Translation commentary on Revelation 4:8

And the four living creatures … are full of eyes all round and within: the main problem here is the meaning of within; it seems that what is meant is that they had eyes all over the body (verse 6b), including the underside of the wings.

Each of them with six wings: like the seraphim of Isa 6.2.

And day and night they never cease to sing: the Greek is quite vivid: “and they have no rest, day and night, saying.” Translator’s New Testament does an effective job of representing this: “Day and night, without resting, they sing.” Where a dynamic equivalent of day and night does not exist, something like “they sing all the time” or “without stopping” may be said. The Greek has “saying,” but in this liturgical context something like “singing” or “chanting” is quite appropriate. Certain languages will employ idiomatic expressions for continuous singing or talking; for example, “they sing without letting their mouths stop.”

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty: this is like the song of the seraphim in Isa 6.3. For holy see 3.7. Here it represents the separateness, the apartness, of God from all created things, with probable emphasis on the purity of God, without the flaws or sins that characterize human beings. It is recommended that the song appear in poetic style (see Section F of the introduction, “Translating the Revelation to John,” pages 6 and following).

For the translation of the phrase Lord God Almighty, see 1.8.

Who was and is and is to come: see 1.4, where the same expressions occur but in a different order.

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 4:8

4:8a

And each of the four living creatures had six wings: The four living creatures each had wings like birds. But these creatures had six wings each. Each one probably had three wings on each side of its body.

4:8b

and was covered with eyes all around and within: The Greek clause is literally “they are full of eyes around and within.” There are two likely ways to interpret the word “within” here:

(1) It indicates that the eyes were on the body under the closed wings.

(2) It indicates that the eyes were on the underside of the opened wings.

Many of the English versions are ambiguous. These verses do not say whether the wings were raised or folded next to the body. If possible, translate this clause in a way that implies or indicates either interpretation (1) or (2). For example:

they were covered with eyes, inside and out (Good News Translation)
-or-
their bodies were covered with eyes (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
their bodies and the underside of their wings were covered with eyes

4:8c

Day and night: The phrase Day and night indicates the creatures spoke the words of 4:8d–e all the time.

they never stop saying: The four creatures repeated the same words over and over again. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

they do not cease to say (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
they keep on saying (New Living Translation (2004))

saying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as saying is the normal Greek word for speaking. However, the creatures are all speaking 4:8d–e in unison. For example:

saying ⌊together⌋
-or-
chanting

4:8d–e

4:8d–e are like two lines of a chant or two lines of poetry. You may want to print these lines separately to show that they are a chant or poem.

4:8d

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty: The words Holy, Holy, Holy is emphasized in the Greek and in the Berean Standard Bible. If possible, emphasize this phrase naturally in your language.

The word Holy is repeated in order to emphasize its meaning. Consider how to emphasize the words as in a poem or chant in your language. For example:

Holy is the Lord God Almighty! Holy is he! Holy is he!
-or-
The Lord God Almighty is holy, holy, holy!
-or-
The Lord God Almighty is holy, indeed he is completely holy!

Holy: Here the word Holy indicates that God is perfect and unique. He only does what is right. He is different from all other beings since they are not perfect nor unique. Other ways to translate this word are:

sacred/divine
-or-
pure/perfect ⌊spiritually/morally⌋
-or-
unique/separate

See how you translated this word in 3:7.

the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Lord means “the one who has authority over (something),” or “owner.” God is master or owner of everything. See how you translated this word in 1:8.

Almighty: This word is a title which means “the one with the power to do anything.” For example:

the All-Powerful (NET Bible)

See how you translated this word in 1:8.

4:8e

who was and is and is to come!: All these words refer to God and emphasize that God is eternal and will come and do what he wants to do. Other ways to translate it are:

He was, he is, and he is coming (New Century Version)
-or-
he who ⌊always⌋ existed, ⌊who⌋ exists, and ⌊who⌋ is coming

See how you translated these words in 1:4 or 1:8. Note that the order is different there: “who is and was and is to come.”

is to come!: This phrase indicates that God will come and do as he promised. It is not a substitute way to say “will be.” For example:

he is coming (New Century Version)

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