angel

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The Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo: “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article ): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. When the referent is God, the “divine” honorific prefix mi- (御 or み) is used as in mi-tsukai (御使い) or “messenger (of God).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Revelation 17:1)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 17:1:

  • Uma: “After that one of the seven angel who held the seven bowls came to me, he said to me: ‘Come, I will show you (sing.) the judgment on the woman who is very loose [sexually], who sits where there is the much water.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “After this, one of the seven angels who carried the bowls came to me. He said to me, ‘Come, I will show you how the one called the famous bad woman will be punished, that means the famous city there beside the waters/rivers.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then one of the seven angels who carry the seven bowls spoke to me, he said, ‘Come here because I will show you the punishment of the famous prostitute (the term refers to a female dog in heat) who sits on many waters.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When that was finished, one of the seven angels holding the seven bowls approached and said to me, ‘Come so I will show you (sing.) the punishment of the famous (lit. newsed) woman whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought. She is the one who is seated at the location of many-rivers.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “After those things, one of those seven angels who were holding the bowls approached me. He spoke, saying, ‘Come now, for I will show you how that famous woman will be punished who uses her body to make money, what is being alluded to being the famous city which stands where there are many rivers.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Then there came one of the seven angels who had held the bowls. He said to me: ‘Come here. I will show you the punishment which will come to the woman who overflowingly committed fornication, she who sits on top of the sea.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 17:1

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls: these are the angels of chapter 16.

Came: presumably the angel came from heaven down to earth, where John was.

The judgment of the great harlot: see comments on the verb “to judge,” 6.10; the noun occurs also at 18.10, 20; 20.4. The word for judgment may mean “condemnation,” so that a translation can say “I will show you how God is going to condemn (or, punish) the great harlot.” In translating the word for harlot, care should be taken not to use a vulgar or obscene term. The translation of great is a problem, for in English, at least, “great” refers either to size (large) or quality (excellent). Something like “notorious,” or “powerful,” or “infamous” will be better. Other terms for harlot in various languages are “woman who sells her body,” “woman of the night,” “woman of bad reputation,” or just “bad woman.”

John is speaking of “Babylon,” that is, Rome (see comment at verse 18). The prophet Nahum (3.1-4) called Nineveh a whore, and Isaiah said the same of Jerusalem (1.21) and of the city of Tyre (23.15-16).

Who is seated upon many waters: this describes the city as being near rivers, which fits the city of Babylon (see Jer 51.13), not the city of Rome itself. The Greek preposition translated upon by Revised Standard Version may mean “by” or “near” as in John 21.1, “by the Sea of Tiberias,” which suits the meaning of the passage here. There may be some difficulty in maintaining the figure of a prostitute sitting near many rivers, and a translation may want to follow the lead of Good News Translation and say “the infamous prostitute, that is, the great city that stands near many rivers.”

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 .