19:5a

a voice came from the throne: John does not say who spoke here, but it does not refer to God (19:5b). Translate this phrase so that it refers to someone other than God. For example:

speech from the throne
-or-

⌊someone⌋ said from the throne ⌊on God’s behalf⌋

19:5b

Praise our God, all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike!: The voice addresses all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike. This address comes after the command. In some languages it is more natural to have the address first. For example:

All you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great, praise our God!

all you who serve Him, and those who fear Him, small and great alike: These words refer to believers. The words describe them in three ways:

(a) They are his servants.

(b) They fear him.

(c) Some of them have low status, and some of them have high status.

Translate in a way that all three descriptions apply to believers. Other ways to translate these words are:

all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
all who serve and fear him, no matter who you are (God’s Word)
-or-
all you his servants, indeed all who fear him, both lowly and great

those who fear Him: Here the word fear means “respect” or “revere.” People who fear God think about him in awe. They also realize he is all-powerful and can do as he chooses, so they respect him. This is not the type of fear that means “afraid” or “frightened.”

In some languages the word fear only means “be afraid.” If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Include the implied meaning of “respect” or “revere” in your translation. For example:

Fear ⌊and respect/revere⌋ God

• Translate the meaning of fear as “respect” or “revere.” For example:

have reverence for (Good News Translation)
-or-
honor (New Century Version)
-or-
respect

small and great alike: This phrase refers to believers of low status and believers of high status. It implies people of all classes and position in society. The phrase does not refer to physical size. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

humble and great alike
-or-
both of high and lowly position/place

© 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.

1:1a

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ: In Greek this phase is more literally “The revelation of Jesus Christ.” This phrase introduces the book. In some languages it is more natural to translate this phrase as a complete clause or sentence, as the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions have done. For example:

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. (Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word)
-or-
This ⌊book/letter/writing⌋ is the revelation of Jesus Christ,

This phrase indicates that Jesus Christ revealed the things in this book to John. Other ways to translate this are:

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
The revelation from Jesus Christ (New International Version (2011))
-or-
This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. (Good News Translation)

revelation of Jesus Christ: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as revelation refers to something unknown that someone shows/reveals to someone else. In some languages it is more natural to translate this phrase using a verb. For example:

things revealed by Jesus Christ
-or-
hidden things/knowledge that Jesus Christ told
-or-

⌊ hidden/secret⌋ knowledge that Jesus Christ revealed

Christ: The word Christ is a title for Jesus. It means “the anointed one.” The Hebrew word mashiah (English: “Messiah”) has the same meaning. The Jews used it to refer to the person whom God promised would save/free his people and rule them. Here the word Christ describes Jesus as the Christ.

Some ways to translate Christ are:

• Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:

⌊God’s⌋ Anointed/Chosen One
-or-

⌊Promised⌋ Deliverer
-or-
the Rescuer-King

• Use the major language word, spell it as people in your language would say it, and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:

Karisiti, the appointed one
-or-
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send

• Use the major language word, spell it as people in your language would say it, and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:

the Kirisita

• Use the word Messiah, if it is more clearly a title used only for Jesus. Spell it as people in your language would say it and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:

⌊the⌋ Mesaaia

If you have translated other New Testament books, see how you translated this word there. Also, if you have a footnote explaining this word in Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 2:11, or John 1:17, you may want to repeat it here.

which God gave Him: This clause tells the reader more about the revelation. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that Jesus had other revelations but God only gave this one to him. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about this revelation. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

It was given to him by God.
-or-
God gave it to him.

gave: The word gave indicates that God showed these revelations to Jesus. In some languages a word other than gave is more natural. For example:

showed (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
told

1:1b

His servants: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servants refers to believers. It indicates that believers must obey the things God tells them to do.

The Greek word can also be translated as “slaves.” However, it is important not to indicate or imply that it is a position of shame or humiliation. A servant of God has a position of honor. Other ways to translate this word are:

his workers
-or-
the people who serve him
-or-
his people, they work for him
-or-
his people, they do his will

His: The pronoun His probably refers here to God.

must soon come to pass: Here the phrase must soon come to pass indicates that the events in the revelation will certainly happen soon. God has decided that all these events will happen, so they will certainly happen. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

must soon happen (New Century Version)
-or-
will soon necessarily/indeed occur
-or-
has been determined ⌊by God⌋ to happen soon
-or-
will definitely/certainly occur soon

1:1c

He made…known: The person that the pronoun He refers to is unclear. It is probably Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to say to whom this pronoun refers. For example:

Christ made these things known (Good News Translation)

made…known: This phrase refers to revealing something through signs. Here, the signs are things and events that have symbolic meanings. There are many things that are symbolic in Revelation, for example: the dragon (12:3) and the woman on the scarlet beast (17:3).

Jesus communicated this revelation to believers by sending his angel with the revelation to John. The angel showed the revelation to John. John wrote this revelation and sent it to the believers. Other ways to translate these words are:

revealed through signs
-or-
communicated (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
sent this revelation (God’s Word)
-or-
show (New Century Version)

it: The pronoun it refers to the revelation, namely, the things that Jesus revealed (1:1a).

His angel: The pronoun His probably refers here to Jesus.

angel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angel means “messenger.” It refers here to a spirit being who serves Christ. Some ways to translate this word are:

• Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:

messenger
-or-

⌊good/holy⌋ spirit-being

• Use a local word that fits the biblical meaning.

• In some languages the churches may already be using the major language word for “angel.” Be sure that this word fits the biblical meaning. If some people do not know the right meaning from this word, you may want to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:

angel messenger
-or-
sacred angel spirit

Be sure that your word for “angel” is different from your words or phrases for “prophet” and “apostle.”

to His servant John: The name John refers to the author himself. John wrote about himself in the third person. This was good Greek style. In some languages it is more natural to use the first person. For example:

to his servant John, ⌊me⌋
-or-
to ⌊me⌋ John, his servant

His: This pronoun refers here to Jesus.

servant: This word has the same meaning as it does in 1:1b.

John: The traditional view is that John the Apostle wrote this Revelation. But a second century Christian, Dionysius, thought is was someone named “John the Elder” and not John the Apostle. Many scholars refuse to choose which is most likely. It is best not to name this John as “the Apostle” or “the Elder.”

General Comment on 1:1a–c

In some languages it is more natural to follow the chronological order of communicating the message. For example:

1a
⌊This book is⌋ the revelation of Jesus Christ. God gave it to him. 1c He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,1b ⌊He/God gave it to him⌋ to show his/God’s servants what must soon take place. 2a John testifies…

© 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.

2:14a

But: Here the word But introduces Jesus’ criticisms of the believers in Pergamum:

Nevertheless (New International Version)

I have a few things against you: This statement indicates that Jesus did not like some things that the believers in Pergamum did. Other ways to translate this are:

I have a few complaints against you. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
You do some things that I do not condone.
-or-
I find fault with some things that you do.

2:14b

because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam: This indicates that some of the people in the church in Pergamum hold to the teaching of Balaam, as explained in 2:14c–e. Other ways to translate this clause are:

there are some among you who follow the teaching of Balaam (Good News Translation)
-or-
some of you are followers of Balaam (New Jerusalem Bible)

the teaching of Balaam: The phrase the teaching of Balaam means “what Balaam taught.”

Balaam: Balaam was a prophet mentioned in the Old Testament (Numbers 22–24; 31:8). He was not an Israelite. He tried to curse the Israelites in order to get money. He also encouraged the Israelites to worship false gods. You may want to:

• Explain who Balaam was in your translation. For example:

⌊the false/evil prophet⌋ Balaam

• Explain who Balaam was in a footnote. For example:

Balaam was a greedy false prophet.

2:14c

who taught Balak: This clause tells the reader more about Balaam. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that John was thinking of other men named Balaam and only this one taught Balak. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about Balaam. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

He taught Balak…

Balak: Balak was the king of Moab during the time when Balaam was a false prophet. At this time, the people of Israel had left Egypt and were traveling to the land that God had promised them. Balak was afraid that the Israelites would destroy him and his people. So he offered Balaam money to go and curse the Israelites. He also tempted the Israelites to worship false gods. You may want to:

• Explain who Balak was in your translation. For example:

Balak ⌊the king of Moab⌋

• Explain who Balak was in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Balak was the king of Moab during the time of Balaam. At this time, the Israelites had left Egypt and were traveling to the land that God had promised them. Balak was afraid that the Israelites would destroy him and his people, so he tried to destroy the Israelites.

to place a stumbling block before the Israelites: The Greek words here are literally “put a trap/snare before the sons of Israel.” This clause indicates that Balak encouraged the people of Israel to sin. Other ways to translate this clause are:

set a trap for the Israelites (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
lead the people of Israel into sin (Good News Translation)
-or-
tempt the people of Israel ⌊into sin⌋

The two ways Balak enticed the Israelites to sin are listed in 2:14d–e.

2:14d

they would eat food sacrificed to idols: This clause refers to attending a feast dedicated to an idol. The food was presented to the idol in order to honor the god represented by that idol. Later the people ate the food. The Israelites attended such a feast, honoring a false god instead of the true God. Other ways to translate this clause are:

eat food that had been offered to idols (Good News Translation)
-or-
join in eating what had been used to honor idols

idols: An idol is a statue or other physical representation of a god. People worship the idol.

2:14e

commit sexual immorality: This clause refers to sexual immorality of all kinds. It refers to having sexual relations with someone who is not your spouse. It does not imply that either person was married.

In your culture, you may use a euphemism for this meaning. For example:

sleep/lie with someone who was not their spouse
-or-
do wrong with someone who was not their spouse

The clause you use should be acceptable for reading aloud in public.

© 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.

4:6a

was something like a sea of glass: This clause indicates that John saw something that was like a sea. A sea is a large body of water that is many kilometers wide. The sea that John saw may have been solid like glass or liquid like water. Other ways to translate this clause are:

there is something like a sea of glass (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
something resembling a sea of glass
-or-
something spread out like a sea of glass

a sea of glass: The sea could be made of glass. Or it could be made of something flat and shiny like water that is perfectly smooth. In that way it looked smooth and clear like glass.

as clear as crystal: The Greek words only indicate that the sea of glass was “like crystal” (as in the Revised Standard Version). The comparison to crystal probably indicates that John could see through the sea in the way that someone can see through clear water. So the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions add the word clear. But “as crystal” may instead refer to it being shiny or flat or angled (rather than rounded).

crystal: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crystal refers to various substances that are bright, shiny, and have flat surfaces. The Greek word probably refers only to crystals that let light shine through them. Salt and ice are crystals, but here it is probably crystals as hard or harder than stone that are implied. Quartz, diamonds, and sapphires are examples of hard crystals.

Here the focus is on the fact that crystals are shiny and let light shine through them.

In some languages people are not familiar with crystals. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use the characteristics of crystals that are important here. For example:

bright/sparkling, ⌊flat,⌋ and clear

• 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:

Crystals are hard substances that are see-through, shiny, and have flat surfaces.

Paragraph 4:6b–11

4:6b

In the center: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as In the center is literally “in the middle/midst of the throne.” Since God is sitting on the throne, this phrase probably refers to the middle of the throne area. It indicates that the four living creatures were near or next to the throne of God. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

In the center near the throne (God’s Word)
-or-
Close to the throne

around the throne: The living creatures were around the throne, perhaps:

(1) one at each corner,

(2) two on the right side and two on the left side,

(3) one in back and one in front and one on each side.

Use a general phrase like around the throne. This allows for one or more of the above meanings.

four living creatures: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as living creatures is literally “living (ones).” They are beings like angels, cherubim (Ezekiel 1), or seraphim (Isaiah 6). In John’s vision, some of these beings look like various animals (4:7). However, they are able to speak and praise God (4:8). Other ways to translate this phrase are:

four living beings (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
four living things/ones

4:6c

covered with eyes in front and back: These creatures had eyes all over their whole bodies. Other ways to translate this clause are:

full of eyes in front and behind (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
each covered with eyes, front and back (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
with eyes all over them, in front and in back (New Century Version)

© 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.

6:13a

stars of the sky: The phrase of the sky describes the location of the stars. It poetically contrasts with the phrase “to the earth.” But in some languages the phrase of the sky is not necessary or natural. For example:

stars (Good News Translation)

of the sky: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sky also means “heaven.” Here the word refers to the place where stars are. Use the normal word in your language here.

In some languages it is more natural to refer to the sky as the place where the stars fell from. For example:

the stars fell from the sky

6:13b

unripe figs dropping from a tree: This kind of fig tree bears edible fruit. Sometimes the tree bears fruit later than the normal time for figs.

In some languages fig trees are not known. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Use the name of a common tree that bears fruit that the wind could blow off the tree as the fruit becomes ripe. You may then want a footnote to explain the literal word. For example:

Literally: “fig tree.”

• Use the major language word. You may want to include a footnote to explain why that tree was chosen for this simile. An example footnote is:

The fig tree is a common tree in Israel that produces late fruit. The autumn winds can easily blow the figs off the tree.

unripe figs: The Greek word here refers to figs that remained unripe late in the fig growing season. They do not ripen. After the growing season, a strong wind can easily blow them off of the tree. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

out of season figs
-or-
late figs (New International Version)

Use a word that describes fruit that a wind could blow off of the trees.

shaken by a great wind: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

when a great wind shakes it

© 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.

Paragraph 9:1–6

9:1a

Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet: Translate this clause in a similar way to the other angels sounding their trumpets. See 8:7 or 8:12.

fifth: The word fifth refers to the next item after four other things. If counted, this item would be counted as number five. Other ways to translate this word are:

the one after the other four
-or-
the one after the four of them
-or-
another (after the other four)

9:1b

a star that had fallen: This phrase indicates that the star had already fallen. For example:

a star that had previously fallen

(New International Version🙂 sky: The Greek word that the New International Version translates as sky can refer either to the sky or to heaven. Here John has only said that the star had fallen to the earth. So he probably meant sky here.

9:1c

and it was given the key: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊Someone/They⌋ gave the key to him
-or-

⌊God had someone⌋ give the key to him
-or-
The star received the key

it: The pronoun it refers to the “star” mentioned in 9:1b. Another way to translate this pronoun is:

The star (New International Version)

to: The key opened or unlocked the shaft of the Abyss. In some languages it is more natural to include that implied information in your translation. For example:

to ⌊open⌋
-or-
that ⌊unlocks⌋

the pit of the Abyss: There are several ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the pit of the Abyss :

(1) It means the shaft that leads to the Abyss. The Abyss is deeper in the earth, and this is the shaft that connects to it. For example:

the shaft leading down to the Abyss (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means the pit is the Abyss. The Abyss is a pit that has no bottom. For example:

the bottomless pit (New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the word Abyss means more than a hole in the ground.

(New International Version🙂 shaft: This word refers to a very deep hole that goes straight down or goes in a mostly downward direction. Other ways to translate this word are:

downward tunnel/cave
-or-
hole

Abyss: The word Abyss refers to a very deep pit or chasm. It indicates that the pit or chasm was too deep to measure. Here it probably refers to something underground rather than a chasm, since a shaft leads to it. Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Abyss refers to an underground place where the spirits of dead people and demons lived. Other ways to translate this word are:

bottomless pit (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
hole deep beyond measure
-or-
cave/cavern leading to the place of the dead

© 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.