clothes

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated with “clothes” or similar in English is translated in Enlhet as “crawling-in-stuff” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1971, p. 169ff. ) and in Noongar as bwoka or “Kangaroo skin” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Revelation 16:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 16:15:

  • Uma: “The Lord Yesus said: ‘Listen! I will come suddenly, like the coming of a thief. Blessed/Fortunate are the people who are on-the-watch and who take care of their clothes. When I come, they will not walk naked and they will not be ashamed in the eyes of the crowd/people, for they will be calm/still [here used in the sense: ready/prepared] for me to come. ‘” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then Isa Almasi spoke, he said, ‘Listen. I will just suddenly arrive like a thief entering your house at a time when you don’t expect it. Happy are the people who when I arrive are still awake waiting for me and have been clothed beforehand. They won’t be naked and there will be nothing to make them ashamed even if they go out among many people.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then the demons will gather together the kings and their soldiers in the land which in the Hebrew language is called Armageddon. ‘Listen carefully to this,’ says Jesus Christ, ‘because My return will be like the coming of a thief. The person who doesn’t sleep but prepares his clothing, which is to say, he expects Me, he will rejoice at that time because he will not be naked, which is to say, he will not be ashamed.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That being so, they gathered the rulers and their soldiers in the place designated Armageddon in the Hebreo language. Therefore the Lord Jesus said/says, ‘Listen (you pl) to this. My coming will be sudden/unexpected like the coming of a thief. Fortunate is the one who doesn’t sleep who is dressed who is ready, because he will not be shamed at my coming like a naked soldier who has to get-up to get dressed, then goes to wage-war.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “‘Listen!’ says the Lord Jesu-Cristo. ‘I will really appear at an hour when you don’t know when it will be, like a thief does. Therefore the one can be happy who is like staying awake for he is expecting/awaiting his master. And he doesn’t take his clothes off so that when (he) arrives, he won’t be undressed and ashamed going to meet him.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now all who listen to this word written here, listen well to the word Christ speaks. He says: ‘On the day I will come, suddenly I will arrive, like when a thief comes and it isn’t known what day he will come. But the good fortune will be met up with by whoever isn’t asleep, who keeps his white clothing carefully so that he won’t be naked and ashamed that he doesn’t have white clothing to wear,’ he says.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 16:15

Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation indicate that this verse is not part of the narrative as such but is a word from the Lord Jesus Christ. Revised Standard Version does this by means of quotation marks and parentheses, Good News Bible by quotation marks and a paragraph. It will be appropriate to say specifically, as Bible en français courant does, “The Lord says….”

Lo: as in “Behold” in 1.7.

I am coming like a thief: suddenly and undetected (see 3.3).

Blessed: see 1.3.

Who is awake: that is, who stays awake; who doesn’t fall asleep; who keeps watch. The verb is used in the sense of “wake up” in 3.2, 3.

Keeping his garments that he may not go naked: this can mean “keeping his clothes on” (New Jerusalem Bible, Translator’s New Testament, New Revised Standard Version [“is clothed”]); but it may also mean “keeps his clothes ready (to put on),” as Revised English Bible, New American Bible, Revised, Phillips, Barclay translate. This seems to be preferable. It is possible that the Greek phrase (which says, simply, “keeping his clothes”) means “keeping his clothes clean” (as is said clearly in 3.4), but this is rather unlikely.

Be seen exposed: this translates the Greek “they see his shame,” where “shame” is regarded by many as a euphemism for “private parts” of the body. The third plural active of the verb “to see” is an impersonal plural, meaning simply “and be seen,” as Revised Standard Version has it. The noun translated exposed occurs in the New Testament only here and in Rom 1.27, “shameless” (see in 3.18 the more complete phrase “the shame of your nakedness”).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The Lord says, “Pay attention! I am coming just like a thief comes (at night). How fortunate is the person who stays awake, keeping his clothes ready so that he will not walk around naked and be ashamed (or, lose face) when people look at him.”

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 .