Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 17:18:
Uma: “So, the loose woman whom you saw means the big village that rules the kings of the world.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “‘The woman you saw, the meaning is the famous city that rules over all kings in the world.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Now as for that woman which you saw, she is to be interpreted as the famous city which the kings all over the earth look up to.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “That woman whom you (sing.) saw, it is the large city which rules-over all kings on the earth. These-things have happened to her, because it is God who directed their minds to fulfill his purposes. That is the reason they turned-over to the fearsome animal their authority to rule until all that God said would be fulfilled.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “Well, as for that woman whom you saw, what is being alluded to is, that famous city which controls the kings under the heavens.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Tenango Otomi: “Concerning this woman you saw, she stands for the city which rules all over the rulers all over the world.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
After explaining the meaning of the beast, its seven heads and its ten horns (verses 8-12), and the meaning of the waters (verse 15), the angel now tells John explicitly that the prostitute is Rome, “the powerful city that rules over all kings of the world.” It may not be possible to speak of a city having power over kings, and so it may be necessary to say “the powerful city whose king rules over the kings of all nations in the world.”
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 .
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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