scroll

The Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek that is translated in English as “scroll” is translated in Khoekhoe with xamiǂkhanisa or “rolled-up book” (source: project-specific notes in Paratext) and in Newari as “paper that has been rolled up” (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also roll up the scroll.

complete verse (Revelation 5:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 5:4:

  • Uma: “So I wept and sobbed because there was no-one found who was fitting/worthy to open that letter and see its contents.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I really wept because nobody was found not even one who was worthy to open that roll of paper and read it.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Therefore My breath became painful, and I wept because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So I cried-and-cried, because he had found no one worthy to unroll it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When I observed that, I cried without restraint. I cried because of that fact, that no-one could be found who was acceptable to open it.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I then cried very much, because no one had come forth to break the seals on the paper and look at the writing on the paper.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 5:4

I wept much: something like “I began to weep (or, cry) bitterly” (Phillips, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, New Revised Standard Version) better translates the imperfect tense of the Greek verb. Other ways of translating this sentence are “weep sorrowfully” or “weep a great deal.”

That no one was found: it is better to translate “because no one” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Translator’s New Testament), stating the reason why John was weeping so much. The verb phrase “was not found” may have the more general sense of “there was no one” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), or else it may mean “no one was found who was worthy,” as Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and others have it, implying that a search had been made to find someone who was worthy. But the idea of a search should be left implicit and not stated explicitly. In some languages “no one was found worthy” will be restructured as “they could find no one who was worthy.” On the translation of to open the scroll or to look into it, see the previous verse.

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 5:4

5:4a

And I began to weep bitterly: The Greek clause is literally “I was weeping greatly.” The Greek grammar indicates weeping over a period of time. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I wept and wept (New International Version)
-or-
I then cried very much

5:4b

no one was found worthy: The clause no one was found is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

no ⌊one⌋ found anyone to be worthy
-or-
no ⌊one⌋ found one person to be worthy
-or-
there was no one who was worthy

was found: Here the phrase was found indicates that no one considered anyone worthy to open the scroll. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

was considered
-or-
was counted
-or-

⌊no one⌋ saw that someone was worthy

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