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 16:4)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 16:4:

  • Uma: “The third angel spilled the contents of his bowl in all the streams and all the headwaters, with the result that all the water became blood.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then the third angel poured out the disaster in his bowl onto the rivers/waters and onto the springs of water. Immediately the water became blood.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And the third angel poured out his bowl on the waters and sources of water, and those waters turned to blood.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “After that the third angel went to go pour-out the contents of his bowl on the rivers and springs, and they turned-into blood.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Following next, where the third angel poured the contents of his bowl was on the flowing rivers and on the springs of water. What he poured on also became blood.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The third angel then poured out the bowl he was holding upon the rivers and all the place where water came out. Then all the water became blood.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 16:4

The rivers and the fountains of water: as in 8.10, all bodies of fresh water.

Became blood: as in 8.9.

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 .