twelve thousand stadia

The Greek that is translated as “twelve thousand stadia” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) as zwöfltausend Stadien lang, das sind gut zweitausenddreihundert Kilometer or “twelve thousand stadia, that is app. two thousand three hundred kilometers.”

complete verse (Revelation 21:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 21:16:

  • Uma: “That village had four sides. Its length and its width were the same. He measured the village with his measuring stick: its length was two thousand four hundred kilometers. Its width and height were the same as its length.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “That city is four-cornered, its length and width is the same. The angel measured the city with his measure; it was two thousand and four hundred kilometers long. Its width and height was the same.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “As for that city, the measurement of its width was the same as the measurement of its length, and it was made square. The angel measured the city, and it was two thousand four hundred kilometers long. Its width and the height were also the same.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The town was square its length and its width being equal. When the angel measured it, its length and its width and likewise its height were two thousand four hundred kilometers.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That city was square. How ever much was its length, that indeed was its breadth. Well that angel measured the city. About two thousand four hundred kilumitru was the length of each side. Like that too was its height.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “This city then had four corners and all four sides were the same. The angel measured the city with the stick he had. The measurement came out to be two thousand and two hundred kilometer in length. All four sides were the same length. Also the same was the height of the houses.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

reed

There are two general types of reed in Israel, the Common Reed Phragmites australis and the Giant Reed Arundo donax, and it is impossible to say which one is intended in a given biblical context.

The English word “cane” comes from the Hebrew word qaneh. Qaneh is the most general Hebrew word of the many referring to reeds and rushes. Like the English word “reed,” it may refer to a specific type of reed or be a general name for several kinds of water plant. This word is also used to refer to the stalk of grain in Pharaoh’s dream (Genesis 41:5, Genesis 41:22), to the shaft and branches of the golden lampstand in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31 et al.), to the beam of a scale (Isaiah 46:6), to the upper arm of a person (Job 31:22), to a measuring stick (Ezekiel 40:3 et al.), and to aromatic cane (Song of Songs 4:14 et al.).

The Greek word kalamos is also used to refer to a measuring stick (Revelation 11:1 et al.) and to a pen (3 John 1:13 and 3 Maccabees 4:20).

The common reed is a tall grass with stiff, sharply-pointed leaves and a plume-like flower head that reaches to more than 2 meters (7 feet). It grows in lakes and streams, the roots creeping across the bottom of the lake to produce new leaves and stalks.

The giant reed is similar to the common reed but tends to grow not in the water but on the river banks. Its majestic plumes can reach up to 5 meters (17 feet) in height on hollow stalks that look like bamboo.

Reeds of both kinds were used for baskets, mats, flutes, pens, arrows, and roof-coverings. Isaiah 42:3 says that the Messiah will be gentle with weak people (“a bruised reed he will not break”), in contrast to the typical iron-fisted tyrants of the day. The Pharaoh is likened to an undependable reed staff in 2 Kings 18:21 et al. In 1 Kings 14:15 Israel is compared to a reed shaking in the water.

The common reed of the Mediterranean area has relatives in Europe, India, Japan, and North America. It is thought to be the only species of the genus Phragmites (although some botanists divide it into three species). It is very important for conservationists, because it provides habitat for many kinds of animals and birds. In North America the weaker native type is being overtaken by more robust types from Europe, which are now threatening other kinds of marsh plants. In Japan people eat the young shoots of reeds. Native Americans used to eat the seeds.

Translators living near lakes and rivers will be able to find an equivalent, if not a relative, of the reed. Others can be generic and use “grass” or a phrase such as “tall grass growing in the water.”

Common reed, photo by Rob Koops

Source: Each According to its Kind: Plants and Trees in the Bible (UBS Helps for Translators)

In Newari it is translated as “bamboo.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)

distance (long / wide / high)

The concepts of distance that are translated in English with “long,” “wide,” and “high/tall” are translated in Kwere with one word: utali. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

Translation commentary on Revelation 21:16

The city lies foursquare: this is more naturally said “The city was a square,” with the following explanation: “its width and its length were the same.” In some languages one may say “all four sides were the same length” or “… were of equal length.”

He measured the city: as explained in verse 15, the picture seems to be that of the angel measuring the wall that surrounds the city.

Twelve thousand stadia: for stadia see 14.20. New Revised Standard Version, like Good News Translation, has in the text “fifteen hundred miles.” This is equal to twenty-four hundred kilometers. What seems implied, though not stated explicitly, is that each of the four sides of the wall that surrounded the city was 1,500 miles long. The city was a perfect cube, as high as it was wide and long. Some commentators point out that this measure could also apply to a structure in the form of a pyramid, but the figure of a cube seems more likely.

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 21:16

21:16a–b

The city lies foursquare: The Greek clause is literally “the city lies square.” The land that the city rested on was square in shape. For example:

The city was square. (God’s Word)

with its width the same as its length: This phrase could mean that the city was shaped as a cube or as a pyramid. The words only describe the base or foundation as a square. So, do not describe the shape of the city.

21:16c–d

12,000 stadia: A Roman distance unit of measure was the stadium (plural is stadia). It is about 185 meters (607 feet). So 12,000 stadia is about 2,220 kilometers (1,380 miles). You may want to:

• Use the Roman measure, as the Berean Standard Bible does. You may then want to explain the distance in a footnote. For example:

This is about 2,200 kilometers.
-or-
About 1,400 miles.

• Use the common measure in your area. For example:

2,200 kilometers
-or-
1,400 miles
-or-
2,900,000 paces
-or-
the distance of walking 560 hours

You may then want to explain the literal words in a footnote. For example:

Literally: “12,000 stadia.” The Roman measure of a stadium (plural is “stadia”) is about 185 meters.

See how you translated stadia in 14:20.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.