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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Rev C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22
Rev 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11
OET (OET-LV) and something before the throne was like a_sea glass, similar to_crystal.
And in the_midst of_the throne and around the four, throne living_creatures were, being_full of_eyes ahead and behind.
OET (OET-RV) In front of the throne was something like a sea of glass that was as clear as crystal.
¶ Around the throne were four living creatures, covered both front and back with eyes.
In this section, John told more about the vision that he saw, using language similar to 1:10. In his vision he saw in the sky an opening into heaven. He could see God on his throne and different beings worshiping God.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
The vision of the throne in heaven
A vision of God’s throne in heaven (GW)
And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal.
Also in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, which was like a crystal.
Also something spread before the throne that resembled a sea made of/from glass. It was bright/sparkling/transparent like crystal.
was something like a sea of glass: This clause indicates that John saw something that was like a sea. A sea is a large body of water that is many kilometers wide. The sea that John saw may have been solid like glass or liquid like water. Other ways to translate this clause are:
there is something like a sea of glass (NRSV)
something resembling a sea of glass
something spread out like a sea of glass
a sea of glass: The sea could be made of glass. Or it could be made of something flat and shiny like water that is perfectly smooth. In that way it looked smooth and clear like glass.
as clear as crystal: The Greek words only indicate that the sea of glass was “like crystal” (as in the RSV). The comparison to crystal probably indicates that John could see through the sea in the way that someone can see through clear water. So the BSB and some other English versions add the word clear. But “as crystal” may instead refer to it being shiny or flat or angled (rather than rounded).
crystal: The Greek word that the BSB translates as crystal refers to various substances that are bright, shiny, and have flat surfaces. The Greek word probably refers only to crystals that let light shine through them. Salt and ice are crystals, but here it is probably crystals as hard or harder than stone that are implied. Quartz, diamonds, and sapphires are examples of hard crystals.
Here the focus is on the fact that crystals are shiny and let light shine through them.
In some languages people are not familiar with crystals. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
Use the characteristics of crystals that are important here. For example:
bright/sparkling, flat, and clear
Use the major language word. If people are not familiar with this word, you may want to explain it in a footnote. An example footnote is:
Crystals are hard substances that are see-through, shiny, and have flat surfaces.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures,
¶ Surrounding the throne were four living beings,
¶ Four living creatures stood near the throne.
In the center: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as In the center is literally “in the middle/midst of the throne.” Since God is sitting on the throne, this phrase probably refers to the middle of the throne area. It indicates that the four living creatures were near or next to the throne of God. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
In the center near the throne (GW)
Close to the throne
around the throne: The living creatures were around the throne, perhaps:
one at each corner,
two on the right side and two on the left side,
one in back and one in front and one on each side.
Use a general phrase like around the throne. This allows for one or more of the above meanings.
four living creatures: The Greek word that the BSB translates as living creatures is literally “living (ones).” They are beings like angels, cherubim (Ezekiel 1), or seraphim (Isaiah 6). In John’s vision, some of these beings look like various animals (4:7). However, they are able to speak and praise God (4:8). Other ways to translate this phrase are:
four living beings (NLT)
four living things/ones
covered with eyes in front and back.
full of eyes in front and behind. (RSV)
They had eyes all over them, both in front and back.
covered with eyes in front and back: These creatures had eyes all over their whole bodies. Other ways to translate this clause are:
full of eyes in front and behind (RSV)
each covered with eyes, front and back (NLT)
with eyes all over them, in front and in back (NCV)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὡς θάλασσα ὑαλίνη, ὁμοία κρυστάλλῳ
like ˓a˒_sea glass similar ˱to˲_crystal
The point of these comparisons could be that the sea was (1) clear or (2) sparkling, like glass and crystal. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [was a sea that was as clear as glass or crystal] or [was a sea that was sparkling like glass or crystal]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / merism
ἔμπροσθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν
ahead (Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου ὡς θάλασσα ὑαλίνη ὁμοία κρυστάλλῳ Καί ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου καί κύκλῳ τοῦ θρόνου τέσσαρα ζῷα γέμοντα ὀφθαλμῶν ἔμπροσθεν καί ὄπισθεν)
John is using two sides of the body, the front and the back (what is before and behind a being), to mean the whole body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [over their whole bodies]
4:6 a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal: The most eye-catching part of ancient theaters was the glistening mosaic where the speaking orchestra was positioned to provide perspective (cp. 15:2-4).
• The four living beings represent the whole created order.
• covered with eyes: This phrase probably indicates that they had knowledge or understanding. In the ancient world, figures were covered with a particular feature to emphasize that quality (e.g., statues of Artemis were covered with breasts to emphasize fertility). Cp. Ezek 1:18.
OET (OET-LV) and something before the throne was like a_sea glass, similar to_crystal.
And in the_midst of_the throne and around the four, throne living_creatures were, being_full of_eyes ahead and behind.
OET (OET-RV) In front of the throne was something like a sea of glass that was as clear as crystal.
¶ Around the throne were four living creatures, covered both front and back with eyes.
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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