angel

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The Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic that is translated as “angel” in English versions is translated in many ways:

  • Pintupi-Luritja: ngaṉka ngurrara: “one who belongs in the sky” (source: Ken Hansen quoted in Steven 1984a, p. 116.)
  • Tetela, Kpelle, Balinese, and Mandarin Chinese: “heavenly messenger”
  • Shilluk / Igede: “spirit messenger”
  • Mashco Piro: “messenger of God”
  • Batak Toba: “envoy, messenger”
  • Navajo: “holy servant” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida 1961; Igede: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Central Mazahua: “God’s worker” (source: Ronald D. Olson in Notes on Translation January, 1968, p. 15ff.)
  • Saramaccan: basia u Masa Gaangadu köndë or “messenger from God’s country” (source: Jabini 2015, p. 86)
  • Mairasi: atatnyev nyaa or “sent-one” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Shipibo-Conibo: “word bringer” (source: James Lauriault in The Bible Translator 1951, p. 32ff. )
  • Apali: “God’s one with talk from the head” (“basically God’s messenger since head refers to any leader’s talk”) (source: Martha Wade)
  • Michoacán Nahuatl: “clean helper of God” (source: B. Moore / G. Turner in Notes on Translation 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Noongar: Hdjin-djin-kwabba or “spirit good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Wè Northern (Wɛɛ): Kea ‘a “sooa or “the Lord’s soldier” (also: “God’s soldier” or “his soldier”) (source: Drew Maust)
  • Iwaidja: “a man sent with a message” (Sam Freney explains the genesis of this term [in this article): “For example, in Darwin last year, as we were working on a new translation of Luke 2:6–12 in Iwaidja, a Northern Territory language, the translators had written ‘angel’ as ‘a man with eagle wings’. Even before getting to the question of whether this was an accurate term (or one that imported some other information in), the word for ‘eagle’ started getting discussed. One of the translators had her teenage granddaughter with her, and this word didn’t mean anything to her at all. She’d never heard of it, as it was an archaic term that younger people didn’t use anymore. They ended up changing the translation of ‘angel’ to something like ‘a man sent with a message’, which is both more accurate and clear.”)

See also angel (Acts 12:15) and this devotion on YouVersion .

complete verse (Revelation 10:9)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 10:9:

  • Uma: “So I did go to that angel, I said to him: ‘Give me that little letter there.’ He said to me: ‘Take it and eat it. If it is in your stomach, it is bitter. But in your mouth it is sweet like honey [bee water].'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Na, I went to the angel and asked/requested from him the little paper roll. He said to me, ‘Take this and eat it. It will be sweet like honey in your mouth but sour when it is in your stomach.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And I went to the angel and I asked for the small scroll, and he said to me, ‘Take it and eat it. It will be very sweet like honey in your mouth, but when it is in your stomach it will be very sour.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So I approached the angel and requested the small paper. ‘Take it and (lit. to) eat it,’ he said. ‘Its taste, it is sweet like the honey (lit. water) of bees, but later your (sing.) stomach will hurt from its bitterness.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well, I approached that angel. I asked for that writing. He said to me, ‘Here-you-are, here it is. Take it and eat it. On your lips, it’s like the sweetness of bees’ honey, but it’s bitter when it has been swallowed.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I went to where the angel was to ask for the paper he held in his hand. The angel said to me: ‘Her is the paper. Eat it. There in your mouth it will be sweet like honey. But when it has gone to your stomach it will be sour.'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 10:9

Told him to give me: it may be better to translate “asked him to give me” or “asked him, ‘Please give me….’ ”

The little scroll: the word that is used in Rev. 10.2.

Take it and eat: it is better to have the object with the verb eat as well: “Take it and eat it.”

It will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth: for a similar situation see Ezek 2.8–3.3. The Greek text uses the verb “to make bitter,” “to embitter” (as in 8.11). This may be represented by “sour” or “acid.” The logical order would be “sweet as honey in your mouth but bitter in your stomach,” as in the next verse; a translation is advised to stay with the order of the Greek text. Honey: this, of course, refers to the sweet product of the bodies of bees, and certain cultures call honey “bee excretion” or “bee water.” In cultures where bees and honey are unknown, it will be permissible to use some other sweet substance; for example, “sweet as sugar,” “sweet as syrup,” or simply “very sweet.” The emphasis here is not on “honey” itself but on “sweetness.”

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 .