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OET (OET-LV) And they_are_singing a_song new before the throne, and before the four living_creatures, and the elders.
And no_one was_able to_learn the song, except not/lest the hundred forty four thousands, which having_been_bought from the earth.
OET (OET-RV) They sang a new song in front of throne and the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been bought from the earth.
In this section, John saw Jesus with 144,000 men (this group may represent all believers) who dedicated their whole lives to following him. John heard them sing a new song.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
John saw the Lamb with 144,000 men/believers
The one hundred and forty-four thousand men/people who followed the Lamb completely sing a new song
And they sang a new song before the throne
And they were singing a new song before the throne
They were singing a new song before God’s place/seat of ruling
they sang a new song: There is a textual issue in 14:3a: (1) Some early Greek manuscripts have the text a new song (BSB, RSV, NIV, GNT, NJB, NASB, NLT, GW, CEV, NET, REB, ESV, NCV). (2) Some other early Greek manuscripts have the text as it were a new song (KJV only). It is recommended that you follow option (1), because many English versions support it. The UBS Greek NT supports option (2), but says its scholars had difficulty deciding. The pronoun they probably refers to the 144,000 men/believers (14:1b).
sang: The Greek grammar probably indicates that they sang for some time. For example:
were singing (NJB)
before the throne: This phrase refers to God’s throne in heaven. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to a different throne. If that is true in your language, you may want to include the implied information. For example:
before the throne in heaven
before God’s throne
and before the four living creatures and the elders.
and before the four living beings and before the elders/leaders.
and in the presence of the four living beings and the twenty-four elders/leaders.
living creatures: The Greek word that the BSB translates as living creatures is literally “living (ones).” The word refers to beings that are like angels. The living creatures speak and praise God (4:8). Other ways to translate this phrase are:
living beings (NLT)
living things/ones
See how you translated this phrase in 4:6.
elders: Here the word elders refers to those who have authority. These people (or angels) were leaders who had God as their leader. For example:
leaders (GW)
These verses do not say whether the elders were people or angels. So you should use a word like “elder” or “leader” that can refer to either people or angels.
There were twenty-four elders. They are not included in the count of “four.”
See how you translated this word in 4:4.
And no one could learn the song except the 144,000
No one could learn this song except the 144,000 men/believers
Only the 144,000 men/believers could learn this song.
And no one could learn the song except the 144,000: This clause indicates that only the 144,000 men/believers could learn this song. Another way to translate this clause is:
Only the 144,000 men/believers could learn this song
who had been redeemed from the earth.
who were bought from the world.
God had redeemed them from among those of the world.
who had been redeemed from the earth: This clause tells the reader more about the 144,000 men/believers. In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that there are other groups of 144,000 and only this group could learn this song. If that is true in your language, translate this clause so that it tells more about the 144,000. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
They had been redeemed from the earth.
who had been redeemed: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:
whom God has redeemed from the earth
redeemed: God paid a price to receive the 144,000. That price was the death of his Son. Other ways to translate this word are:
purchased from the earth (NASB)
ransomed from the earth (REB)
from the earth: This phrase probably indicates that God had purchased these men/people from all over the earth. They were purchased from the world and separated from it in some way. It probably does not refer to God removing them from the earth.Mounce (page 266) says, “That they have been redeemed from the earth does not mean that they were removed bodily from the earth (cf. John 17:15).” Swete (page 178) says that it does not indicate separation. Smalley (page 357) argues against it meaning removal from the earth.
Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns
ᾄδουσιν
˱they˲_˓are˒_singing
The pronoun they refers to the 144 thousands whom John describes in [14:1](../14/01.md) and later in this verse. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: [the 144 thousands sing] or [the 144,000 people sing]
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-exceptions
οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο μαθεῖν τὴν ᾠδὴν, εἰ μὴ αἱ ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ᾄδουσιν ᾠδήν καινήν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καί ἐνώπιον τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καί τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Καί οὐδείς ἐδύνατο μαθεῖν τήν ᾠδήν εἰ μή αἱ ἑκατόν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες οἱ ἠγορασμένοι ἀπό τῆς γῆς)
If it would appear in your language that John was contradicting himself by saying that no one could learn the song and then naming people who could learn the song, you could reword this to avoid using an exception clause. Alternate translation: [the only ones who were able to learn the song were the 144 thousands]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
οἱ ἠγορασμένοι
¬which ˓having_been˒_bought
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who did the action, [5:9](../05/09.md) indicates that it was the Lamb. Alternate translation: [whom the Lamb bought]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
οἱ ἠγορασμένοι
¬which ˓having_been˒_bought
John is speaking as if the Lamb literally bought these people. He means that through his sacrificial death, the Lamb saved them by setting them free from the guilt and power of sin. Your language may have a term that you can use in your translation that describes someone paying a price or making a sacrifice to set someone else free. See what you did in [5:9](../05/09.md). Alternate translation: [whom the Lamb redeemed]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ᾄδουσιν ᾠδήν καινήν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου καί ἐνώπιον τῶν τεσσάρων ζῴων καί τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Καί οὐδείς ἐδύνατο μαθεῖν τήν ᾠδήν εἰ μή αἱ ἑκατόν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες οἱ ἠγορασμένοι ἀπό τῆς γῆς)
John is referring to the inhabitants of the earth by association with the earth on which they live. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [from among the inhabitants of the earth]
14:1-5 The true Lamb and his followers starkly contrast with the evil trinity.
OET (OET-LV) And they_are_singing a_song new before the throne, and before the four living_creatures, and the elders.
And no_one was_able to_learn the song, except not/lest the hundred forty four thousands, which having_been_bought from the earth.
OET (OET-RV) They sang a new song in front of throne and the four living creatures and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the 144,000 who had been bought from the earth.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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