as numerous as the sand on the seashore

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “as numerous as the sand on the seashore” or “as numerous as the sand by the sea” in English is translated in Bauzi as “as many like the tree flowers of the jungle” (source: David Briley in Kroneman 2004, p. 539), in Afar it’s translated as mari mangah arrooqih gide akkuk yeneeniih: “are as numerous as gravel” or loowo sinni: “not countable” (source: Loren Bliese), in Angal Heneng as “like the hairs on a dog” (Source: Deibler / Taylor 1977, p. 1077), and in Copainalá Zoque as “their number is like ants” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.).

complete verse (Revelation 20:8)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 20:8:

  • Uma: “and he goes to deceive people all over the world, who are figuratively-named God and Magog. The King of Evil-ones gathers them to fight. Their amount is like sand on the seashore.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And he will come out to go and deceive the tribes that are scattered over the four corners of the earth. They are called Gog and Magog, that means enemies of God. The leader of demons will gather all those people so that they will fight. There will be very many people like the sand at the seashore.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He will come out so that he might deceive Gog in the land of Magog, which is to say, the people in all the kingdoms on all the earth. Satan will gather them together to fight against God. They will be very many for they are like the sand on the shores of the sea.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and he will go deceive those designated as Gog and Magog who are the collective-people in the collective-towns/countries at the four corners of the world. He will gather-them -together to go wage-war. Their number (lit. manyness), it is like the not countable sand on the shore of the ocean.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “What else but he will continue on again with that activity of his of deceiving the people. He will go to all the nations here under the heavens. He will-round-up-to-join-him Gog and Magog, which means, those nations. Really the number of these who will be rounded up by Satanas, they are like sand on the beach. He will gather all these together and they will go to fight.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Again he went to deceive the people who live all over the world. these are the people who are named Gog and Magog. He gathered the people to make war against God. Very many people did he gather, it was like as many as grains of sand in the sea.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 20:7 – 20:8

Are ended: as in verse 3, “were ended.”

Satan will be loosed from his prison: if the passive verb must be changed to the active form, either “God” or “an angel” will be the subject. Since it was an angel who imprisoned Satan, it is probably an angel that will release him from prison. So one may translate “An angel will release….” The phrase from his prison may be rendered as “from where he is tied up (or, chained).”

Will come out to deceive: Satan will continue his activity as the deceiver (see 12.9). Here come represents the right perspective: Satan will “come” and not “go” from the abyss to earth’s surface, as Good News Translation translates.

The nations which are at the four corners of the earth: this does not mean only the nations located at the four corners of the earth (see 7.1), but all nations on earth (Good News Translation).

That is, Gog and Magog: these two names are from Ezekiel 38-39, where Gog is the chief ruler in the land of Magog. Here they are symbolic names for the nations themselves. It is possible that they are meant to be Satanic beings, but it seems more likely they are names of the nations. The translation can say “these nations are known as Gog and Magog” or “they call these nations (or, groups of people) Gog and Magog.”

To gather them for battle: in 16.14 this is done by the three foul spirits that came out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Here it is Satan himself who brings them together for battle.

Their number is like the sand of the sea: this is a way of saying that they are too many to be counted, an expression frequently used in the Bible (see Gen 32.12; Jer 15.8; Rom 9.27; Heb 11.12). It should be clear that the antecedent of their is not the nations as such, but the people who will fight against God’s people. If the figure like the sand of the sea makes no sense, it can be abandoned and the literal meaning “too many to be counted” or something similar can be said.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• When the thousand years come to an end, the angel will release (or, set free) Satan from where he is tied up, and he will come out to deceive the nations (or, groups of people) who are scattered all over the world. These nations are called Gog and Magog. Satan will bring them all together to the place where they will fight. There will be so many of them that one cannot count them.

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 20:8

20:8a

the four corners of the earth: This idiom refers to four places that are as far away from each other as possible. Here the idiom implies the whole world. Satan will deceive all nations.

Some languages do not have an idiom that refers to four places which together mean the whole world. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Refer to the north, south, east, and west. For example:

in the north, the east, the south, and the west of the earth

• Translate the meaning without the idiom. For example:

all places on the earth, both near and far

Also see how you translated this phrase in 7:1. But note that the meaning is a little different here. Here it refers to anywhere on earth, but in 7:1 it refers to four places that are very far away from each other.

20:8b

Gog and Magog: The Greek grammar indicates that the phrase Gog and Magog explains “the nations in the four corners of the earth.” The names appear in Ezekiel 38–39 as the names of nations who will gather to fight against Israel. So John probably uses the names here to refer to enemies of God from all nations.

In some languages a literal translation would not clearly have this meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the names in a footnote. An example footnote is:

These names appear in Ezekiel 38–39. John used them here to refer to enemies of God from all nations.

• Indicate in your translation that they are symbolic names. For example:

⌊the evil/hostile nations symbolically named⌋ Gog and Magog

assemble them for battle: In some languages there is a special word for assembling troops to prepare for war. For example:

mobilise them for war (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
muster them for war (Revised English Bible)

20:8c

Their number is like the sand of the seashore: This clause is a metaphor. It indicates that the number of those who gathered for battle was very great. Other ways to translate this clause are:

as many as the grains of sand on the seashore (Good News Translation)
-or-
They will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore (God’s Word)

In some languages a literal translation of this metaphor would not have the correct meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the metaphor in your translation. For example:

They are ⌊so many that counting them would be⌋ like ⌊trying to⌋ count each grain of sand on the seashore

• Translate the literal meaning of the metaphor and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:

This saying exaggerates the count to indicate “very many.”

• Use a common word or phrase in your language that exaggerates the meaning of “very many” or “uncountable.” You may then want to indicate the literal words in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Literally: “their number is like the sand of the sea.”

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