Translation commentary on Revelation 9:20

The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues: the two thirds of the human race that remained alive are the subject of what follows. They are all portrayed as wicked and unrepentant, deserving God’s punishment. For repent see 2.5. In languages that do not use the passive, another way to translate this is “The humans who did not suffer death by means of these plagues.”

The works of their hands: these are idols, which these people worship—a common way in the Old Testament to refer to idols and images (see Deut 4.28; Psa 115.4-7; 135.15-17). Instead of did not repent of the works of their hands, it may be better to say something like “did not give up the idols (or, images) they had made.”

Nor give up worshiping demons and idols: as is often the case in this book, it does not seem that this is something in addition to their not having repent[ed] of the works of their hands. Rather, this is an elaboration on that theme, a fuller explanation of it. A translator is encouraged to imitate Good News Translation here.

Demons: they were thought of as evil spiritual beings (“evil spirits”) or “dirty spirits” under the control of the Devil, who inflicted physical and psychological damage on people. They appear also in 16.14; 18.2. See 2.10 for further help on the translation of “Devil” or “evil spirits.”

The description of the idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood reflects the two passages in Psalms cited above. Bronze is a metal made from a mixture of copper and tin. Even if cultures do not have these metals, they are so important throughout the Bible that translators should use terms such as “metal named ‘gold,’ ” and so on, and also have descriptions of these metals in the glossary. See the glossary in Good News Translation as an example.

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 9:20

Paragraph 9:20–21

9:20a

who were not killed by these plagues: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

whom these plagues did not kill
-or-
who survived these plagues (Revised English Bible)

plagues: This word refers to disasters that harm a lot of people. Here it refers to the fire, smoke, and sulfur. See how you translated this word in 6:8 or 9:18.

9:20b

still did not repent: The word still indicates that even after seeing all those terrible plagues, the people did not repent. For example:

still refused to repent (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
still did not renounce (Revised English Bible)

repent: This word refers to changing one’s mind and actions. The people did not stop sinning. They did not begin to obey God. Some other examples are:

turn away from their sin
-or-
change their hearts/ways
-or-
leave the sinful/evil ways

See how you translated this word in 2:5 or 3:3.

the works of their hands: This is an idiom that refers to what people do. Here it is implied that the people did evil things. See 9:20c–21b for what these works are. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

their evil deeds (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the ⌊evil⌋ things that they had been doing

9:20c

The Greek begins with the word “that.” It indicates that 9:20c–d is a list of “the work of their hands.” Other ways to translate this word are:

that is, they did not…
-or-
namely, they did not…
-or-
For they did not…

The Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, and New Century Version begin a new sentence here. They allow the context to imply that 9:20c–d are examples.

worshiping: This word refers to honoring someone or something as sacred/divine. Other ways to translate this word are:

venerating
-or-
revering

See how you translated this word in 4:10 or 5:14.

demons: This word refers to evil spirit beings. These demons are not spirits of dead people.

9:20d

idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood: Some idols were made of gold, some idols were made of silver, some idols were made of bronze, some idols were made of stone, and some idols were made of wood. Some idols may have been made with more than one of these materials. But this phrase does not indicate that each idol was made from all these materials.

idols: This word refers to images or statues that people worship or revere as representing a god.

gold: The word gold refers to a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful. See how you translated this word in 1:12 or 9:7.

silver: The word silver also refers to a precious metal, though it is not as rare and expensive as gold. But it is still somewhat expensive. When polished it was used as a mirror. It was used in coins and decorations.

Some languages do not have a word for silver. If that is true in your language, you should use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:

Silver is also a precious metal, though it is not as rare and expensive as gold. When polished it was used as a mirror. It was used in coins and decorations.

bronze: This word refers to a metal made from a mixture of copper and tin. The Greek word also refers to pure copper or brass. (Brass is a mixture of copper and zinc.) The metal called bronze is a yellowish-brown color. Copper is a reddish-brown metal color. Some kinds of coins are made of bronze or copper. (The other common color of coins is silver-colored.)

In some languages people are not familiar with bronze, copper, or brass. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Explain the word in your translation. For example:

⌊brown/tan metal called⌋ bronze
-or-

⌊reddish brown metal called⌋ copper

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

brown/tan metal
-or-
reddish brown metal

• Use the major language word.

See how you translated this word in 1:15.

9:20e

which cannot see or hear or walk: These images or statues cannot see or hear or walk. Therefore, they are unable to help those who worship them. For example:

which cannot either see or hear or walk (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
things that cannot see or hear or walk (New Century Version)

The New Century Version uses the word “things,” which implies that the idols are not alive.

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