sound of the millstone

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated in English as “sound of the millstone” is translated in Baki, Lamenu and Lewo as “the noise of grating food” (especially coconuts). (Source: Ross McKerras)

millstone (illustration)

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “millstone” in English is illustrated for use in Bible translations in East Africa by Pioneer Bible Translators like this:

Image owned by PBT and Jonathan McDaniel and licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

complete verse (Revelation 18:22)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 18:22:

  • Uma: “All its wealth and beauty is lost all-at-once. Those who play [lit., beat] stringed instruments, singers,flutists or those who blow trumpets will no longer be found in that village. Those who are clever building houses or those who forge no longer are. There is no longer the sound of rice-pounders.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You, city of Babilon, there will no longer be heard in you the playing of a harp and singing. There will not be heard the playing of a flute or the blowing of the thing like a tabuli’. Likewise there will no longer be found there people working in whatever expertise. And the sound of the mill will not be heard anymore.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Never again in this city will be heard flute players, and trumpet players, and harp players. And never again will be seen there any craftsmen. The noise and the sound of those grinding will never again be heard there.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Therefore singers, strummers, flute-players and horn-blowers will not again be in that city. Neither also will skillful makers of whatever-kind-of-things be found again, and there-will-be-no one also who pounds (with a mortar and pestle).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Really never again will be heard there the voice of the singer, and the plucking of pluckers of the alpa, and the sounding of wind-instruments which are plauta and trompeta. There will also not again be seen there those who are skilled makers of whatever is made, and no more will be heard the sound of a mill.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “There in the streets of the city never will be heard again players of the harps. There will not be heard the players of the trumpet or flute. There will not be seen workers doing their various work. There will not be heard anyone grinding.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 18:22

The sound of harpers … shall be heard in thee no more: this can be said more naturally: “No one will ever again hear harpists (or, people) playing their harps in your streets” or “No one will ever again hear in your streets the music of harps.” For harpers see 14.2.

Minstrels: in current American English this word does not mean “musicians” or “singers,” which are better terms. The Greek word means “skilled in the arts,” especially music.

Flute players and trumpeters: flutes and trumpets are wind instruments. This phrase can be more naturally expressed by “those who play flutes and those who play trumpets” or “those who blow flutes and those who blow trumpets.”

A craftsman of any craft: this refers to skilled workers as opposed to common laborers (see Acts 19.24, 38).

The sound of the millstone shall be heard in thee no more: this is a way of saying that mills won’t be grinding any grain (because there will be no grain to grind).

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• Never again, Babylon, will there be music in your streets, the music of harps and of singers, the music of flutes and of trumpets. All your skilled workers will disappear, and your mills will have no grain to grind.

Or:

• … no one will hear people plucking strings of a harp, or people singing, or people blowing flutes or trumpets. All….

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 .