12:12a

Therefore: This conjunction introduces what should be done based on the fact that Michael and his angels threw the dragon and his angels down (12:9–10). Other ways to translate this word are:

For this reason, (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Because of that,

rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The direct address is after the command. In some languages it is more natural to have the direct address first. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, rejoice!

rejoice: This word is a command. In some languages it is not natural to command people to rejoice. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Change the command to an exhortation. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, let us rejoice

• Change the command to a time clause. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, now is the time to rejoice

• Use the verb “celebrate” (or similar verb) to indicate rejoicing indirectly. For example:

you heavens and you who dwell in them, celebrate

O heavens, and you who dwell in them!: The loud voice speaks to the heavens as though they were people. The phrase you who dwell in them refers to the angels who live with God in heaven.

In some languages it is not natural to speak directly to the heavens. If that is true in your language, you may want to refer to the angels and other beings in the heavens. For example:

everyone ⌊and everything⌋ in the heavens
-or-
all who dwell in heaven

heavens: At that time many people thought that heaven had several layers. Each layer was a different “heaven.” But in the New Testament the plural heavens has the same meaning as the singular “heaven.” In some languages the singular “heaven” is more natural. See the above example.

12:12b

But: The Greek does not have a conjunction here. However, many English versions add But to indicate the contrast between 12:12a and 12:12b.

woe to the earth and the sea: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as woe here means “There will be trouble for (someone).” The word indicates sorrow about the troubles. The speaker was saying that the earth and the sea are to be pitied, for they will soon have great trouble. Other ways to translate this clause are:

how terrible for the earth and the sea (Good News Translation)
-or-
alas for the earth and the sea (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-

⌊great⌋ trouble ⌊comes⌋ to the earth and the sea

the earth and the sea: This phrase refers to the whole world and implies all the creatures that live there.

sea: The word sea refers to a large body of water. A sea is often so large that someone standing on one side cannot see the other side. The word sea is symbolic, so you should not name a particular sea. See how you translated this word in 5:13 or 10:2.

12:12c

The Greek wording of 12:12c begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “because” or “for.” It introduces the reason for the warning to the earth and the sea. For example:

because (New International Version)

Some English versions, like the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate this conjunction, but leave the connection with 12:12b implicit.

with great fury: This clause indicates that the devil is very angry. Other ways to translate this clause are:

He is filled with anger (New Century Version)
-or-
he is very angry (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He is furious

12:12d

the devil has come down to you: This clause indicates that the devil left heaven and went to the earth.

you: Here the pronoun you refers to the earth and the sea (12:12b). In some languages it is more natural to use the pronoun “them.”

12:12e

knowing he has only a short time: The devil knew that he only had a short time left to accomplish his purposes. Other ways to translate this clause are:

knowing that he has little time left (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
he knows that he does not have much time ⌊to do what he wanted to do⌋

© 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 14:8

14:8a

Then a second angel followed: Here the word Then…followed refers to appearing next. In this case, it indicates that the second angel came after the first angel. The word probably implies that the first angel had left. Then the second angel came to the same place where the first angel made his announcement. Other ways to translate this clause are:

A second angel came afterward
-or-
Then a second angel came there

second: The word second refers to the next item after the first one. If counted, this item would be counted as number two. Other ways to translate this word are:

the one after the first
-or-
another

See how you translated this word in 4:7 or 11:14.

14:8b

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great: The Greek words are literally “The great Babylon fell fell.” The verb “fell” is repeated to emphasize its meaning. The Berean Standard Bible puts the verb first in an English poetic style. Some other ways to emphasize the meaning are:

She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! (Good News Translation)
-or-
Babylon the Great has fallen; she/it has fallen indeed!

Fallen: Here the word Fallen refers to God destroying the city (18:20). Your translation should imply that the city fell because it was destroyed.

In some languages the word Fallen here does not imply being destroyed. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

⌊has been destroyed and so⌋ has fallen

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

has been destroyed
-or-
is finished/gone

• Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:

The word “fallen” refers to God destroying the city (18:20).

Babylon the great: The city Babylon is called great because it refers to a city of this time that had a vast empire and great influence. For example:

Great Babylon (Good News Translation)
-or-
the famous Babylon

Babylon: This name is probably a symbol of those who oppose God. The king of Babylon conquered Jerusalem about 600 years before Jesus was on earth. The city was well-known for idol worship. It had a vast empire at that time. But at the time of Jesus and John, Babylon had only a few people living there. So it is a symbol here. It may refer to Rome as in John’s time, or it may refer to a future powerful city. You should use the name Babylon here.

14:8c

14:8c contains metaphors of drinking wine and adultery. They refer to people of the nations participating with Babylon in evil deeds. In the Old Testament God often refers figuratively to such evil deeds as adultery, because the people doing them are seeking things other than God.

who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as passion can mean “sexual desire,” “anger,” or even “insanity.” There are several ways to interpret it here. The main interpretations are:

(1) It means strong sexual desire. For example:

She made all peoples drink her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust (Good News Translation)

(2) It means anger. It refers to God’s anger with Babylon. For example:

She has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication (New Revised Standard Version)

(3) It means cause to be insane or make angry. This is the meaning of “maddening” in the New International Version.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The word should then be understood as describing the adulteries: they were passionate or lustful. People desired to participate in the adulteries. For example:

She who made all nations drink the wine of her passionate unfaithfulness (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

drink the wine: Here this phrase refers figuratively to doing something. The nations participated with Babylon in her adulteries.

In some languages the meaning of the metaphor is not clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Here the phrase “drink the wine” is a metaphor for doing something. The nations participated with Babylon in her adulteries.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

participate in the bad deeds

You may then want to give the literal words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “drink the wine.”

wine: Wine is made from the juice of grapes, a fruit that grows on a vine. The grape juice is allowed to ferment, so wine is an alcoholic beverage. If people drink a lot of it, they become drunk. Here the word wine refers figuratively to Babylon’s evil ways.

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

• Explain the meaning in your translation. For example:

alcoholic beverage of wine

• Use the common alcoholic beverage in your area. You may then use a footnote to explain the literal word. For example:

Literally: “wine.” Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes.

• Use the word from the major language. If the word is not well known, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from grapes. Here the word “wine” refers figuratively to the bad ways of Babylon that the nations followed.

See how you translated this word in 6:6.

immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as immorality refers to sexual relations with someone to whom a person is not married. Other ways to translate this word are:

adulteries (New International Version)
-or-
fornication (New Revised Standard Version)

The word here refers figuratively to doing things that are immoral. Here it may refer to worshiping someone other than God, committing sexually immoral deeds, enticing people to sin, or misusing authority.

In some languages a literal translation will wrongly refer only to adultery. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the metaphor in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Here the word “adultery” is a metaphor for doing things that are immoral. It may refer to worshiping someone other than God, doing sexually immoral deeds, enticing people to sin, or misusing authority.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

immoral deeds

You may then want to give the literal word in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “adultery.”

© 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 16:12–14

16:12a

sixth: This refers to the next item after five other things. If counted, this item would be counted as number six. See how you translated this word in 6:12 or 9:13.

great river Euphrates: The Euphrates River flows through today’s nations of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. The word great indicates that the river was important. The river provided many people with water in the dry regions of Syria and Iraq. See how you spelled the name Euphrates in 9:14.

16:12b

its water was dried up: This clause indicates that the water in the river was gone. There was only a dry river bed.

The clause is passive. Some languages must use an active or intransitive clause. For example:

⌊the plague⌋ caused the river to dry up
-or-
The river dried up (Good News Translation)
-or-
the river became dry

Your translation should indicate or imply that the plague caused the river to dry up.

to prepare the way: With the Euphrates River dry, the kings could easily cross the river. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

to provide a way (Good News Translation)
-or-
so that a way was made (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages a verb must be used to indicate what was prepared. For example:

to prepare the way for the kings from the east to come (New Century Version)
-or-
to make the way ready for the kings from the East ⌊to cross it⌋

of the East: The Greek phrase is literally “the rising of the sun.” This phrase is probably a poetic way to refer to the east. See how you translated this phrase in 7:2.

© 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.

18:5a

For: This conjunction introduces the reason for the warning in 18:4.

her sins are piled up to heaven: This clause indicates figuratively that Babylon has sinned many times. Her many sins are like a huge pile of something. The pile is so high that it reaches heaven. The clause implies that her sins are numerous and obvious to God. Now he will wait no longer but will punish Babylon for her sins.

In some languages it is not natural to talk about piling or stacking sins. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate the literal meaning and explain it in a footnote. For example:

This saying is a figure of speech. It pictures Babylon’s sins as a huge pile of something that is as high as heaven.

• Translate this clause as a simile. For example:

her sins are ⌊very, very many, like rocks⌋ piled up to heaven

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

she has very, very many sins
-or-
her sins are beyond counting

You may then want to explain the literal Greek words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “her sins are piled up to heaven.” This saying pictures Babylon’s sins as like something piled up to heaven.

heaven: The Greek word can mean heaven or “sky.” There are two ways to interpret this word:

(1) The word means heaven here. For example:

heaven (Revised Standard Version)

(2) The word means sky here. For example:

sky (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

18:5b

remembered: This word indicates that God thought again about the evil deeds of Babylon. God had not forgotten about these deeds, but had chosen not to punish her until this time.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly imply that God had forgotten about her evil deeds but then later remembered them. If that is true in your language, translate so that it does not imply that God forgot. For example:

taken notice of
-or-
now paid attention to
-or-
did not forget

iniquities: The Greek word is literally “unrighteous deeds.” It refers to deeds that God said were wrong to do. Other ways to translate this word are:

crimes (New International Version)
-or-
wicked ways (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.

19:13a

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as robe refers generally to any kind of clothing. For example:

He wears clothes dipped in blood (God’s Word)

a robe dipped in blood: This clause indicates that the robe had been immersed in blood. It was still blood-red in color.

This clause is passive. Some ways to translate it are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

his cloak was soaked in blood (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Use an active clause. For example:

a robe that ⌊he⌋ had dipped in blood

• Translate it without saying who dipped it. For example:

a blood-soaked robe/garment
-or-
a robe that was completely red with blood

19:13b

His name is The Word of God: This clause implies that the rider is Jesus. John called him the Word (of God) in John 1:1.

This name is different from the name in 19:12. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that this name is the same as the name in 19:12. If that is true in your language, indicate here that this name is a different one. For example:

⌊another⌋ name of his is the Word of God
-or-

⌊God⌋ has named him “the Word of God”
-or-

⌊Also⌋ 13a he is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, 13b and his name is the Word of God.

The Word of God: This title indicates that the rider is God’s message to the world. Another way to translate this phrase is:

God’s Message

© 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 22:14–15

22:14a

Blessed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Blessed describes a person who is a good situation. In the Bible, the good situation results from God showing favor/kindness to the person. See how you translated this word in 22:7.

those who wash their robes:
This phrase refers figuratively to becoming clean from their sins. The blood of Jesus cleansed them (7:14).

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

• Explain the figurative meaning in your translation. For example:

those who wash their robes, ⌊that is, become clean⌋ ⌊from their sins⌋

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

those who become clean ⌊from their sins⌋

You may then want to indicate the literal phrase in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “those who wash their robes.”

• Translate the literal meaning and explain its figurative meaning in a footnote. For example:

This refers figuratively to becoming clean from their sins.

See how you translated a similar phrase (“have washed their robes”) in 7:14.

wash their robes: This phrase implies that the robes were dirty. For example:

wash their robes clean (Good News Translation)

22:14b

so that: The conjunction so that introduces the result of washing their robes. Other ways to translate this word are:

and so (Good News Translation)
-or-
that (New International Version)

they may have the right to the tree of life: This clause indicates that the people who wash their robes have permission or the privilege to eat the fruit of the tree of life. Other ways to translate this clause are:

will be permitted to…eat the fruit from the tree of life (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
They shall be free to eat from the tree of life (Revised English Bible)

the tree of life: This phrase indicates that the tree is a source of life. Those who eat the fruit will have eternal life. For example:

life-giving tree

See how you translated this phrase in 2:7 or 22:2.

22:14c

may enter the city by its gates: The people who wash their robes will be able to enter the city. For example:

may go through the gates into the city (New International 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.

1:20a–d

This is the mystery…: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: The word This and the colon (:) at the end of 1:20b indicate that 1:20c–d describes the mystery in 1:20a–b. Some other ways to indicate this connection are:

20a–b This is the secret meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand, and of the seven gold lamps: 20c–d the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches… (Revised English Bible)
-or-

20a–b I will explain the mystery of the seven stars that you saw at my right side and the seven gold lampstands. 20c–d The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches… (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

20a–b Here is the secret of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands: 20c–d The seven lampstands are the seven churches… (New Century Version)

1:20a

mystery: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mystery refers to truth or knowledge that people have not discovered on their own. Someone else reveals it to them. John did not know the symbolic meaning of the seven stars and the seven lampstands, but Jesus told him in 1:20c–d. Other ways to translate this word are:

the secret meaning (Good News Translation)
-or-
The hidden meaning (God’s Word)

of the seven stars: Here the word of means “about” or “concerning.”

1:20b

of the seven golden lampstands: Here the word of means “about” or “concerning.”

1:20c

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: This clause indicates that each star represented an angel. There was one angel for each church. Other ways to translate this clause are:

The seven stars represent the angels of the seven churches
-or-
The seven stars represent seven angels, one for each of the seven churches

the angels of the seven churches: Each angel has some kind of relationship with a church. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

the angels belonging to the seven churches
-or-
the angels associated with the seven churches

angels: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angels can also be translated as “messengers.” It refers here to spirit beings who serve God. The English versions usually translate the Greek word as angels. See how you translated this word in 1:1.

1:20d

and the seven lampstands are the seven churches: This clause indicates that each lampstand represents a church. In some languages a literal translation will not have that meaning. If that is true in your language, translate the correct meaning. For example:

the seven lampstands are ⌊symbolic of⌋ the seven churches

© 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.