throne

The Greek that is translated into English versions as “throne” is translated into Naro as ntcõó-q’oo: “he will rule.” The figure of the “throne” cannot be translated in the egalitarian Naro culture, so the idea had to be expressed more explicitly. (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)

In other languages it is translated as “stool/seat of the king” (Marathi), “seat of commanding/chieftainship” (Highland Totonac, Kituba), “seat of the Supreme one (lit. of-him-who-has-the umbrella)” (Toraja-Sa’dan — the umbrella being a well-known symbol of power in various parts of South and South-East Asia), “glorious place to sit” (Ekari) (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel), “where God sits and rules” (Estado de México Otomi), “where God reigns” (Central Mazahua) (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation, March 1965, p. 2ff.), or “bed of kingship” (Kafa) (source: Loren Bliese).

complete verse (Revelation 4:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 4:3:

  • Uma: “His/Its appearance sparkled like the gem [lit., eye of a ring] called yaspis stone and sardis stone. There was a rainbow around that Seat, like a zamrud stone its appearance.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “His face shone like the valuable precious-stone called jasper and a red precious-stone. Surrounding that throne there was a rainbow, its appearance was like a green precious-stone.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “and there was someone sitting there. His appearance flashed, and it was like the expensive stones jasper and carnelian. And around that seat there was a green rainbow which was very bright because it was like the precious stone emerald.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The appearance of the seated-one, it was dazzling like the valuable stones called haspe and karnelia. There was also a rainbow whose color was green like the stone called esmeralda arched-over the throne.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “That one sitting really glowed like the glowing of far-from-ordinary mined stones called haspe and kornalina. All around that seat, there was a rainbow which glowed brightly like the glowing of what is called esmeralda.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The one I saw sitting there, I saw that he shone like the brilliant stone of jasper shines, accompanied with the color of red of carnelian. There where he sat, there was a light in a circle, it was all green.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 4:3

This verse continues without a stop from verse 2. The portrayal of the invisible God is in terms of similarity with light and colors, without any attempt at a physical description.

He who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian: the important thing about the semiprecious stones jasper and carnelian is their color, not their consistency, shape, or size. Beckwith comments: “the language is meant to express merely the splendor of the light in which the prophet beholds God manifested and encircled.” The Greek “had the appearance of jasper and carnelian” means “(he who sat there) shone with a light the color of jasper and carnelian.” So New American Bible, Revised “whose appearance sparkled like”; Phillips “His appearance blazed like”; Bible en français courant “he had the resplendent brilliance of.” Good News Translation “His face (gleamed)” is too specific and should not be imitated by translators, since in biblical literature no mortal sees the face of God.

There is no complete certainty about all the stones that appear in Revelation. The semiprecious jasper may be yellow, brown, red, or green; it is actually somewhat dull and opaque. Some commentators suggest that the writer had in mind an opal; others, a diamond. The same holds true for the carnelian, which is usually red. New Jerusalem Bible translates “a diamond and a ruby.” If the specific names for the stones are not available, a translation can say “a green and red light, like the colors of some precious stones.” But in areas where semiprecious stones are unknown, one may simply say “He shone (or, glowed) with a beautiful green and red light” or “His appearance shone (or, glowed)….”

And round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald: the language seems to indicate that the rainbow formed a complete horizontal circle around the throne, something like a halo (which An American Translation and Phillips say). Less probable is the possibility that the rainbow formed an arch over the throne. The important thing in the comparison with the emerald, a green-colored precious stone, is not the color (a green rainbow would be a strange sight indeed, even in a vision) but its brilliance. So a translation will do well to translate “that shone like an emerald” (Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), “gleaming like an emerald” (Barclay), or “bright as an emerald” (Revised English Bible). Again, as in the case of jaspers and carnelians above, if precious stones are unknown, a translator may say, for example, “there was a rainbow that gleamed brightly.”

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 .