REV 1:12 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And I turned around to see the voice that was speaking with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

UST When I heard this voice, I turned my head to see who was speaking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lamp holders.

BSB Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

BLB And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

AICNT And [[there]][fn] I turned to see the voice that {was speaking}[fn] with me, and having turned I saw seven golden lampstands

1:12, there: Later manuscripts add. BYZ

1:12, was speaking: Later manuscripts read “spoke.” TR

OEB I turned to see what voice it was that spoke to me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lamps,

WEBBE I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands,

LSV And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

FBV I turned round to see who was speaking to me. When I turned I saw seven golden candlesticks,

TCNT Then I turned [fn]in that direction to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

1:12 in that direction 𝔐^C,K [60.1%] ¦ — 𝔐^A CT TR [39%]

T4T In this vision I turned in order that I might see who had spoken to me [SYN]. When I turned,

LEB And I turned to see the voice which was speaking with me, and when I[fn] turned, I saw seven gold lampstands,

1:12 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“turned”) which is understood as temporal

BBE And turning to see the voice which said these words to me, I saw seven gold vessels with lights burning in them;

Moff So I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me; and on turning round I saw seven golden lampstands

Wymth I turned to see who it was that was speaking to me; and then I saw seven golden lampstands,

ASV And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

DRA And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks:

YLT And I did turn to see the voice that did speak with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lamp-stands,

Drby And I turned back to see the voice which spoke with me; and having turned, I saw seven golden lamps,

RV And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

SLT And I turned back to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned back, I saw seven gold chandeliers;

Wbstr And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

KJB-1769 And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

KJB-1611 And I turned to see the voice that spake with mee. And being turned, I saw seuen golden Candlesticks,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And I turned backe to see the voyce that spake to me: And whe I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes,
(And I turned back to see the voice that spake to me: And when I was turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks,)

Gnva Then I turned backe to see the voyce, that spake with me: and when I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes,
(Then I turned back to see the voice, that spake with me: and when I was turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, )

Cvdl And I turned backe to se the voyce that spake to me. And whe I was turned: I sawe seue golde candestyckes,
(And I turned back to see the voice that spake to me. And when I was turned: I saw seven gold candestyckes,)

TNT And I turned backe to se the voyce that spake to me. And when I was turned: I sawe .vii golde candelstyckes
(And I turned back to see the voice that spake to me. And when I was turned: I saw .vii gold candlesticks )

Wycl And Y turnede, that Y schulde se the vois that spak with me; and Y turnede, and Y say seuene candelstikis of gold,
(And I turned, that I should see the voice that spake with me; and I turned, and I say seven candlestikis of gold,)

Luth Und ich wandte mich um, zu sehen nach der Stimme, die mit mir redete. Und als ich mich wandte, sah ich sieben güldene Leuchter
(And I turned me um, to/for see after the/of_the voice, the with to_me talked. And as I me turned, saw I seven golden candlestick)

ClVg Et conversus sum ut viderem vocem, quæ loquebatur mecum: et conversus vidi septem candelabra aurea:[fn]
(And turned_around I_am as I_would_see voice, which spoke with_me: and turned_around I_saw seven candelabra gold: )

1.12 Et conversus sum. Et quia audivi vocem, conversus sum, etc. Septem candelabra. Id est septem ecclesias ardentes et illuminatas sapientia divini Verbi. Aurea. Sicut aurum per ignem probatum, percussionibus extensum candelabrum efficitur, sic Ecclesia tribulationibus purgata, tentationum ictibus in longanimitatem extensa consummatur, et hæc si habeat vocem in ore, et non in opere, candelabrum quidem est, sed non aureum.

1.12 And turned_around I_am. And because I_heard voice, turned_around I_am, etc. Septem candelabra. That it_is seven assemblies/churches ardentes and illuminatas wisdom divine Verbi. Aurea. Like gold through fire approvesum, I_was_struckonibus extensum candlestick it_is_done, so Assembly/Church tribulations purgata, temptations ictibus in/into/on longanimitatem extensa finishur, and these_things when/but_if have voice in/into/on vocally, and not/no in/into/on by_work, candlestick indeed it_is, but not/no golden.

UGNT καὶ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ’ ἐμοῦ. καὶ ἐπιστρέψας, εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς,
(kai epestrepsa blepein taʸn fōnaʸn haʸtis elalei met’ emou. kai epistrepsas, eidon hepta luⱪnias ⱪrusas,)

SBL-GNT ⸀Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετʼ ἐμοῦ· καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς,
(⸀Kai epestrepsa blepein taʸn fōnaʸn haʸtis elalei metʼ emou; kai epistrepsas eidon hepta luⱪnias ⱪrusas,)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις ἐλάλει μετ' ἐμοῦ. Καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς,
(Kai ekei epestrepsa blepein taʸn fōnaʸn haʸtis elalei met' emou. Kai epistrepsas eidon hepta luⱪnias ⱪrusas,)

TC-GNT Καὶ [fn]ἐκεῖ ἐπέστρεψα βλέπειν τὴν φωνὴν ἥτις [fn]ἐλάλει μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ. Καὶ ἐπιστρέψας εἶδον ἑπτὰ λυχνίας χρυσᾶς
(Kai ekei epestrepsa blepein taʸn fōnaʸn haʸtis elalei meta emou. Kai epistrepsas eidon hepta luⱪnias ⱪrusas )

1:12 εκει 𝔐^C,K [60.1%] ¦ — 𝔐^A CT TR [39%]

1:12 ελαλει 𝔐^A+,C,K [83.1%] ¦ ελαλησε 𝔐^A− TR [15.5%]

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Symbolic Numbers

Numbers used in Scripture have often inspired wild speculation. An understanding of the symbolism of numbers in the ancient world can help ground our interpretation. Such symbolism, however, is not rigid or exact, so great care must be exercised when numbers are used in interpretation, so as not to push fanciful predictions about future events.

The number one can refer to God’s oneness (Deut 6:4; Gal 3:20; Jas 2:19). Two is the minimum number required to give a legitimate witness (Deut 17:6; Rev 11:3), and three can imply divine representation (Gen 18:1-2; 2 Cor 13:14; Rev 1:4-5). Four can stand for the known world, represented in Revelation by living creatures, horsemen, winds, and angels (Rev 4:6-8; 6:1-8; 7:1) and in Genesis by four rivers (Gen 2:10-14). When three and four are added to make seven, they represent perfection or divine fulfillment, indicating that God and the world are in harmony. The multiplication of three by four yields twelve, the number associated with God’s people (Gen 35:22-26; Exod 24:4; 28:21; Num 17:2; Josh 4:3-8; 1 Kgs 18:31; Matt 10:1-4; 19:28; Jas 1:1; Rev 12:1; 21:12–22:2. The number five and its multiples, such as ten, represent human completeness (e.g., five fingers per hand); and six carries a negative sense or implication of evil, being neither humanly complete (five) nor divinely complete (seven).

Multiples of ten (e.g., forty) are a symbolic way to indicate many, whereas three sixes (666) imply supreme evil (Rev 13:18). One thousand is regarded as the foundational large number; 12,000 indicates a large number of God’s people (Rev 7:5-8); and 144,000 represents the complete people of God (Rev 7:4; 14:1). The number 10,000 and its multiples are probably best transliterated from Greek as myriads, since they really mean “a huge number” rather than a precise count.

While some of the numbers in the Bible have symbolic meanings, using numbers to speculate on the time of Christ’s return or of the end of the world is highly dubious—only God possesses that knowledge (Mark 13:32). God did not intend for the symbolic numbers in Revelation to help us predict the future; rather, their symbolic meanings help to explain the significance of the visions. Because the numbers are symbolic, sometimes when we translate them into contemporary sizes, distances, and numbers for our ease of reading, it can result in the loss of theological significance. The use of these symbolic numbers can illuminate a vision’s relationship to the world or to the people of God.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 2:2-3; 4:15; 15:13; 41:53-54; Exod 20:6; 25:31-37; 32:15; Lev 16:14; 23:16; 2 Sam 24:13; 1 Kgs 4:26; 17:21; 18:31, 43-44; Job 1:2; Ps 90:4; Jer 15:3; 49:36; Ezek 14:21; Dan 4:16, 23-25; 7:3, 17, 24; Zech 4:2; 6:1; Matt 10:1-5; 12:40; 18:21-22; Mark 6:7; Luke 15:8; Acts 6:3; 10:16; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 4:4-6; 2 Pet 3:8; Rev 1:16; 2:10; 4:4; 6:1; 7:1, 4-8; 12:1, 3; 13:1; 17:3-14; 20:2-7; 21:12-21

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:9–20: John introduced the revelation

In this section, John told the seven churches that he was exiled on the island of Patmos because he had preached about Jesus. The people in the seven churches had also suffered for the sake of Jesus. So John indicated that they all shared in that suffering. He explained where he was and why he was there. He then began to tell his vision of Jesus and what Jesus revealed to him.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Preliminary vision (NJB)

John told/described his first vision

Introduction to what God revealed to John

1:12a

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.

¶ I turned around to see who was speaking to me.
¶ I turned around to see whose voice it was,

to see the voice that was speaking: The phrase the voice represents the person who spoke to John. In some languages it is more natural to refer to that person here. For example:

to see who was speaking (NJB)

to see the person who spoke with that voice

1:12b–13c

In these verses the lampstands, the long robe, and the sash may imply a situation similar to that of a Jewish priest leading worship at the temple. A priest wore a long robe and sash, and a lampstand stood in the temple. These things may also imply high status for Jesus. Your translation should allow for one or both implied meanings.

1:12b

And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

When I turned around, I saw seven gold lampstands.
and then I saw seven lampstands made of gold,

And having turned: John already referred to the action of turning in 1:12a. So referring to it a second time here emphasizes that action and what John saw. Other ways to translate this clause are:

And immediately upon turning

And when I turned (NIV)

and so/indeed

golden: The word golden indicates that the lampstands were made of gold. Gold is a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful. Below is a picture of a gold coin made in the Roman era of Caesar Augustus (who was the Roman emperor when Jesus was born).

Some languages do not have a word for “gold.” If that is true in your language, you should use the word from the major language in your area. The people in your language may not be familiar with gold. If that is true in your language, you may want to include a footnote. For example:

Gold is a rare metal of a somewhat yellow color. It was the most expensive metal at that time. It is naturally shiny and beautiful.

lampstands: A lampstand is a 1–2 meter (3–6 feet) tall rack or pillar for holding a lamp. It has a place for a lamp on its top. This context implies that there were lamps on the lampstands. There were many kinds and styles of lampstand. John did not say what kind of lampstand he saw. The drawing here only shows generally what lampstands look like.

A lamp in John’s time was a small clay or metal container in which people burned oil. The lamp was shaped to hold a wick on one side. The exact kind of lamp is not important here. So if you translate the term lampstand with a phrase that means “a holder for a lamp,” in that phrase you should use a word that refers generally to a lamp or light-producing device. Some of the styles of lamps used in John’s time are shown below.

Parallel REV 1:12

Section 1:9–20: John introduced the revelation

1:12a

1:12b–13c

1:12b