Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("do/make")

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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 usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, s-are-ru (される) or “do/make” is used.

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

Translation commentary on Revelation 19:11

I saw heaven opened: see 4.1; 11.19; 15.5.

Behold: an exclamation of surprise (see 1.7).

A white horse: see 6.2. White is the color of victory.

He who sat upon it: better, “Its rider” (see 6.2).

Faithful and True: in 3.14 Jesus is called “the faithful and true witness”; and see “the true one” in 3.7. This is a name and should be kept as concise as possible. In this context translators in certain languages will need to combine these two adjectives and say “The Trustworthy One” or “The One who Serves God Faithfully.”

In righteousness he judges and makes war: it is for a righteous cause, or governed by righteous principles, that he judges, that is, condemns, and makes war (see Isa 11.3-5). For judges see 6.10; and for makes war see 2.16. So one may also render this clause as “He uses right (or, correct) principles when he condemns people and fights against his enemies.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 19:11

Section 19:11–21

The rider on a white horse conquered his enemies

In this section, John saw a rider on a white horse. An army followed him. An angel called to the birds to gather. The beast gathered his army, but they lost the battle. Someone captured the beast and the false prophet and threw them into the lake of fire. Birds ate the bodies of the defeated soldiers.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus fought against the beast and false prophet
-or-
The one riding a white horse won the battle

Paragraph 19:11–16

19:11a

heaven standing open: This clause indicates that John could see into heaven, God’s dwelling place. Other ways to translate this clause are:

heaven opened (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
heaven open (New Jerusalem Bible)

standing open: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as standing open is literally “having been opened.” When John looked, the opening into heaven was already there.

19:11b

and there before me was: The Greek words are literally “and look.” The word “look” emphasizes or calls attention to the words that follow. It also probably indicates surprise or suddenness. The word “look” is not a command to look at the horse. Other ways to translate these words are:

indeed/hey,
-or-
and look,
-or-
and behold,
-or-
suddenly/unexpectedly I saw

See how you translated this phrase in 14:1 or 14:14.

horse: A horse is a large, four-legged animal that weighs 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) or more. They are about 1.5 meters (5 feet) high at their back. People ride horses.

In some languages people are not familiar with horses. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the word in your translation. For example:

riding animals ⌊called horses⌋

• Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

A horse is a large animal that a person can ride. Some soldiers rode horses to help them fight war.

See how you translated this word in 6:2 or 18:13.

19:11c

And its rider is called Faithful and True: This clause tells the reader more about the white horse. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that John was thinking of other white horses and only this one had a rider…called Faithful and True. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the white horse. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:

The rider of the horse is called Faithful and True.

is called Faithful and True: The words Faithful and True describe the rider. The verb called indicates that the words Faithful and True are used as names. For example:

is named Faithful and True (God’s Word)

Faithful: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Faithful refers to someone who is worthy of trust. People can depend on that person. Here the word indicates that the rider was completely reliable, dependable, and truthful in all that he says. Other ways to translate this word are:

Dependable
-or-
Trustworthy (New Jerusalem Bible)

See how you translated this word in 1:5.

True: Here the word True indicates that the rider never tells lies. He is never deceitful.

19:11d

With righteousness He judges and wages war: The phrase With righteousness is emphasized in the Greek and the Berean Standard Bible. If possible, emphasize this phrase in your translation.

With righteousness: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteousness is often translated as “righteousness” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Here it indicates that the rider judges and makes war with righteous goals and means. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

justly
-or-
in uprightness (New Jerusalem Bible)

This phrase applies to both “judges” and “makes war.”

judges: The word judges indicates that the rider decides whether or not a person or nation is guilty of wrongdoing.

wages war: This phrase refers to fighting in organized groups. Often one nation wages war against another nation. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

fights a war
-or-
battles

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