SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 3:12

3:12a

The one who overcomes I will make: The phrase The one who overcomes is emphasized by being first in the clause. Jesus will cause/make this person to become like a pillar. If you have a natural way in your language to emphasize the phrase The one who overcomes, you may want to do so. For example:

He who conquers, I will make him (Revised Standard Version)

In some languages it is not natural to have the phrase The one who overcomes first in the clause. For example:

I will make him who overcomes

The one who overcomes: The word overcomes means “triumphs” or “obtains/wins victory.” Translate this phrase as you translated it in 3:5. Notice that the word one is the object, not the subject, of the main verb “make.”

a pillar in the temple of My God: This phrase probably refers symbolically to being in the presence of God.

In some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

I will make him ⌊to be like⌋ a pillar in the temple of My God.
-or-
I will cause him ⌊to be always in my God’s presence like⌋ a pillar in His temple.

Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

The overcomer/victor is like “a pillar in the temple of my God” because he will always be in God’s presence.

pillar: The word pillar refers to a column/post that supports a building or roof.

Pillars were made from stacked stone blocks, so they were strong for a very long time.

temple: The word temple refers to a building where God or another deity is believed to be present in a special way. People worship there.

3:12b

and he will never again leave it: This clause continues to use the symbol of a temple to represent the presence of God. Jesus indicated that the faithful believer would never need to leave God’s presence. Other ways to translate this clause are:

he will never depart from it (NET Bible)
-or-
he will always remain there

3:12c

Upon him I will write the name of My God: This clause is a figure of speech which indicates that the one who overcomes sin belongs to God.

In some languages a literal translation would not clearly indicate or imply that the overcomer belongs to God. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

I will write on him the name of my God ⌊to mark/show that he belongs to God
-or-
I will write on him the name of my God ⌊to mark/show that God is his Lord/Master

Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Jesus will write the name of God on the one who overcomes. The name shows that he or she belongs to God.

3:12d

and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem: Jesus said that he will also write the name of the new Jerusalem on any believer who overcomes. This name indicates that the one who overcomes is a citizen of the new Jerusalem. He belongs to this city and has a right to live there.

In some languages a literal translation would not indicate or imply the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

I will mark him as a citizen of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem

Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. An example footnote is:

This indicates that the one who overcomes belongs to the new Jerusalem. He has the right to live there as a citizen.

the city of My God (the new Jerusalem: The phrases the city of My God and the new Jerusalem refer to the same thing. They both refer to the heavenly city described in Revelation 21:1–22:5. In some languages the connection must be made clear in a different way. For example:

the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem (King James Version)
-or-
the name of his city. It is the new Jerusalem (Contemporary English Version)

3:12e–f

that comes down out of heaven from My God: This clause tells the reader more about the new Jerusalem. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other new Jerusalems and only this one comes out of heaven. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the new Jerusalem. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

It is coming down out of heaven from my God.

comes: The Berean Standard Bible, like the Greek, uses the present tense here. This present tense refers generally to the fact that at some time the city will descend. Revelation 21 describes the new Jerusalem descending to the new earth after God judges all people (Rev 20).

In some languages it is more natural to use the future tense here. For example:

will come (Good News Translation)

© 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.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments