19:15a
And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword: Here the word proceeds indicates that the handle of the sword was in his mouth. The blade of the sword extended forward from his mouth. The word proceeds here does not indicate any motion of the sword. For example:
From his mouth extends a sharp sword (NET Bible)
See how you translated a similar clause in 1:16 (“out of his mouth came a sharp…sword”).
And from His mouth: This phrase is emphasized in the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible. If possible, emphasize this phrase in a natural way in your language.
sword: A sword is a hand-held weapon that cuts or stabs. The swords of that time were 60–120 centimeters (2–4 feet) long and made of metal. See how you translated this word in 1:16 or 13:14.
19:15b
with which to strike down the nations: This clause tells the reader more about the sword. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other swords coming from the rider’s mouth and he will only use this one to strike down the nations. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the sword. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
He will strike down the nations with it.
to strike down the nations: This phrase indicates the role or purpose of the sword. Using this sword, the rider would win the war against his enemies. For example:
he will defeat the nations (Good News Translation)
the nations: Here, the word nations refers figuratively to the enemies of God. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to a different group. If that is true in your language, you may want to explain the meaning in your translation. For example:
the peoples of the earth
-or-
⌊God’s enemies in/from⌋ every nation
19:15c
and He will rule them with an iron scepter: This saying is from Psalm 2:9. Translate these words as you did in 12:5. It has the same meaning. If you are unclear as to the meaning, see the notes at 2:27. But here the word He refers to the rider on the white horse (19:11–15b).
19:15d
He treads: This word refers to stepping hard on something. Here it refers to the action of stepping repeatedly on grapes in order to squeeze the juice out of them. Other ways to translate this word are:
crush (New Century Version)
-or-
stomps (NET Bible)
-or-
trample (Good News Translation)
See how you translated this Greek word in 14:20 (“trodden”).
the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God: In the Old Testament the winepress represents the time when God judges evildoers. Grapes are crushed in a winepress. Likewise, God will punish evildoers. The phrase the fury of indicates that the wrath of God is very great. Another way to translate this phrase is:
winepress that contains God’s very great wrath
See how you translated a similar phrase in 14:19 (“winepress of God’s wrath”).
the winepress: At that time, a winepress was a hole dug in soft stone. Grapes were put in it to be squeezed for their juice. The winepress had an outlet where people collected the grape juice. The juice was made into wine.
In some languages people are not familiar with winepresses. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Describe the winepress. For example:
place to make grape juice for wine
-or-
place to crush grapes in order to get the juice
• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
At that time, a winepress was a hole dug into soft stone. People crushed grapes in it and collected the juice.
-or-
See the footnote on the winepress at 14:19.
See how you translated this word in 14:19.
the fury of the wrath:
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fury refers to great emotion. The whole phrase refers to the great anger that God has toward his enemies. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
the fierce wrath (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the terrible anger (New Century Version)
See how you translated a similar phrase in 16:19 (“the fury of his wrath”).
the Almighty: This word is a title which means, “the one with the power to do anything.” For example:
the All-Powerful (NET Bible)
See how you translated this word in 1:8 or 16:7.
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