Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEB WMB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE MOF JPS ASV DRA YLT DBY RV WBS KJB BB GNV CB TNT WYC SR-GNT UHB Related Parallel Interlinear Dictionary Search
parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZRA NEH EST JOB PSA PRO ECC SNG ISA JER LAM EZE DAN HOS JOEL AMOS OBA YNA MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs ROM 1COR 2COR GAL EPH PHP COL 1TH 2TH 1TIM 2TIM TIT PHM HEB YAC 1PET 2PET 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN YUD REV
Rev Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22
Rev 1 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. This view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on the version abbreviation to see the verse in more of its context.
His hair was gleaming white like wool or snow and his eyes were bright like a fiery flame.[ref]OET-LV And the head of_him and his hairs were white, as_though wool white as snow, and the eyes of_him like a_flame of_fire,
SR-GNT Ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ, ὡς ἔριον λευκόν ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός, ‡
(Haʸ de kefalaʸ autou kai hai triⱪes leukai, hōs erion leukon hōs ⱪiōn, kai hoi ofthalmoi autou hōs flox puros,)
Key: light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT Now his head and hair were white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes were like a flame of fire,
UST The hair on his head was gleaming like white wool or like white snow. His eyes were bright like a fiery flame.
BSB The hair of His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like a blazing fire.
BLB Now His head and His hairs are white like wool, white as snow; and His eyes are like a flame of fire;
AICNT His head and his hair were white like white wool, like snow, and his eyes were like a flame of fire;
OEB The hair of his head was as white as wool, as white as snow; his eyes were like flaming fire;
WEB His head and his hair were white as white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire.
NET His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame.
LSV and His head and hairs [were] white, as if white wool—as snow, and His eyes as a flame of fire;
FBV His hair looked like white wool, and his eyes like flaming fire.
TCNT His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,
T4T The hair on his head was white like white wool or like snow. His eyes were shining brightly [SIM], like a flame of fire.
LEB and his head and hair were white like wool, white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame,
BBE And his head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
MOF No MOF REV book available
ASV And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
DRA And his head and his hairs were white, as white wool, and as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,
YLT and his head and hairs white, as if white wool — as snow, and his eyes as a flame of fire;
DBY his head and hair white like white wool, as snow; and his eyes as a flame of fire;
RV And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
WBS And his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
KJB His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
BB His head, and his heeres were whyte as whyte wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flambe of fyre.
(His head, and his hears were white as white wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flambe of fyre.)
GNV His head, and heares were white as white wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,
(His head, and hears were white as white wooll, and as snowe, and his eyes were as a flame of fire,)
CB His heed, and his heares were whyte, as whyte woll, & as snowe: and his eyes were as a flamme of fyre:
(His heed, and his hears were whyte, as white woll, and as snowe: and his eyes were as a flamme of fire:)
TNT His heed and his heares were whyte as whyte woll and as snowe: and his eyes were as a flame of fyre:
(His heed and his hears were white as white woll and as snowe: and his eyes were as a flame of fire:)
WYC And the heed of hym and his heeris weren whijt, as whijt wolle, and as snow; and the iyen of hym as flawme of fier,
(And the heed of him and his hairs were whijt, as white wolle, and as snow; and the iyen of him as flawme of fire,)
LUT Sein Haupt aber und sein Haar war weiß wie weiße Wolle, wie der Schnee, und seine Augen wie eine Feuerflamme
(Sein Haupt but and his Haar was weiß like white Wolle, like the Schnee, and his Augen like one fireflamme)
CLV caput autem ejus, et capilli erant candidi tamquam lana alba, et tamquam nix, et oculi ejus tamquam flamma ignis:
(caput however eyus, and capilli they_were candidi tamquam lana alba, and tamquam nix, and oculi eyus tamquam flamma ignis:)
UGNT ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ, ὡς ἔριον λευκόν ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός,
(haʸ de kefalaʸ autou kai hai triⱪes leukai, hōs erion leukon hōs ⱪiōn, kai hoi ofthalmoi autou hōs flox puros,)
SBL-GNT ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ ὡς ἔριον λευκόν, ὡς χιών, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός,
(haʸ de kefalaʸ autou kai hai triⱪes leukai hōs erion leukon, hōs ⱪiōn, kai hoi ofthalmoi autou hōs flox puros,)
TC-GNT Ἡ δὲ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες λευκαὶ ὡς ἔριον λευκόν, ὡς χιών· καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός·
(Haʸ de kefalaʸ autou kai hai triⱪes leukai hōs erion leukon, hōs ⱪiōn; kai hoi ofthalmoi autou hōs flox puros;)
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).
1:14 White hair represents wisdom and maturity; this vision reflects Daniel’s vision of the Ancient One (Dan 7:9).
• His eyes . . . like flames of fire pierce through pretense; the One who knows everything will judge everyone (see Dan 10:6; Heb 4:13).
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
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys
ἡ & κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ τρίχες
the & head ˱of˲_him and his hairs_‹were›
John is not saying that both the head (that is, the skin of the head) and the hair of this person were while. Rather, this phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with and. The word head tells where this hair was. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “his hair”
Note 2 topic: translate-unknown
λευκαὶ, ὡς ἔριον λευκόν ὡς χιών
white as_though wool white as snow
If your readers would not be familiar with snow or wool, in your translation you could use the names of things they would be familiar with, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “were white as cotton, white as egret feathers” or “were brilliantly white”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet
λευκαὶ, ὡς ἔριον λευκόν ὡς χιών
white as_though wool white as snow
The phrases white as wool and white as snow indicate the same thing. John is using the two phrases together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “as white as the whitest things on earth”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός
the eyes ˱of˲_him like /a/_flame ˱of˲_fire
The point of this comparison is that the eyes of this person were very bright, like a flame. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “his eyes were as bright as a flame of fire”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo
φλὸξ πυρός
/a/_flame ˱of˲_fire
It might seem that the expression a flame of fire contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “a flame”