calamity for many / destructive fire

In Gbaya, the notion of a calamity affecting a large groups of people at the same time and/or a destructive fire is emphasized in the referenced verses with the ideophone gbɔyɛɛ.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many Central African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

boat, ship

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated “boat” or “ship” in English is translated in Chichimeca-Jonaz as “that with which we can walk on water” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.), in Chitonga as a term in combination with bwato or “dugout canoe” (source: Wendland 1987, p. 72), and in Tangale as inj am or “canoe-of water” (inj — “canoe” — on its own typically refers to a traditional type of carved-out log for sleeping) (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin).

In Kouya it is translated as ‘glʋ ‘kadʋ — “big canoe.”

Philip Saunders (p. 231) explains how the Kouya team arrived at that conclusion:

“Acts chapter 27 was a challenge! It describes Paul’s sea voyage to Italy, and finally Rome. There is a storm at sea and a shipwreck on Malta, and the chapter includes much detailed nautical vocabulary. How do you translate this for a landlocked people group, most of whom have never seen the ocean? All they know are small rivers and dugout canoes.

“We knew that we could later insert some illustrations during the final paging process which would help the Kouya readers to picture what was happening, but meanwhile we struggled to find or invent meaningful terms. The ‘ship’ was a ‘big canoe’ and the ‘passengers’ were ‘the people in the big canoe’; the ‘crew’ were the ‘workers in the big canoe’; the ‘pilot’ was the ‘driver of the big canoe’; the ‘big canoe stopping place’ was the ‘harbour’, and the ‘big canoe stopping metal’ was the ‘anchor’!”

In Lokạạ it is translated as ukalangkwaa, lit. “English canoe.” “The term was not coined for the Bible translation, but rather originated in colonial times when the English arrived in Nigeria on ships. The indigenous term for a canoe was modified to represent the large, ocean-going ship of the English.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )

See also ships of Tarshish, harbor, anchor, and sailor.

complete verse (Revelation 8:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 8:9:

  • Uma: “One third of the living things in the sea died, and one third of the ships on the sea sank.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Immediately also one part of everything living in the sea died. Two parts did not die. And also one part of the ships were destroyed. Two parts were not.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And a third of the sea turned into blood, a third of all creatures with breath in the sea were destroyed, and a third of all things which are ridden on in the sea were destroyed.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “and a third of what lived there died. A third of the ships were also destroyed.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “All the contents of that third part of the ocean died. Also a third of the ships (lit. ocean-going vehicles) were destroyed.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There where the water became blood all the animals which lived in it died. The boats which were on the water all were lost.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 8:8 – 8:9

The destruction that follows the second trumpet blast affects one third of the earth’s water mass.

Something like a great mountain: this describes a huge solid object, the size and shape of a mountain. John cannot identify with precision this huge burning mass. The verb was thrown may be used in the general sense of “fell”; but it may be that the passive is used as a way of indicating that God or an angel hurled this burning mass into the sea. Another way of rendering this clause in languages that do not use the passive is “Then they (or, someone) threw something that looked like a huge burning mountain into the sea (or, oceans).”

If it is asked which sea the text is talking about, the obvious answer is the Mediterranean Sea. In this context, however, the word stands for all bodies of salt water on earth—inasmuch as one third of all fish in the seas died, and one third of the ships were destroyed (see “the sea” in 5.13).

A third of the sea: this means that one third of the water of the oceans was changed into blood; the other two thirds were not affected.

Became blood: the Greek text says the sea water turned into blood. Some believe the meaning is that the color of the water became red, like blood (as in the case of the moon, in 6.12); but it is better to translate quite literally. This disaster is reminiscent of the plague described in Exo 7.17-19. Translators in languages that do not use the passive may imitate Revised Standard Version and say “became blood.”

Revised Standard Version (and New Revised Standard Version) and Good News Translation differ as to where verse 9 begins. Good News Bible follows the numbering of the Greek text, as do all other translations. Revised Standard Version seems to be a mistake, as both King James Version and American Standard Version begin verse 9 where Good News Bible begins it.

Living creatures in the sea: the biblical classification of marine animals sometimes distinguished between fishes and the huge sea monsters. Here all marine life is meant. Another way of rendering this is “the things that have life in the sea” or “the things living in the sea.”

A third of the ships were destroyed: these ships were on the one third of the ocean that was turned into blood. Care must be taken that the word used for ships does not mean modern steamships but sailing vessels. In land-bound cultures where only small boats are known, one may say, for example, “boats of all sizes” or “all kinds of boats.”

An alternative rendering for verses 8b-9 is the following:

• The water in one-third of the seas was turned into blood, and all the living creatures and ships (or, vessels) found in that part were destroyed.

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 8:9

8:9a

a third of the living creatures in the sea died: The phrase living creatures refers to fish and any other animals that live in the seas. One out of every three creatures died because the water had turned to blood. Other ways to translate this clause are:

one third of the creatures that were living in the sea died (God’s Word)
-or-
one of every three beings/creatures that lived in the ocean died

8:9b

a third of the ships were destroyed: This clause indicates that one out of every three ships were destroyed. They were either sunk or so badly ruined that they were unable to sail. This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

⌊this event/disaster⌋ destroyed a third of the ships

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