For the Greek that is translated as “dragon” in English, the Bawm Chin translation uses a term referring to a mythical serpent (source: David Clark), Sranan Tongo uses the local bigi kaiman or “big Caiman” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 33), Dan uses “big snake (source: Don Slager), and Mandarin Chinese translations typically use lóng 龙/龍 which brings it in conflict with Chinese culture where lóng has a highly positive connotation.
Simon Wong explains: “The translation process often involves finding the lexical equivalent in the receptor language for words or expressions in the source language. If finding the equivalent of concrete objects from ancient times is challenging, identifying the equivalent for mythical (or legendary) figures is nearly unimaginable. In the English-speaking world (or perhaps in most European contexts), what is represented by the English word ‘dragon’ is often portrayed as monsters to be tamed or overcome, but in Chinese culture, lóng 龙 (traditional script: 龍), the commonly accepted Chinese equivalent of ‘dragon’ always represents a cultural mascot of good fortune. It is the highest-ranking animal in the Chinese animal hierarchy; it is even surmised that the pronunciation represents the sound of thunder. Dragons were also identified with the emperors of China in the old days; ordinary people were not allowed to use any portrait of the dragon. It is only a relatively recent expression that the Chinese are called ‘people of the dragon’ and that its portrait is popularized. Many East Asian deities and demigods have dragons as their personal mounts or companions.
“The author of Revelation used the Greek drakon / δράκων (which is translated into English as ‘dragon’) to represent the mythical Satanic incarnation coming down from heaven. The most popular Protestant Chinese version (Chinese Union Version, published in 1919) renders this Greek word δράκων as lóng 龙/龍. This rendering represents a long tradition that can be traced back to the earliest Protestant translations of the 1820s. Since then, almost all Protestant Chinese versions have followed this tradition of using lóng 龙/龍, a rendering that inevitably creates a cultural crash with Chinese culture. Many new converts are asked to demolish all vases or artifacts portraying this mythical figure, and some people are even asked to have their name changed if the character lóng 龙/龍 is found in their names. While modern Catholic Chinese translations also use the same rendering, the first Catholic Chinese version (unpublished) which included the Book of Revelation (1813, by the French Jesuit Loui Antoine de Poirot) used the term mǎng 蟒 (meaning ‘python’). The python’s fierce nature carries a negative connotation that is far more appropriate and indeed conveys the meaning of the Greek word far more adequately than lóng 龙/龍. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible with the Pentateuch completed in mid-3rd century B.C.), it was said that, when Moses and Pharoah’s priests threw their staffs on the ground, the staffs became drakon / δράκων (Exodus 7:9, 10, 12). This Greek word was used to translate the Hebrew word ‘tanin,’ unmistakenly understood to be ‘serpent.’ Some recent Chinese translations rightly render it as móshé 魔蛇 (‘evil serpent’). As a translation strategy, it could also render δράκων phonetically dùlāgēn 杜拉根 (see Revelation 12:3 footnote in the Revised Chinese Union Version, publ. 2010).
“The different translation strategies that Protestant and Catholics employ shows the greater Protestant emphasis on the conversion experience. By using lóng 龙/龍 for δράκων, Protestant translators emphasized the separation from the ‘old self’ (old lives), which in this case encompassed an element of Chinese culture that was often idolatrized. Catholic missionaries (especially the Jesuits), on the other hand, had a far more positive appreciation of Chinese culture that enabled them to see no such necessary point of demarcation from the recipient’s cultural context.”
《启示录》作者用希腊文δράκων一词来描述撒但成为肉身，从天上坠落下来（启12:3，4，7，9，13，16，17，13:2，4）。最重要的新教中文圣经译本《和合本》（1919年出版）将这个希腊文词语译作"龙"。事实上，这个译法由来已久，可以追溯到马礼逊（Robert Morrison）在1823年发行的译本，或者馬殊曼和拉瑟（Marshman-Lassar）在1822年完成的译本。几乎所有新教中文圣经译本都沿用了"龙"的译法，这不可避免地与中国文化产生了冲突。有保守的传道人会要求初归信的人丢掉所有以这个神秘形象为图案的花瓶或艺术品，如果他们的名字中有"龙"字，传道人甚至会要求他们改名。第一本包含《启示录》的天主教中文圣经译本由法国耶稣会会士賀清泰神父（Louis Antoine de Poirot）在1813年译成，他采用了"蟒"的译法（并非完整，亦未有出版），然而现代的天主教中文圣经译本仍译作"龙"。"蟒"的凶猛体现出原词带负面形象的涵义。这种译法确实比"龙"合适的多，更加全面地表达出希腊文的意思。《七十士译本》是《希伯来圣经》的希腊文译本，其中的摩西五经于主前三世纪中翻译完成；这个译本叙述摩西与埃及术士争斗的故事时，说他们的杖变成了δράκων（出7:9，10，12）。《七十士译本》用这个希腊文词语来翻译希伯来文tanin，而tanin毫无疑问是指"蛇"。近期有中文译本将希腊文δράκων译作"魔蛇"，这是很好的翻译。另外，δράκων也可以音译为"杜拉根"。参《和合本修订版》关于《启示录》12:3的脚注。
Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 16:13:
Uma: “And I saw an evil-spirit appear from the mouth of a dragon. Another one also appeared from the mouth of the evil animal, and another one also appeared from the mouth of the lying prophet. Those three evil-spirits, they were demons that looked like frogs, and they had power/authority to do surprising signs. Those three evil-spirits went to call kings from all over the world. They called them to come gather and fight at the time of the Terrifying Day, that is the time when the powerful God defeats all his enemies on earth.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “Then I saw three souls/spirits like the appearance of frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the creature and from the mouth of the prophet who isn’t a true one.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then I saw three very frightening demons who looked like frogs. One of them appeared from the mouth of the big dragon which is Satan, and another from the mouth of the beast, and another from the mouth of the prophet of Satan.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “After that I saw three evil spirits whose appearance was like a toad (in Kankanaey culture, toads rather than frogs are associated with evil spirits). One came-out of the mouth of the dragon, one from the mouth of the fearsome animal, and one also from the mouth of the lying prophet.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “And then I saw that there were three evil-spirits which came out, one out of the mouth of that dragon, one from the mouth of the monster and also one from the mouth of the deceiving prophet. As for those three evil-spirits, their bodies were like frogs.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “I saw from the mouth of the terrible animal which was red, and from the mouth of the fellow-terrible animal, and from the mouth of the false prophet there came out of each an evil spirit which appeared as a frog.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
There is little doubt that the Hebrew and Greek words mean “frog”. The plague of frogs mentioned in Exodus comes after the plague of polluted water. The frogs seem to have left the water and come into the villages. Since frogs eat flies and thus control fly populations, it seems likely that the death of the frogs was one of the causes of the next two plagues to trouble Egypt, namely gnats and flies.
The two most common frogs in the Middle East and Egypt are the Edible Frog Rana esculenta and the Spotted Frog Rana punctata. They are both about 70 millimeters (3 inches) long and are brown or olive-green in color. They live in the water almost all of the time and eat gnats, flies, and other waterside insects. They lay eggs, which hatch as tadpoles and gradually grow legs. The hind legs are much bigger and better developed than the front legs, since the hind legs are used for jumping.
Frogs were considered unclean by the Jews and also by the Egyptians and Persians, who associated them with demons.
Frogs are found all over the world, and there should be no problem in finding a local equivalent.
Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:
“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)
Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):
Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)
In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)
“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)
In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)
“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Issuing from the mouth: instead of following the order of the Greek text, as Revised Standard Version does, it may be better to restructure the verse in order to avoid having the long participial clause issuing from … false prophet separating the main verb I saw from its object three foul spirits. Good News Translation provides a useful model.
The dragon … the beast … the false prophet: from now on the second beast, the one that came up out of the earth (13.11-15), is called the false prophet (see 19.20; 20.10). This defines his role as the spokesman of the first beast, with the task of misleading people with his message. In this case one may also express this as “the second beast, the one who gave a false message.”
Foul spirits: the adjective is the same one in the Gospels and Acts that is translated “unclean (spirits).” These are evil spirits, or demons, that possessed people and made them ritually unclean and so unable to participate in ordinary religious and social affairs until they were made ritually pure once more. Here the adjective may not have that specialized sense and may mean more generally “terrible” or “evil.” See 2.10 for further discussion on the translation of “demons,” “devil,” or “evil spirits.”
Like frogs: that is, they had the shape of frogs. In languages where frogs are unknown, other loathsome-looking creatures should be used. However, a picture of frogs may also be helpful.
Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• Then I saw three disgusting-looking spirits (or, demons) that looked like frogs. They were coming out of the mouth of the dragon, the mouth of the first beast, and the mouth of the second beast, the one who gave a false message.
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 .
unclean spirits: The Berean Standard Bible literally represents the Greek in this phrase. The phrase unclean spirits is a Hebrew idiom. It refers to spirits who are religiously unclean. They are impure and, therefore, unable to stand before God.
In some languages a literal translation of the phrase unclean spirits would have the correct meaning. For example:
foul spirits (Revised Standard Version) -or-
filthy spirits
But in some languages a literal translation would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to follow the Berean Standard Bible and then explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Literally: “unclean spirits.” The phrase “unclean spirits” is a Hebrew idiom that refers to these spirit being impure, that is, sinful. Sinful spirits are religiously unclean and therefore unable to stand before God.
spirits: The word spirits refers to beings that people usually cannot see. Angels and demons are spirits.
frogs: The word frogs refers to small four-legged amphibians. They begin their lives in the water and then later live on land. They breathe air and eat insects.
16:13b
dragon: This word refers to a mythical creature something like a huge lizard. See how you translated this word in 12:3 or 13:11.
16:13c
false prophet: The second beast (13:11–17) is described here as the false prophet. A true prophet is a person who speaks the message that God gives to him. But a false prophet is one who speaks a message that does not come from God. Other ways to translate this are:
deceitful/lying prophet -or-
he who says he is a prophet but teaches lies -or-
spokesman for Satan -or-
false prophecy say-er
See also how you translated the word prophet in 2:20 (“prophetess”) or 11:18.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
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