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 16:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 16:10:

  • Uma: “The fifth angel spilled the contents of his bowl on the government of that evil beast. His entire government became suddenly pitch dark, and people bit their tongues suffering.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “After this, the fifth angel poured out the disaster in his bowl onto the sitting-place of the creature that had come out of the sea. Immediately it became dark in his place-of-ruling/kingdom. The people bit their tongues because of the pain they felt.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the fearful beast’s seat of ruling. And the kingdom of this beast became very dark. Because the punishment on people was very painful, they chewed their tongues because of the pain.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “After that the fifth angel went and poured-out the contents of his bowl on the throne of the fearsome animal, and the towns/countries where he ruled became-dark. People repeatedly-bit their tongues with their extreme pain,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “After that, the fifth angel poured out the contents of his bowl on the seat of kingship of that monster. Well, his kingdom at once became dark/benighted. What people did was bite their lips because they couldn’t endure the pain of their sores.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The fifth angel then poured out the bowl he was holding upon the chair of the terrible animal. Then wherever that one ruled, it all became dark. The people suffered so that they even bit their tongues.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

Translation commentary on Revelation 16:10 – 16:11

The throne of the beast: this is the first beast (see 13.2; see also “Satan’s throne” in 2.13).

Its kingdom was in darkness: the beast is a king, and the country it rules is a kingdom. Something like “darkness covered its kingdom” or “its kingdom was plunged into darkness” can be said (see the plague of darkness in Egypt, Exo 10.21-22). For the verb “to become dark,” see 9.2. In the symbolism of this book the beast’s kingdom was the Roman Empire. One may also express this as “The place where he ruled as king (or, high chief) became completely dark,” or even “All light disappeared from the place where….”

Men gnawed their tongues in anguish: instead of men the gender-inclusive “people” should be used. And instead of gnawed something like “bit” may be more appropriate. The word translated anguish means “pain,” “suffering” (it is used also in 21.4, where it is translated “pain”). The pain, or suffering, of these people was not caused by the darkness as such; it seems that the confusion caused by the darkness intensified the pain of the sores they had received when the first bowl was poured out (verse 2).

Cursed: as in verse 9. For God of heaven see 11.13.

For their pain and sores: this can be taken to mean “because of the pain of their sores,” that is, “because their sores were so painful.”

Did not repent of their deeds: as in 9.20, 21, the meaning here is that they did not cease from their evil actions.

An alternative translation model for verse 11 is:

• And they said bad (or, evil) things about God, who lives in heaven, because their sores (or, ulcers) were so painful. But they did not stop doing evil things.

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 .