Section 2:18–29
Jesus spoke to the church at Thyatira
In this section, Jesus spoke to the people who believed in him at Thyatira. He saw that they had grown in their faith. Jesus warned them about allowing an immoral woman named Jezebel to remain among them. He encouraged the believers who had not followed Jezebel’s sinful teachings to remain faithful. Lastly, he gave a promise for any believer who persevered in his faith.
Translate this heading as you did for the other messages to the churches.
Paragraph 2:18–19
2:18a
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: You should translate this introduction the same way you did in 2:12. You only need to change the name to Thyatira.
2:18b–d
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze: This statement is an introduction to Jesus’ words in 2:19–29. Translate the clause These are the words of in a similar way to 2:1.
Jesus spoke these words about himself. He continues to speak in 2:19 with “I.” In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that Jesus was talking about someone else here. If that is true in your language, indicate that Jesus spoke about himself. For example:
These are my words, ⌊I,⌋ the Son of God. My eyes are like blazing fire and my feet are like burnished bronze.
2:18b
the Son of God: This phrase is a title for Jesus. This title was often used to refer to a savior who would be a descendant of King David. God would send this savior to rescue his people. This person was often referred to as the “Messiah” or “Christ.”
The title the Son of God also indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. The relationship between God the Father and Jesus, his Son, is similar in some ways to the relationship between human fathers and sons. God the Father does not have a physical body. He did not have a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. The Son of God existed eternally as the Son with his Father.
In areas where people do not understand the title the Son of God in this way, you may want to include a footnote that explains the correct meaning. Here is a suggested footnote:
This title refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus has the same nature and character as God. It does not mean that God the Father had a sexual relationship with Mary that resulted in her becoming pregnant and giving birth to Jesus. Mary became pregnant with Jesus in a miraculous way by the Holy Spirit of God.
In some languages, it is natural to speak of a son as a “child” without specifying whether male or female. If that is true in your language, you may use a more general term, such as:
the Child of God
Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a phrase such as “the male child of God,” be sure that it does not imply that God had another child who was female.
2:18c–d
whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze: These clauses tell the reader more about the Son of God. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other Sons of God and, only this one had eyes…like a blazing fire and…feet…like polished bronze. If that is true in your language, translate these clauses so that they tell more about the Son of God. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
His eyes are like a blazing fire and his feet are like burnished bronze.
2:18c
eyes are like a blazing fire: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a blazing fire is literally “a flame of fire” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This simile probably refers to the brightness of his eyes. You should translate this in a similar way to “eyes were like a blazing fire” in 1:14. For example:
eyes looked like flames of fire (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
eyes were/are as bright as fire
2:18d
feet are like polished bronze: This simile indicates that his feet were similar in color to polished bronze. You should translate this in a similar way to “feet were like polished bronze” in 1:15.
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