gold cup
golden: The word golden indicates that the cup was made of gold. See how you translated this word in 1:12 or 8:3.
cup: It is probably implied that the cup was a fancy, ornamental cup. For example:
goblet (New Living Translation (2004))
17:4d
abominations: This phrase refers to things that are detestable or very awful. The phrase refers to the woman’s sinful life and deeds. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
abominable things (New International Version)
-or-
obscenities (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
detestable things (NET Bible)
the impurities of her sexual immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as impurities refers to impure things. These are things/deeds that God detests. The phrase refers to the results of the woman’s disgusting sexual practices. Those are again a figurative reference to the shameful things she did with the kings of the earth and its inhabitants (17:2). Other ways to translate this phrase are:
unclean things of her immorality (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
the impurities of her immorality (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the foul things/practices of her sexual sins
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