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OET (OET-LV) Behold, I_may_be_giving those of the synagogue of_ the _Satan/(Sāţān), the ones saying themselves Youdaiōns to_be, and not they_are, but they_are_lying, see, I_will_be_making them that they_will_be_coming and will_be_prostrating before the feet of_you, and they_may_know that I loved you.
OET (OET-RV) Listen, I’ll give those people from Satan’s synagogue (the ones who say that they’re believing Jews, but they’re not—they’re lying), I’ll make them so that they will come and bow down in front of you, and then they’ll know that I love you.
In this section, Jesus spoke to the people who believed in him at Philadelphia. He prophesied that they would have an opportunity to do great things for him. He said that the Jews there would acknowledge that God loves the believers. Jesus then also said that he would protect them from a time of hardship. He encouraged them to remain strong in their faith. Lastly, he gave a promise to any believer who persevered in his faith.
Translate this section heading as you did for the other messages to the churches.
Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan,
Look/Indeed, at those who are in the group/synagogue that follows Satan,
Indeed/Hey, those in the group that belongs to Satan,
Look: 3:9a begins with the Greek word that the BSB has translated literally as Look. This word calls attention to, or emphasizes, the words that follow it. This word is not a command to look at something. Other ways to translate this word are:
Behold (ESV)
Listen! (GNT)
Indeed/Hey
those who belong to the synagogue of Satan: Here the word synagogue refers to the group of misled Jews in Philadelphia. The word does not refer to the building where they met. So the GNT translates this as:
that group that belongs to Satan
See how you translated the phrase synagogue of Satan in 2:9.
who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.
those who falsely claim to be true Jews but are liars.
(they claim as Jews to be the true people of God but they lie).
who claim to be Jews but are liars instead: These clauses explain the phrase “synagogue of Satan.” These Jews claimed to be the true people of God. But they rejected Jesus as the Christ, so they were lying about being God’s people. Other ways to translate these clauses are:
those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are liars (NJB)
those liars who say they are Jews but are not (NLT)
In some languages a literal translation would wrongly indicate that John was thinking of other synagogues of Satan, and only this group claimed to be Jews but are liars instead. If that is true in your language, translate these clauses so that they tell more about the synagogue of Satan here. One way to do that is to start a new sentence here. For example:
They claim to be God’s people, but they are liars. (CEV)
If you do this, you will need to put this information either at the beginning or the end of the verse. For example:
9aA synagogue of Satan exists there. 9bThey claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars. 9cI will make them come and fall down at your feet 9dand acknowledge that I have loved you.
9aI will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan 9ccome and fall down at your feet 9dand acknowledge that I have loved you. 9bThey claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars.
who claim to be Jews but: The Greek word that the BSB translates as but is literally “and” (or sometimes “but”). Here there is contrast between who claim to be Jews and the clause “are liars instead.” But in English two uses of “but” this near to each other is not natural. Other ways to translate these words are:
who claim to be Jews and are not, but (NABRE)
who claim to be Jews but they are not, for
I will make them come and bow down at your feet,
Look, I will cause them to come and prostrate themselves at your feet
Indeed/Hey, I will make them go to you and bow down before you,
I will make them come: 3:9c begins with the Greek word that means “look.” This word calls attention to, or emphasizes, the words that follow. Other ways to translate this are:
look, I will make them come
indeed/hey, I will make them come
In some languages it is more natural not to repeat the word that you used at the beginning of 3:9a. If that is true in your language, it will be better to not translate it here, as the BSB has done.
The Greek word may also be used to indicate that the explanation (3:9b) is finished. Jesus then continued talking about what he will do to them. See note at 3:9b about reordering the clauses in this verse.
I will make them come: This indicates that Jesus would cause these false Jews to honor those who believed in Jesus. In some languages it is more natural to indicate where they would come. For example:
I will make them come before you (NCV)
bow down at your feet: The Greek word that the BSB translates as bow down refers here to kneeling and putting the face to the ground with arms outstretched toward someone. This position showed complete humility before that person and honored him. This is the usual way to show someone honor at that time and in that region. Translate these words in a way that indicates that someone is honoring someone else. For example:
prostrate themselves at your feet
kneel with their face to the ground before you
bow down at your feet (GNT)
Some languages have a different action that shows complete humility and honor to someone. If that is true in your language, you may want to use that action here.
and they will know that I love you.
and know/realize that I love you.
and they will recognize that I love you.
know: The group called “the synagogue of Satan” would realize that God loves the believers. Other ways to translate this word are:
realize (GW)
learn (RSV)
acknowledge (NIV)
I love you: The Greek grammar here refers generally to Jesus loving believers. It indicates that Jesus loved them in the past and continues to love them in the present. In your translation, indicate that Jesus loved the believers at all times. For example:
I love you (BSB, GNT)
love: The word love refers to a strong feeling of affection and concern for a person.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo
ἰδοὺ, διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ, τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτοὺς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι, καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν, ἀλλὰ ψεύδονται; ἰδοὺ, ποιήσω αὐτοὺς, ἵνα ἥξουσιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτούς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι καί οὐκ εἰσίν ἀλλά ψεύδονται ἰδού ποιήσω αὐτούς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καί προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σοῦ καί γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγώ ἠγάπησα σέ)
It might seem that this sentence contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it by saying behold just once and by saying only I will make and not also I will give. Alternate translation: [Behold, those of the synagogue of Satan, the ones saying themselves to be Jews, but they are not, rather, they are lying, I will make them so that they will come]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ
of the synagogue ¬the ˱of˲_Satan
See how you translated the expression synagogue of Satan in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: [those whose gatherings really serve Satan’s purposes rather than God’s]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν, ἀλλὰ ψεύδονται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτούς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι καί οὐκ εἰσίν ἀλλά ψεύδονται ἰδού ποιήσω αὐτούς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καί προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σοῦ καί γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγώ ἠγάπησα σέ)
See how you translated the similar expression in [2:9](../02/09.md). Alternate translation: [but who are not acting in the way that Jews should]
Note 4 topic: translate-symaction
προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
˓will_be˒_prostrating before the feet (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτούς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι καί οὐκ εἰσίν ἀλλά ψεύδονται ἰδού ποιήσω αὐτούς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καί προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σοῦ καί γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγώ ἠγάπησα σέ)
The enemies of the believers in Philadelphia would come and bown down at their feet as a symbolic action to show that they honored and respected these believers. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: [to bow down before your feet as a gesture of honor and respect]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche
ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σου
before the feet (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτούς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι καί οὐκ εἰσίν ἀλλά ψεύδονται ἰδού ποιήσω αὐτούς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καί προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σοῦ καί γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγώ ἠγάπησα σέ)
Jesus is using one part of the believers in Philadelpha, their feet, to mean their entire beings. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [before you] or [in front of you]
Note 6 topic: writing-pronouns
ἐγὼ ἠγάπησά σε
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἰδού διδῶ ἐκ τῆς συναγωγῆς τοῦ Σατανᾶ τῶν λεγόντων ἑαυτούς Ἰουδαίους εἶναι καί οὐκ εἰσίν ἀλλά ψεύδονται ἰδού ποιήσω αὐτούς ἵνα ἥξουσιν καί προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σοῦ καί γνῶσιν ὅτι ἐγώ ἠγάπησα σέ)
For emphasis, Jesus is stating the pronoun I, whose meaning is already present in the verb have loved. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of expressing this emphasis. Alternate translation: [I have certainly loved you]
OET (OET-LV) Behold, I_may_be_giving those of the synagogue of_ the _Satan/(Sāţān), the ones saying themselves Youdaiōns to_be, and not they_are, but they_are_lying, see, I_will_be_making them that they_will_be_coming and will_be_prostrating before the feet of_you, and they_may_know that I loved you.
OET (OET-RV) Listen, I’ll give those people from Satan’s synagogue (the ones who say that they’re believing Jews, but they’re not—they’re lying), I’ll make them so that they will come and bow down in front of you, and then they’ll know that I love you.
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.