complete verse (Revelation 6:17)

Following are a number of back-translations of Revelation 6:17:

  • Uma: “Because the terrifying day has arrived, the time when God and the Lamb show their anger, no-one can endure to stand in front of them.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Because the day has come when the wrath of God and the Sheep is caused to come to mankind. And nobody can endure this wrath, whoever he be.’ (lit. even who)” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because the time has come for them to punish us humans and no one will be able to resist them.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because the important (lit. valuable) day on which they will punish us (excl.) has arrived and we (excl.) absolutely cannot endure/bear it!'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because we (excl.) have comprehended that the far-from-ordinary day has been reached when they will cause their anger to surface. Well, who could endure that?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “It is plain now that there has arrived the day for punishment. No one get out of it,’ they said.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Revelation 6:17

The great day of their wrath: here great has the negative sense of “terrible.” This is the Day of Judgment, the final punishment. God and the Lamb act together to punish all the people on earth. Translators in some languages will need to retain a word like for in order to show the logical relationship between this verse and the former one. But in others the cry of despair may be prefaced by an expression similar to “Oh no! The terrible day…” or “Indeed, the terrible day….”

Who can stand before it?: that is, no one can survive the wrath that is coming (see Nahum 1.6).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Indeed the Day when God and the Lamb will punish everyone has come, and no one will be able to survive this punishment.”

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 .