21:11a
shining with the glory of God: The Greek words are literally “having the glory of God” (as in the Revised Standard Version). The glory of God caused the city to shine brilliantly (21:11b–c). For example:
The glory of God made the city bright (Contemporary English Version)
glory: This word refers to brightness. It symbolizes greatness, power, splendor, and majesty. Other ways to translate this word are:
splendor
-or-
radiance
See how you translated this word in 15:8.
21:11b
radiance: This word refers to the brightness of the shining city.
a most precious jewel: This phrase refers to a rare and beautiful stone. Such a stone is precious, that is, very valuable and rare. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
a most rare jewel (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
a precious stone (Good News Translation)
-or-
a valuable gem (God’s Word)
jasper: This word refers to a spotted or veined stone of a variety of colors. It is often a reddish color, but it can also be deep green, brown, or deep yellow. It shines brightly in the sun. Light reflects off its surface. Light does not shine through this stone like it does through glass.
In some languages people are not familiar with jasper. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Use the name for a kind of stone similar to how jasper is described above. The important thing is that it should be considered bright and beautiful.
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
a spotted/veined stone ⌊named jasper⌋
• Use the major language word for the stone. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Jasper is a spotted or veined stone that is deep red, green, or yellow. It shines brightly.
See how you translated this word in 4:3. Or see the note and picture of jasper at 4:3.
21:11c
as clear as crystal: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as clear as crystal is a rare word that probably means “shine/be like crystal.” Glass is see-through but jasper is not, so the city probably shined like crystal shines. John described the city with the words “glory” (21:11a) and “radiance” (21:11b). So the Greek word probably indicates that the city was brilliant and sparkling. It may imply free of impurities. For example:
with the clear light of crystal (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
dazzling/sparkling like crystal
Many English versions translate similarly to the Berean Standard Bible. But clear does not seem to be the meaning here. You may want to indicate that the city was like crystal without saying how it was like crystal. For example:
like crystal
crystal: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crystal refers to various substances that are bright, shiny, and have flat surfaces. (See drawing at 4:6.) The Greek word probably refers only to crystals that let light shine through them. Quartz, diamond, and sapphire are examples of crystals. Here the focus is on the fact that a crystal is shiny. It is not clear if it implies letting light shine through it.
In some languages people are not familiar with a crystal. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
• Use the characteristics of a crystal that are important here. For example:
with bright/sparkling surfaces
-or-
bright/sparkling
• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
A crystal is a hard substance that is see-through, shiny, and has flat surfaces.
See how you translated this word in 4:6.
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