name of mystery

The Greek that is translated as “name of mystery” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as Deckname or “alias (or: “code name”).”

complete verse (Revelation 17:5)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 17:5:

  • Uma: “On her forehead was written a name that is a figure-of-speech for her behavior: BIG BABEL: MOTHER OF ALL LOOSE PEOPLE AND THE APPEARING-PLACE OF EVERY KIND OF DEED THAT IS NOT FITTING ON THE EARTH” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “On her forehead there was a name written, its meaning was hidden. This is what was written on her forehead, ‘The famous city of Babilon. The source of bad women and the beginning of all that is unclean in the world.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “On her forehead was written a name whose meaning was hidden. It said, ‘The famous city of Babylon which is the mother, which is to say, the source of all prostitutes and every kind of vulgar, filthy deeds all over the earth.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Her name whose meaning was deep (i.e. difficult to understand), it was written on what was used-as-a-headband on her forehead. It said, ‘Babilonia the famous (lit. newsed), mother of women whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought, and source of all the filthy-things that are being-done on the earth.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Written on her forehead was a name with a secret meaning, which said, ‘Famous Babilonia, who is the mother of immorality and all disgusting deeds here under the heavens.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Written on her head was a name which was not known as to its meaning. But the meaning of the word is: ‘This city of Babylon is the mother of all prostitutes all over the world, and of all the evils there are.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 17:5

Was written a name of mystery: the passive was written does not here imply that God wrote the name; it simply says that there was a mysterious name on her forehead. As Good News Translation shows, the phrase a name of mystery means “a name that has a secret meaning.” In languages that do not use the passive, there are often special verbs for “written” or “inscribed” that help to avoid the passive but do not require a subject; something like the following English sentence: “On her forehead she had a name written (or, inscribed),” or “on her forehead someone had written a name.” Good News Translation‘s “secret meaning” may also be rendered “hidden meaning” or “meaning not known to others.” See also 1.20.

Babylon the great: see 14.8. In some languages it may be necessary to make a complete sentence out of what is a title in Greek: “I am Mighty (or, Powerful) Babylon.”

Mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations: it is easy enough to translate mother of harlots, but it is more difficult to translate mother … of earth’s abominations. Good News Translation “perverts” takes this last expression to indicate people, but it is better to take it to refer to actions: “the one who is the source of all obscene (or, filthy) actions in the world.” Revised English Bible has “of every obscenity on earth,” and New Jerusalem Bible “all the filthy practices on earth.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• On her forehead she had a name inscribed that had a secret meaning. The name said, “I am great (or, powerful) Babylon, the mother of all prostitutes and the one who is the source of all obscene (or, filthy) actions 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 .