complete verse (Revelation 21:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 21:3:

  • Uma: “And I heard a loud voice from the Seat of God in heaven that said: ‘At this time the dwelling-place of God is with man. He lives with them, and they are/become his people. God himself is with them and is their Lord.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then I heard a strong voice speaking from the throne. The voice said, ‘Na, now God and mankind dwell together. God lives there with them and they are his people. God lives really there with them and he is their God.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I heard someone speaking loudly from the seat of ruling. He said, ‘At last God has come to live with mankind. He will live with them and they will be His people. He is their companion and the God which they worship.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I also heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Today/Now, God’s residing-place is located with people, and he will stay-with them. He himself, he will acknowledge them as his people and he will companion them, and they will also acknowledge him as their God.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And next I heard someone speaking loudly, the sound of it seeming-to-come-from there at that king’s seat, saying, ‘Now the residence of God is there with people. He will make-his-home with them for they are now his people. And he really now is their God, who will be with them always.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I heard a word from heaven loudly say: ‘Now God will live where the people live. Together with them he will live and they will be his people. As for the people, God will be their God.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

throne (of God) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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) can be used, as in mi-za (御座), mi-kura (みくら) (Psalm 7:7), or mi-kurai (御位) (Psalm 113:5) in the referenced verses, all relating to the “throne (or: high seat) (of God)”.

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

See also throne (of God).

oneself (go-jishin) (Japanese honorifics)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

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 or a person or persons to be honored, the honorific prefix go- (御 or ご) can be used, as in go-jishin (ご自身), a combination of “onseself” (jishin) and the honorific prefix go-. This can also be used for other reflexive pronouns (myself, himself, yourself etc.)

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

Translation commentary on Revelation 21:3

I heard a loud voice from the throne: see 19.5.

The translator should consider the possibility of translating as poetry the message that follows in verses 3-4 (see Section F of the introduction, “Translating the Revelation to John,” pages 6 and following).

Behold: see 1.7.

The dwelling of God is with men: “from now on God will live with humankind,” “and now God will have his home among people.” The noun dwelling and the verb dwell translate the same Greek noun and verb used in 13.6 (and see 7.15 “shelter”).

They shall be his people: “they will all belong to him” or “they will all worship (or, obey) him.” As the RSV footnote shows, instead of the singular people (Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation), some Greek manuscripts, including the older ones, and a few early versions have the plural “peoples” (many more versions have the singular). Following a very common rule of textual criticism, the plural “peoples” has greater claim to be the original text than the singular “people,” since the plural form is obviously more difficult. Of the translations consulted, however, only New Revised Standard Version and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible have the plural. It is recommended that the plural form be translated. In languages where no distinction exists between the singular “people” and the plural “people,” the most natural term should be used.

God himself will be with them: here will be means “remain,” reinforcing what was said before, that he “will live with them.” As the RSV footnote shows, a number of Greek manuscripts and early versions add at the end of the verse “(and be) their God.” This is then literally “God himself with them will be their God.” Some, like Good News Translation, translate this “and he will be their God”; others, “(God himself will be with them) as their God” or “and he will be the God who is with them” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible); and others take this as the equivalent of a title, “and ‘God-with-them’ will be their God.” If, following Good News Bible, this phrase is included, the translation can be “and God himself, their own God, will be (or, stay) with 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 .