mourn

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “mourn” or similar in English is translated in Newari as “have one’s heart broken” or “have a bursting heart” (source: Newari Back Translation).

In Cherokee it is translated as “going around feeling badly” (source: Bender / Belt 2025, p. 16).

complete verse (Revelation 21:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 21:4:

  • Uma: “He wipes-away all tears that flow from their eyes. There are no longer any who die, there are no longer any who are sad or cry, there are no longer any who are sick. All these things that were previous have passed-on.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He will wipe away all their tears. The people will no more die. There is no longer any one who will grieve and weep and there is no longer anyone who will (suffer) pain. All the things (kahalan) of the first world have disappeared.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “He will wipe away the tears in their eyes, and no longer will anyone die. No longer will anyone weep and wail. There will no longer be anything painful for the first world has disappeared.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He will wipe-away all their tears, and no one again will die, no one moreover will mourn and weep, and neither will there be any pain/sickness, because all these-things that existed previously exist-no-more.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And God will wipe their tears, they won’t grieve any more. There’s no more death, things-to-cry-over or whatever pain, for all these things have passed.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “God will wipe away the tears they had before. Now no one will die. No one will cry. No one will mourn. No one will be sick. Because concerning all the suffering there was before, all has ended.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 21:4

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes: as in 7.17 translators should attempt to keep this vivid picture.

Death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more: here bodily death is meant: “death will no longer exist” or “people will never die,” “no one will ever die.” For mourning see 18.7, 8, where it has the sense of “bereavement” or “sorrow.” Crying here has the specific sense of “weeping,” as it does in Heb 5.7; in other passages in the New Testament where the Greek word occurs, it has the meaning of “outcry,” “clamor.” And for pain see 16.10, 11, where it is translated “anguish” and “pain” in those two verses. Instead of noun phrases, verbal phrases may be used: “No one will ever die, no one will ever again grieve or weep or suffer.”

For the former things have passed away: this means that the old mode of existence, in which death, mourning, weeping, and pain were an inescapable part of the human situation, will be replaced by a new manner of life that does not include them. “The old world (or, universe) will no longer exist” (see 2 Cor 5.17). God’s promise in verse 5 is realized.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. No one will ever die. No one will ever feel sorrowful or weep or experience pain anymore, for the old world (or, universe) no longer exists.”

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 21:4

21:4a

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes: This clause implies that God’s people will not be sad again. In some languages a literal translation would not imply that. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Include this implied information in your translation. For example:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes ⌊so that they will not be sad ever again⌋

• Translate the meaning with this implied information. For example:

He will remove all their grief and sorrow
-or-
God will comfort them so that they never cry/weep again

See how you translated a similar clause in 7:17.

21:4b

and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain: The Greek words are literally “death will not be/exist anymore, nor grief nor crying nor pain will be/exist anymore.” No one will experience any of these things in the new Jerusalem. Other ways to translate this clause are:

Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain (NET Bible)
-or-
No one will experience dying, grief, weeping, or pain

In some languages it is more natural to translate the nouns death, mourning, crying, and pain as verbs. For example:

No one will ever die. No one will mourn, or cry, or suffer

mourning or crying: These words refer to weeping, that is, tears in the eyes because of sadness.

21:4c

for: This conjunction introduces the reason that there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.

the former things have passed away: This clause refers to the way of life on the first earth. That way of life included death, mourning, crying, and pain. Now all that has ended. Other ways to translate this clause are:

the first things have disappeared (God’s Word)
-or-
the former things have ceased to exist (NET Bible)
-or-
all the old ways are gone (New Century Version)

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