A Vision of Christ

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complete verse (Revelation 1:13)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 1:13:

  • Uma: “In the midst of those lampstands, I saw a person who looked like the Child of Mankind. His clothes were a long garment coming to his feet and tied at the chest with a rope of gold.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And there in the middle of those lampstands, there was one standing looking like a human. His robe reached to his feet and there was (something) tied around his chest (that was of) gold.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And in the midst of the lamps there was a person who looked like the older sibling of mankind. His shirt was long and He was belted with gold.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “In the middle of them, there was one whose appearance was like a person dressed in a long-robe (understood as being ankle-length). There was also gold that was belted around his chest.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And standing right in the middle of those lamps was like the One From Heaven Born of Man/human, dressed in what reached down to the top of his feet and at his chest there was a gold sash wrapped around.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There where these seven candle holders were, I saw in the midst of them a man. He was wearing clothing which reached to his feet. There at his chest it was all of gold that encircled him.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

3rd person pronoun with high register (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a third person singular and plural pronoun (“he,” “she,” “it” and their various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. While it’s not uncommon to avoid pronouns altogether in Japanese, there are is a range of third person pronouns that can be used. In these verses a number of them are used that pay particularly much respect to the referred person (or, in fact, God, as in Exodus 15:2), including kono kata (この方), sono kata (その方), and ano kata (あの方), meaning “this person,” “that person,” and “that person over there.”

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also third person pronoun with exalted register.

Translation commentary on Revelation 1:13

If the sentence seems too long and unwieldy, a translation can easily place a full stop at the end of verse 12 and begin a new sentence in verse 13 (Bible en français courant, Revised English Bible, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje).

In the midst of the lampstands: this can be stated “among the lampstands,” “standing among them,” or “in the middle of them.” They may have been arranged in a row or in a circle, and in certain languages this will have to be made explicit. If the translator determines that the lampstands were in a circle, one may say “standing with the lampstands in a circle around him.” However, if it is decided that the lampstands were in a row, one may say, for example, “Standing in the middle of the row of lampstands.”

One like a son of man: what John sees is a figure that appears to be a human being. From what follows, the reader knows that this one is the glorified Christ. The phrase a son of man reflects Dan 7.13, which RSV translates “there came one like a son of man.” The title that in the Gospels Jesus uses of himself, “the Son of Man,” is also obviously related to Dan 7.13, but it does not seem likely that here the author means “one like the Son of Man” (as New Revised Standard Version has it). In English, at least, “a son of man” (New International Version, New American Bible, Revised), or “a Son of man” (New Jerusalem Bible), or even “a Son of Man” (Phillips) means nothing. Many translations are like Good News Translation: “a figure like a man” (Barclay), “a being like a man” (An American Translation), “One who resembled a human being” (Moffatt), “someone with a human appearance” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), “a being that looked like a man” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), “a figure like a man” (Revised English Bible). It is recommended that translations follow one of these renderings.

Clothed with a long robe: this is a single piece of clothing that reaches to the feet, a vestment indicating dignity and rank. In some languages one must say “a long cloth outer garment.”

A golden girdle round his breast: this is better translated by New Revised Standard Version “a golden sash across his chest.” It is impossible to determine what this “sash” or “band” (Good News Translation) was made of; perhaps linen, with the use of much gold thread, or else a gold metal band. It served to keep the robe in place. New Revised Standard Version “a golden sash across his chest” gives the picture of a sash coming down diagonally from one shoulder to the waist. Whatever it was, it was definitely not a belt around the waist (as New Jerusalem Bible has it). If in a certain language one must state whether the sash was gold-colored or was actually made out of gold, it should be translated clearly one way or the other; for example, “a gold-colored band (or, sash)” or “a sash made of (the metal) gold.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is the following:

• A being who looked like a man was standing in the middle of the lampstands. He was wearing a robe (or, a long cloth outer garment) that reached to his feet, and a gold-colored sash across his chest.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .