Abstract
This article aims to show how ?ν θαν?ι? in Revelation 6:8 should be translated into Korean. ?ν θαν?ι? in Revelation 6:8 is used in the context of enumerating the method of killing. However, it has been translated, especially in Korean Bible translations, in the general sense of death. Such a translation cannot be differentiated from the personified agent of killing, ‘death’, found in the immediate context. By contrast, English Bible translations have continuously sought to find a translation which makes sense.<BR> It is said that the word θ?νατο? has another meaning besides the general meaning of death. This special meaning of θ?νατο? belongs to the meaning field of ‘disease’. The thesis of this article is that the very special meaning of θ?νατο? can be applied to Revelation 6:8. The special meaning of θ?νατο? is found in two contexts: one is the dative form of θ?νατο? used with the verb ?πνακτ??ναι the other is the noun θ?νατο? used in the list of plagues. <BR> Internal and external evidences can be given to prove the thesis. Internal evidence is that the similar usage of θ?νατο? with its related form is found in Revelation 2:23 and Revelation 18:8. This evidence is also explained in comparison with both the English and the Korean translations.<BR> External evidences are given in two ways: Firstly, the word [히브리어 본문참조] in BHS of which the meaning belongs to the meaning field of ‘disease’, is mostly translated into θ?νατο? in LXX. Secondly, the Old Testament sources (Lev 26:14-26; Eze 14:21, etc.) behind Revelation 6:8 also show the special meanings of ‘disease’. In addition, Luke 21:11, which is known to have affected the list of plagues in Revelation 6:8, uses the word θ?νατο? in the plague list with only the special meaning of ‘disease’. These intertexts of the Old Testament sources and the eschatological discourses of the synoptic Gospels are valuable in assessing the evidence.<BR> Finally, a desirable Korean translation of ‘jonyeombeong’ (meaning epidemic/ pestilence) is suggested at the end, after examining the relevance of English and Korean renderings of the word θ?νατο? in English and Korean Bible translations. The relevance of translation in any translation always matters.
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