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People tagged in the matching LV passage: David · John the Apostle
Dictionary: David
OET-LV And one of the elders is_saying to_me:
Not be_weeping.
Behold, overcame the lion which of the tribe of_Youda/(Yəhūdāh), the root of_Dawid/(Dāvid), to_open_up the scroll, and the seven seals of_it.
OET (OET-RV) Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look, here’s the lion from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah). He’s the descendant of King David who’s a conqueror who’s competent to break the seals and open the scroll.”
In this section, John continued to describe his vision. In it he saw God holding a scroll. An angel asked who was worthy to open the scroll. The only one who was worthy was King David’s promised heir, whom John called “the Lamb” here.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
John saw a scroll sealed seven times
The scroll that was sealed seven times
The scroll that was sealed seven times and the Lamb who was worthy to open it
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep!
Then/But one of the elders told me, “Do not weep!
Except that one of the leaders said to me, “Stop crying.
Then: The Greek word here is usually translated “and” or “but.” However, this verse tells of the one exception to “no one” in 5:4. In some languages this connection must be made clear. For example:
But thenKankanaey Back Translation on TW.
Except that
one of the elders: The word elders refers to the leaders who were worshiping God in 4:10. See how you translated the word elders there.
Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed
Look, the Lion of the clan of Judah, the Shoot of David, has won the victory.
Indeed/Hey, the one called ‘the Lion of the clan of Judah,’ and ‘the Heir/Descendant of David’ has conquered all who stood against him.
Behold: The word emphasizes or calls attention to the words that follow. In some languages it will be more natural to translate it as:
Listen
Other ways to translate this word are:
Look (NJB)
See (NIV)
the Lion of the tribe of Judah: This phrase is a title for the Christ. In Genesis 49:9–10, Jacob prophesied that Judah would be like a lion. Jacob also said that one day all nations would obey the person with this title. Therefore, the Jews used this title for the Christ. Jesus is that descendant of Judah. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
The Lion from Judah’s tribe (GNT)
the one titled The Lion Who Descended From Judah
Lion: A lion is a large, fierce, four-legged animal. It weighs about 200 kilograms (450 pounds) and is about 2 meters (6.5 feet) in length. See how you translated this word in 4:7.
tribe: Here the word tribe refers to one of the twelve groups in the nation of Israel. The groups were founded by the twelve sons of the man named Jacob, or Israel. The name “Israel” is the name for the nation of the Jews. Another way to translate this word is:
clan
the Root of David: Here the word Root probably refers to a new shoot that grows from the root of a plant after the main plant has been cut off. This phrase combines the thoughts in Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10. For example, the REB says:
the shoot growing from David’s stock
It refers to the promised leader of God’s people who descended from King David. He was David’s heir. In some languages the meaning of the Root of David will not be clear. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
the special/unique Descendant of David
the promised Heir of David
the one who renews/restores David’s kingship
Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:
This phrase combines the thoughts in Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10. It indicates that one who could open the scroll was the promised leader of God’s people who descended from King David. But if your word for “shoot” refers to ancestors, you should translate as in the first option above.
has triumphed: This phrase refers to winning a victory over enemies. Jesus followed God’s plan to redeem mankind by dying on a cross for their sins. By that act, Jesus defeated sin and death. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
has won the victory (GNT)
has conquered (RSV)
has surpassed all
These verses do not say over which enemies Jesus triumphed. It is best not to add this information. But in some languages it is necessary to say over what Jesus triumphed. If that is true in your language, use a phrase that can refer generally to what he triumphed over. For example:
has triumphed over all things
has prevailed over all his enemies
to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
He can break the scroll’s seven seals and open it.”
He is worthy to remove its seven wax stamps and open/unroll the scroll.”
to open the scroll and its seven seals: The Greek clause indicates that 5:5c is the result of 5:5b. Jesus conquered his enemies, and that deed showed that he had the authority to open the scroll. For example:
so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. (RSV)
thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals. (NET)
It is implied here that Jesus is worthy to open the scroll. In some languages this implied information must be explicit for the correct meaning. For example:
He is worthy and able to open the scroll and its seven seals
He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὁ λέων & ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα
the lion & of the tribe ˱of˲_Judah
This elder is alluding to the prophecy in Genesis 49:8–10 in which Jacob says that a ruler for Israel will come from the tribe of Judah and in which Jacob compares that ruler to a strong Lion. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the promised ruler from the tribe of Judah]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἡ ῥίζα Δαυείδ
the root (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί εἱς ἐκ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων λέγει μοί Μή κλαῖε Ἰδού ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ ἀνοῖξαι τό βιβλίον καί τάς ἑπτά σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ)
This elder is also alluding to the prophecy in Isaiah 11:1 that speaks of the Messiah as if he were a “shoot” from the “stump of Jesse” (the father of King David), a “branch from his roots.” In that prophecy Isaiah then refers to this “shoot” as the “root of Jesse” itself. The elder is speaking similarly here. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the Descendant of David] or [the Messiah descended from David]
Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
ἐνίκησεν & ἀνοῖξαι
overcame & ˓to˒_open_up
The words has conquered introduce the reason for the result that the words to open describe. Use a natural way in your language for introducing a result clause. Alternate translation: [has conquered so as to be worthy to open]
OET-LV And one of the elders is_saying to_me:
Not be_weeping.
Behold, overcame the lion which of the tribe of_Youda/(Yəhūdāh), the root of_Dawid/(Dāvid), to_open_up the scroll, and the seven seals of_it.
OET (OET-RV) Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop crying. Look, here’s the lion from the tribe of Yehudah (Judah). He’s the descendant of King David who’s a conqueror who’s competent to break the seals and open the scroll.”
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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