Semantic Analysis: Revelation (요한계시록) — English → Korean
Methodology
This document analyzes the entire Greek text of Revelation, chapter by chapter, first to last. The core passage, Revelation 21:1–8, receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter receives a chapter section identifying load-bearing theological terms not already covered, with: original Greek word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English translation variants, contextual theological meaning in Revelation, and destination-language (Korean) rendering risk. Where a term is already fixed in the baseline Romans translation memory, that exact rendering is reused and only Revelation-specific contextual notes are added.
Korean risk assessment continues the baseline’s established risk categories, extending its documented collision zones (기복신앙 fortune-seeking faith, 무속신앙 shamanism and the mudang’s ritual role, Confucian jesa/ancestor rites, 단일민족 ethnic-nationalism, saju-paljja fatalism, Buddhist rebirth/liberation concepts) and adds Revelation-specific new zones this book’s own subject matter surfaces: the cultural valence of the dragon (용), Korean Buddhist folk-judgment cosmology (염라대왕/시왕), Korean folk-millenarian prophecy (정감록), and the shamanistic multiplicity of spirits (신령들).
PART 1 — CORE PASSAGE: Revelation 21:1–8 (Verse-by-Verse)
Revelation 21:1
Greek: Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν· ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθαν, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| new | καινός | kainos | new in kind/quality (not merely new in time) | fresh, renewed, of a new order/quality vs. νέος (new in time/age) | “new” | Signals qualitative renewal/re-creation, not simple replacement — the same theological “newness” as 고린도후서 5:17’s “new creation” | 새 | Low-Medium: Korean 새 is a plain adjective and does not by itself carry the “qualitatively new” nuance of καινός; must be taught alongside 새 창조 (new creation) concept so it is not read as merely “another one, numerically new” |
| heaven | οὐρανός | ouranos | sky, heaven, the abode of God | physical sky / God’s dwelling place / totality of created heavens | ”heaven,” “sky,” “the heavens” | The first, corrupted created order passing away, replaced by God’s re-created order | 하늘 | Low |
| earth | γῆ | gē | ground, land, the earth | soil / territory / the whole created earth | ”earth,” “land,” “world” | The physical creation renewed, not abandoned — grounds the doctrine of bodily, physical New Heaven and New Earth against escapist/immaterial readings | 땅 | Low |
| sea | θάλασσα | thalassa | sea, ocean | literal sea / apocalyptic symbol of chaos, evil origin (cf. Rev 13:1, beast rising “out of the sea”), separation | ”sea,” “the sea" | "No more sea” signals the final removal of the source/abode of chaos and evil power, not a literal geographic claim about oceans | 바다 | Medium: without noting the symbolic freight θάλασσα carries elsewhere in Revelation (13:1), readers may take this as a strange, arbitrary detail rather than the resolution of the dragon/beast-from-the-sea motif |
Revelation 21:2
Greek: καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἁγίαν Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινὴν εἶδον καταβαίνουσαν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἡτοιμασμένην ὡς νύμφην κεκοσμημένην τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| holy city, New Jerusalem | πόλις … ἁγία … Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινή | polis hagia Ierousalēm kainē | the holy city, new Jerusalem | God’s dwelling-place city / the consummated people of God pictured as a city | ”the Holy City,” “New Jerusalem” | Not a rebuilt earthly Jerusalem but the descending, God-given consummation of the Church corporately pictured as a city — reuses baseline 거룩한 (holy, High risk term) | 거룩한 성 새 예루살렘 | Medium: must reuse baseline 거룩한 exactly; must clarify “descending” (not humanly built, not humanly attained) against any works-righteousness or self-cultivation reading (cf. baseline’s 도를 닦아 얻은 의 caution) |
| descending | καταβαίνουσαν | katabainousan | coming down, descending | movement from a higher to lower place | ”coming down,” “descending” | God’s initiative — the city comes down to humanity; salvation and consummation are God’s gift, received not achieved | 하늘에서… 내려오는 것 | Low |
| bride | νύμφη | nymphē | bride, young married woman | a bride adorned for her husband; corporately, the Church in covenant union with Christ | ”bride,” “wife” | Central image for the doctrine “The Church as Bride of Christ” — introduces a term with no baseline precedent | 신부 | Medium: Korean traditional wedding customs are highly formal and hierarchy-conscious (Confucian family-alliance framing); teaching must emphasize covenantal intimacy and love, not a family-arranged, duty-bound match |
| adorned | κεκοσμημένην | kekosmēmenēn | adorned, made beautiful, ordered | ornamented/prepared for a specific occasion | ”adorned,” “beautifully dressed” | The Church prepared and beautified by God for consummation with Christ, not self-adornment/self-merit | 단장한 | Low |
Revelation 21:3
Greek: καὶ ἤκουσα φωνῆς μεγάλης ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου λεγούσης· ἰδοὺ ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ θεοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ σκηνώσει μετ’ αὐτῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ λαοὶ αὐτοῦ ἔσονται, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς μετ’ αὐτῶν ἔσται.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| throne | θρόνος | thronos | throne, seat of royal/judicial authority | God’s sovereign seat of rule throughout Revelation (4–5; 20; 21–22) | “throne” | Central image for “The Sovereignty of God over History” — God’s rule is the source of the announcing voice | 보좌 | Low: established KRV term reserved for God’s/Christ’s throne, distinct from generic 왕좌 |
| dwelling place, tabernacle | σκηνή / σκηνόω | skēnē / skēnoō | tent, tabernacle / to tent, to pitch one’s tent, to dwell | the OT tabernacle where God dwelt among Israel (cf. Exodus 25–40); here verbalized as God’s permanent dwelling with his people | ”dwelling,” “tabernacle,” “he will dwell/tent” | Fulfillment of the OT tabernacle/temple pattern: God’s presence is no longer mediated through a structure but is directly, permanently with his people — a climactic reversal of exile | 장막 / 함께 거하시리니 | Medium: must be taught as intimate, permanent, unmediated presence, not a shrine one visits (avoid confusion with 당집/절 already flagged in baseline under “church”), and not merely a return to jesa-style ritual approach to the divine |
| people | λαοί | laoi | peoples | God’s covenant people, here plural (“peoples,” inclusive of every nation) | “people,” “peoples” | Reinforces universal scope — God’s own people drawn from every nation, continuing baseline’s “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” doctrine | 백성 | Low-Medium: plural λαοί (peoples) should not be flattened to a single-ethnicity reading; avoid any resonance with 단일민족 framing already flagged in baseline under “gentiles” |
Revelation 21:4
Greek: καὶ ἐξαλείψει πᾶν δάκρυον ἐκ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν, καὶ ὁ θάνατος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, οὔτε πένθος οὔτε κραυγὴ οὔτε πόνος οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι, ὅτι τὰ πρῶτα ἀπῆλθαν.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| wipe away | ἐξαλείφω | exaleiphō | to wipe off, erase, obliterate | removal so complete no trace remains | ”wipe away,” “wipe” | God’s own tender, personal action — not a ritual removal but the personal Father’s comfort (extends baseline’s 아버지 doctrine) | 닦아 주시니 | Low |
| tear | δάκρυον | dakryon | tear (from weeping) | grief, sorrow expressed physically | ”tears” | Grief of the present fallen order, ended by God himself | 눈물 | Low |
| death | θάνατος | thanatos | death | physical death; also spiritual/eternal death (“second death,” v.8) | “death” | The final, decisive end of death itself in the consummated new creation — must be read together with “second death” in v.8 to avoid confusing the two senses | 사망 | Medium: Korean readers must distinguish this “no more death” (the abolition of ordinary death for God’s people) from “second death” (v.8, ongoing judgment for the unrepentant) — collapsing the two would blur the judgment doctrine |
| mourning / crying / pain | πένθος / κραυγή / πόνος | penthos / kraugē / ponos | grief-mourning / a cry, outcry / pain, toil, distress | grief expressions; crying out in distress; physical/emotional pain | ”mourning,” “crying,” “pain” | Comprehensive removal of every consequence of the Fall — grounds “Assurance of God’s Final Victory over Evil” | 애통하는 것 / 곡하는 것 / 아픈 것 | Low |
Revelation 21:5
Greek: καὶ εἶπεν ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ· ἰδοὺ καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα. καὶ λέγει· γράψον, ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ λόγοι πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί εἰσιν.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| the one seated (on the throne) | ὁ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῷ θρόνῳ | ho kathēmenos epi tō thronō | the one sitting upon the throne | recurring divine-authority title throughout Revelation (4:2,9-10; 5:1,7,13; 6:16; 7:10,15; 19:4; 20:11; 21:5) | “he who was seated on the throne” | God himself as speaker — his own direct first-person declaration frames the entire new-creation announcement | 보좌에 앉으신 이 | Low |
| I am making all things new | καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα | kaina poiō panta | new-things I-am-making all | present tense — an ongoing, decisive divine act | ”I am making all things new,” “Behold, I make all things new” | The thesis statement of the whole doctrine of New Heaven and New Earth: renewal, not annihilation-and-replacement from nothing; continuity and transformation of creation | 내가 만물을 새롭게 하노라 | Medium: care needed that 새롭게 하다 (make new) is read as transformative re-creation of the existing created order (continuity), not the Buddhist-adjacent idea of leaving one’s present existence behind for an entirely different, disconnected realm (cf. baseline’s caution against 해탈/윤회 escape-framing under “salvation”) |
| faithful and true | πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί | pistoi kai alēthinoi | faithful/trustworthy and true/genuine | reliability + genuineness; a divine self-description also applied to Christ (19:11) | “faithful and true,” “trustworthy and true” | God’s own words are certain and reliable — grounds assurance doctrine; πιστός shares its root with baseline’s 믿음 (faith) | 신실하고 참되도다 | Low-Medium: 신실하다 (faithful) should be kept distinct from Korean 의리 (loyalty-ethics fidelity, already flagged as a collision risk for 의/righteousness in baseline) — God’s faithfulness is a covenantal, not honor-code, reliability |
Revelation 21:6
Greek: καὶ εἶπέν μοι· γέγονεν. ἐγὼ τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος. ἐγὼ τῷ διψῶντι δώσω ἐκ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς ζωῆς δωρεάν.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| It is done | γέγονεν | gegonen | it has become/happened, it is done | perfect tense — a completed, settled fact | ”It is done!,” “It has happened” | The consummation is announced as an accomplished certainty, not a hope yet to be secured — grounds “Assurance of God’s Final Victory” | 이루었도다 | Low |
| Alpha and Omega | Ἄλφα καὶ Ὦ | Alpha kai Ō | first and last letters of the Greek alphabet | merism for total comprehensiveness — everything from beginning to end | ”Alpha and Omega” | Divine title of eternal self-existence and sovereignty over all history — direct ground for “The Sovereignty of God over History” | 알파와 오메가 | Medium: transliterated Greek letters carry no inherent meaning for Korean readers, who do not use a Greek-derived alphabet; must always be paired with its own gloss 처음과 마지막/시작과 끝 so the meaning is not lost, not merely treated as a mysterious title |
| beginning and end | ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος | archē kai telos | beginning and end | the first cause and final goal of all things | ”the Beginning and the End” | Parallels Alpha/Omega; God as origin and consummator of history | 처음과 마지막 | Low |
| spring of the water of life | πηγὴ τοῦ ὕδατος τῆς ζωῆς | pēgē tou hydatos tēs zōēs | spring/fountain of the water of life | source of eternal, life-giving sustenance (cf. John 4:14; Rev 22:1,17) | “spring of the water of life,” “fountain of living water” | Eternal life freely given by God himself, the final fulfillment of the gospel offer | 생명수 샘물 | Low-Medium: minor risk of conflation with Korean/East Asian legendary immortality-elixir motifs (불로초, the “herb/water of eternal life” sought by emperors in popular folklore) — must be taught as covenantal eternal life through Christ, received by faith, not a magical substance obtained by a quest or achievement |
| freely / without cost | δωρεάν | dōrean | freely, without payment, as a gift | given gratuitously, with no price exacted | ”freely,” “without cost,” “as a gift” | Reinforces baseline’s Critical-risk 은혜 (grace) doctrine: salvation’s final consummation is unearned, exactly as its inauguration was | 값없이 | High: this term functions as a direct doctrinal echo of baseline’s grace entry; MUST be taught with the same explicit anti-기복신앙 (fortune-seeking, transactional-exchange) safeguard already established for 은혜 — the water of life is never a reward purchased through ritual offering or performance |
Revelation 21:7
Greek: ὁ νικῶν κληρονομήσει ταῦτα, καὶ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ θεὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι υἱός.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| the one who conquers/overcomes | ὁ νικῶν | ho nikōn | the one conquering/overcoming | recurring refrain closing each of the seven letters (ch. 2–3) and throughout the book; the believer who perseveres in faith to the end | ”he who overcomes,” “the one who conquers,” “the victor” | Central term for “Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution”: not sinless perfection but faith-sustained endurance under pressure, including unto death (cf. 12:11) | 이기는 자 | High: must not be moralized into self-achieved victory (a “spiritual winner” reading that would collide with baseline’s forbidden earned-attainment framing, 도를 닦아 얻은 의) nor into Confucian honor-code endurance (인고/참을성 as a prized cultural virtue) detached from Christ; overcoming is a Spirit-enabled fruit of faith in the Lamb who himself “overcame” (5:5) |
| inherit | κληρονομήσει | klēronomēsei | will inherit, will receive as an heir’s portion | receiving what belongs to one by virtue of family membership, not by purchase or merit | ”will inherit,” “will receive as an inheritance” | Connects to baseline’s 양자 (adoption) doctrine — inheritance is the adopted child’s gift, not an earned wage | 상속으로 받으리라 | Medium: should be read together with baseline’s 양자/adoption note — Korean traditional adoption (양자) historically served instrumental, rite-continuation purposes (jesa); here inheritance flows from being God’s own child in relational belonging |
| son | υἱός | huios | son | family relationship, inheritance-bearing status | ”son,” “child” (inclusive) | Believers as God’s own children, echoing “Adoption into God’s Family”; note the deliberate resonance with 하나님의 아들 (baseline Critical term for Christ’s unique Sonship) — here used of adopted, not eternally-begotten, sonship | 아들 | High: must be clearly distinguished in teaching from baseline’s Critical 하나님의 아들 (Son of God, Christ’s unique co-equal deity) — this is derivative, adoptive sonship granted to overcomers, not a claim of equality with Christ’s eternal Sonship |
Revelation 21:8
Greek: τοῖς δὲ δειλοῖς καὶ ἀπίστοις καὶ ἐβδελυγμένοις καὶ φονεῦσιν καὶ πόρνοις καὶ φαρμάκοις καὶ εἰδωλολάτραις καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ψευδέσιν τὸ μέρος αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος.
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Korean rendering | Rendering risk |
|---|
| cowardly | δειλοί | deiloi | cowardly, fearful | fear that leads to denying/abandoning faith under pressure | ”the cowardly,” “the fearful” | Names failure of perseverance under persecution — the direct negative counterpart to “the one who overcomes” in v.7 | 두려워하는 자들 | Medium: must be distinguished from ordinary human fear/timidity as a personality trait; this names apostatizing fear that abandons Christ, tying directly to the persecution context of the whole book |
| unbelieving | ἄπιστοι | apistoi | without faith, unbelieving, faithless | lacking saving trust in Christ | ”the unbelieving,” “unbelievers” | Direct antonym of baseline’s High-risk 믿음 (faith) | 믿지 아니하는 자들 | Medium: must reinforce baseline’s distinction between saving faith in Christ and generic religious sincerity, superstition (미신), or fortune-telling confidence (사주팔자를 믿는 것) |
| detestable / abominable | ἐβδελυγμένοι | ebdelygmenoi | those who have been made detestable/abominable | morally/religiously defiling, especially through idolatry | ”the vile,” “the detestable,” “the abominable” | Names those morally corrupted by persistent idol-worship-adjacent sin | 흉악한 자들 | Low-Medium |
| murderers | φονεῖς | phoneis | murderers | those who unlawfully kill | ”murderers” | Standard moral category | 살인자들 | Low |
| sexually immoral | πόρνοι | pornoi | those who engage in πορνεία (sexual immorality) | fornication, sexual sin generally; also symbolically applied to idolatry/spiritual unfaithfulness (Babylon the harlot, ch. 17) | “the sexually immoral,” “fornicators” | Both literal sin and, throughout Revelation, a symbol for covenant unfaithfulness/idolatry (cf. ch. 17–18) | 음행하는 자들 | Medium: should be read alongside the book’s frequent symbolic use of 음행 for idolatry, so this list is not read only in its literal sense and miss the covenant-unfaithfulness dimension central to Revelation’s argument |
| sorcerers | φαρμάκοι | pharmakoi | those who practice φάρμακον (drugs/potions used in magic, sorcery) — root of English “pharmacy” | magic-workers, poisoners, practitioners of occult/magical arts | ”sorcerers,” “those who practice magic arts” | Names occult practice as excluded from the new creation — directly and explicitly names practices still current in Korean folk religious life | 술객 | CRITICAL: this is one of the most pastorally sensitive terms in the entire book for a Korean readership. 술객 directly names practices continuous with 무속신앙 (shamanism) — consulting a mudang (무당), fortune-tellers (점쟁이, already flagged in baseline under “prophet”), or folk magic — practices some Korean believers’ own families still engage in. Must be taught pastorally as a call to repentance and exclusive allegiance to Christ, not merely as remote ancient magic; never soften or omit in translation |
| idolaters | εἰδωλολάτραι | eidōlolatrai | idol-worshippers | worship of images/false gods | ”idolaters” | Direct violation of exclusive worship of God/the Lamb — the book’s central positive doctrine (“Worship of the Lamb”) stated negatively here | 우상 숭배자들 | High: must be taught in connection with the whole book’s beast-worship/Lamb-worship contrast (ch. 13–14, 19); in the Korean context this also connects to the historical jesa/ancestor-rite controversy already flagged Critical in baseline under “father” |
| liars | ψευδεῖς | pseudeis | liars | those who speak falsehood | ”liars,” “all liars” | Contrasts with God’s own “faithful and true” words (v.5) | 거짓말하는 자들 | Low |
| lake burning with fire and sulfur | ἡ λίμνη ἡ καιομένη πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ | hē limnē hē kaiomenē pyri kai theiō | the lake being burned with fire and sulfur | place of final, conscious judgment for the unrepentant (also 19:20; 20:10,14-15) | “the lake of fire,” “the lake that burns with fire and sulfur” | Final, just judgment of the unrepentant wicked — grounds “Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints” | 불과 유황으로 타는 못 | Critical: must be clearly distinguished from Korean Buddhist folk cosmology’s multi-tiered hell realms (지옥) administered by 염라대왕 (King Yama) and the Ten Kings (시왕) based on karmic accounting — biblical final judgment is the verdict of the one true God/Christ upon a person’s response to him (faith vs. unbelief), not a karma-based multi-judge tribunal weighing accumulated deeds |
| second death | ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος | ho thanatos ho deuteros | the death, the second (one) | final, eternal separation from God following bodily death and judgment; distinct from ordinary physical (“first”) death | ”the second death” | Must be read together with the “no more death” of v.4 (which refers to God’s people); the second death is reserved for the unrepentant | 둘째 사망 | High: risk of conflating with v.4’s “death shall be no more” if not carefully distinguished — teaching must clarify these describe two different groups’ two different destinies |
PART 2 — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY OF THE WHOLE BOOK
Chapter 1 — Prologue and Vision of the Risen Christ
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| revelation | ἀποκάλυψις | apokalypsis | an uncovering, unveiling, disclosure | ”revelation,” “apocalypse” | The book’s own self-designation and genre marker — grounds “Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation” as a controlling doctrine for the whole book | 계시 | Medium: readers must understand 계시 names a literary-theological genre (unveiling of hidden divine realities through symbol) requiring careful, non-literalistic symbolic reading, not a coded puzzle to be decoded like Korean folk-fortune divination texts (cf. baseline’s caution on 점/사주팔자 예측) |
| bondservant | δοῦλος | doulos | slave, bondservant | ”servant,” “bond-servant,” “slave” | John’s (and believers’) identity as Christ’s owned servants — a positive, honored status in NT usage | 종 | Low |
| testimony | μαρτυρία | martyria | testimony, witness | ”testimony,” “witness" | "The testimony of Jesus” — a key phrase recurring through the book (1:2,9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4), central to “Perseverance and Faithful Witness” | 증언 | High: must be kept distinct from, yet closely related to, 순교자 (martyr) below — not all who bear testimony are killed, but the book repeatedly links faithful testimony with willingness to suffer death for it |
| prophecy | προφητεία | prophēteia | prophecy | ”prophecy” | Reuses baseline term; Revelation calls itself prophecy (1:3; 22:7,10,18-19), framing the whole book under the baseline’s established “Fulfillment of Prophecy” doctrine | 예언 | Medium (baseline term reused) |
| the One who was, and is, and is to come | ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος | ho ōn kai ho ēn kai ho erchomenos | the being and the was and the coming (one) | “who is, and who was, and who is to come” | Divine title of eternal self-existence — foundational for “The Sovereignty of God over History” | 전에도 계셨고 지금도 계시고 장차 오실 이 | Low-Medium: theologically rich but linguistically transparent; ensure eternality (not mere longevity) is taught |
| seven Spirits | τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα | ta hepta pneumata | the seven spirits | symbolic number (seven = fullness/completeness) referring to the one Holy Spirit’s complete, sevenfold ministry (cf. Isaiah 11:2), not seven separate spirit-beings | ”the seven spirits” | Symbolic representation of the fullness of the one Holy Spirit before God’s throne | 일곱 영 |
| Almighty | παντοκράτωρ | pantokratōr | ruler of all, all-powerful | ”Almighty,” “the Almighty” | Central divine title for absolute sovereignty; grounds “The Sovereignty of God over History” | 전능자 / 전능하신 이 | Low-Medium |
| firstborn of the dead | πρωτότοκος τῶν νεκρῶν | prōtotokos tōn nekrōn | first-born of the dead ones | first in rank/preeminence among those raised, guaranteeing others’ resurrection | ”firstborn from the dead,” “firstborn of the dead” | Connects to baseline’s 부활 (resurrection, Medium risk) — Christ’s own resurrection as the guarantee and pattern of believers’ | 죽은 자들의 먼저 나신 이 |
| kingdom, priests | βασιλεία, ἱερεῖς | basileia, hiereis | kingdom; priests | corporate identity of believers as both a kingdom (under Christ’s rule) and priests (having direct access to God) | “a kingdom, priests to his God” | Foundational ecclesiology — every believer has direct priestly access to God through Christ, no human ritual intermediary required | 나라와 제사장 |
| endurance | ὑπομονή | hypomonē | steadfast endurance, patient perseverance under trial | ”patience,” “endurance,” “perseverance” | Central term for “Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution,” introduced here (1:9) and recurring throughout (2:2,3,19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12) | 인내 | Medium-High: must be distinguished from Confucian-inflected culturally prized quiet-suffering endurance (인고) detached from Christ — biblical ὑπομονή is Spirit-sustained hope-filled perseverance grounded in Christ’s promised return, not stoic self-discipline |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου | huios anthrōpou | son of man | Danielic/messianic self-designation (cf. Daniel 7:13) affirming Christ’s full humanity together with divine authority | ”Son of Man,” “one like a son of man” | Establishes Christ’s full humanity in the same vision that also affirms his full deity (blazing eyes, feet like bronze, etc.) — connects to baseline’s “Humanity of Christ” and “Deity of Christ” doctrines | 인자 |
| keys of Death and Hades | κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου | kleis tou thanatou kai tou hadou | keys of death and of Hades | authority over death and the realm of the dead | ”the keys of Death and Hades” | Christ’s resurrection victory grants him sovereign authority over death itself — grounds assurance doctrine | 사망과 음부의 열쇠 |
Chapters 2–3 — Letters to the Seven Churches
*Shares the repeated letter-formula vocabulary across both chapters (addressee, commendation, rebuke, exhortation, promise “to the one who overcomes”). New terms below, introduced across ch. 2–3 as a unit; chapter 3 reuses ch. 2’s core vocabulary (이기는 자, 회개, 둘째 사망 등) and adds only the items marked (3).
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| angel/messenger of the church | ἄγγελος τῆς ἐκκλησίας | angelos tēs ekklēsias | messenger/angel of the church | ”the angel of the church” | Rendered in KRV tradition as “사자” (messenger) rather than “천사” (angel) in this specific address formula — a deliberate translation choice worth flagging for consistency | 교회의 사자 | Low: note only for translator consistency, not doctrinal collision |
| repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | metanoia / metanoeō | change of mind, turning | ”repent,” “repentance” | Repeated call throughout the seven letters — moral/spiritual turning back to Christ | 회개 | Low: standard, well-established KRV term |
| tree of life | ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς | xylon tēs zōēs | tree of life | ”tree of life” | Edenic restoration motif (2:7; also 22:2,14,19) — access to it promised “to the one who overcomes” | 생명나무 | Low-Medium (see ch. 22 note on immortality-elixir folklore) |
| crown of life | στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς | stephanos tēs zōēs | wreath/crown of life | ”crown of life” | Victor’s wreath (not a royal crown), promised for faithfulness unto death (2:10) | 생명의 면류관 | Low-Medium: should be distinguished from royal 왕관, since 면류관 in this context is an athletic/victory wreath image tied to faithful endurance, not political kingship |
| hidden manna / white stone / new name | μάννα κεκρυμμένον / ψῆφος λευκή / ὄνομα καινόν | manna kekrymmenon / psēphos leukē / onoma kainon | hidden manna / white pebble / new name | ”hidden manna,” “white stone,” “new name” | Symbolic rewards of intimate covenant belonging given to overcomers (2:17) | 감추었던 만나 / 흰 돌 / 새 이름 | Low: symbolic imagery, minor comprehension risk requiring explanatory teaching, not doctrinal collision |
| synagogue of Satan | συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ | synagōgē tou Satana | synagogue/assembly of Satan | ”synagogue of Satan” | Names a specific false claim to covenant-people identity in the historical first-century setting of Smyrna/Philadelphia (2:9; 3:9), not Jewish people generally | 사탄의 회당 | High: must be taught with the same caution baseline attaches to “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” — never permit this phrase to be read as blanket anti-Jewish polemic; it names a specific local claim being rejected, not an ethnic group |
| the one who has the key of David | ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖν Δαυίδ | ho echōn tēn klein Dauid | the one holding the key of David | ”he who holds the key of David” | Christ’s messianic authority as heir of the Davidic covenant — extends baseline’s 다윗/다윗의 혈통 terms | 다윗의 열쇠를 가지신 이 | Low-Medium (extends baseline Davidic covenant note) |
| rod of iron | ῥάβδος σιδηρᾶ | rhabdos sidēra | iron rod/staff | ”rod of iron” | Messianic authority to rule/judge the nations (2:27; cf. Psalm 2:9; also 12:5; 19:15) | 철장 | Low-Medium |
| morning star | ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρωϊνός | ho astēr ho prōinos | the morning star | ”morning star” | Messianic title (2:28; also 22:16, self-applied by Christ) | 새벽 별 | Low |
| lukewarm *(3) | χλιαρός | chliaros | lukewarm | ”lukewarm” | Laodicea’s half-hearted faith, provoking God’s rejection (3:16) | 미지근함 | Low |
| I stand at the door and knock *(3) | ἕστηκα ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν καὶ κρούω | hestēka epi tēn thyran kai krouō | I have stood at the door and I knock | ”I stand at the door and knock” | Christ’s patient, relational invitation to renewed fellowship (3:20) | 문 밖에 서서 두드리노니 | Low |
Chapter 4 — The Throne Room of Heaven
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| throne | θρόνος | thronos | throne | ”throne” | Introduces the book’s central image of God’s sovereign rule, governing the entire vision (ch. 4–22) | 보좌 | Low (see note under core passage 21:3) |
| four living creatures | τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα | ta tessara zōa | the four living creatures | ”the four living creatures,” “four beasts” (older translations) | Worshiping beings surrounding God’s throne (cf. Ezekiel 1; Isaiah 6) | 네 생물 | Low-Medium: translators should avoid any term suggesting these are ordinary animals or (worse) shamanistic animal-spirit guardians (cf. baseline’s caution re: 산신령/tiger-spirit imagery) — they are heavenly worship-beings |
| twenty-four elders | οἱ εἴκοσι τέσσαρες πρεσβύτεροι | hoi eikosi tessares presbyteroi | the twenty-four elders | ”twenty-four elders” | Represent the redeemed people of God (OT+NT, 12+12) in heavenly worship | 이십사 장로 | Low |
| Holy, holy, holy | ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος | hagios hagios hagios | holy, holy, holy | ”Holy, holy, holy” | The Trisagion, unceasing angelic worship of God’s holiness (cf. Isaiah 6:3) — reuses baseline’s High-risk 거룩한 | 거룩하다 거룩하다 거룩하다 | Medium (reuses baseline 거룩한 caution re: shamanistic ritual-purity vs. moral holiness distinction) |
| worthy | ἄξιος | axios | worthy, deserving | ”worthy” | Repeated worship-refrain (4:11; 5:9,12) declaring God’s/the Lamb’s sole worthiness to receive worship — central to “Worship of the Lamb” doctrine | 합당하다 / 합당하신 | Medium: must be taught as declaring exclusive worthiness (no rival is worthy), directly opposing any this-worldly honor/achievement framing (cf. baseline’s caution on 영광 vs. 출세/명예) |
Chapter 5 — The Lamb Who Was Slain
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| scroll | βιβλίον | biblion | book, scroll | ”scroll,” “book” | The sealed scroll of God’s redemptive plan/judgment, openable only by the Lamb | 두루마리 | Low |
| Lion of the tribe of Judah, Root of David | ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ | ho leōn ho ek tēs phylēs Iouda, hē rhiza Dauid | the lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of David | ”the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” | Messianic royal-Davidic titles anticipating a conquering king; the following image (a slain Lamb) intentionally subverts triumphalist expectation — Christ conquers through sacrificial death, not military conquest | 유다 지파의 사자, 다윗의 뿌리 | Low-Medium (extends baseline Davidic covenant terms) |
| Lamb | ἀρνίον | arnion | little lamb (diminutive form, distinct from ἀμνός used of the Passover lamb elsewhere in the NT) | “the Lamb” | The book’s dominant title for Christ (used ~28 times), always evoking his sacrificial death yet now enthroned in glory and worthy of worship — the central term for the doctrine “Worship of the Lamb” | 어린양 | High: no baseline precedent (Romans does not use this title); must be taught as inseparably combining sacrificial death AND enthroned sovereignty AND rightful worship — the same figure who was slain now receives the worship due to God alone (5:13-14), a direct claim to full deity that must never be softened toward “an especially honored spiritual figure” |
| new song | ᾠδὴ καινή | ōdē kainē | new song | ”new song” | Worship-song celebrating the Lamb’s redemptive work — recurs at 14:3 | 새 노래 | Low |
Chapter 6 — The First Six Seals
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| seal | σφραγίς | sphragis | seal | ”seal” | Divine authorization/authentication marking the scroll’s judgments as certainly ordained by God | 인 | Low-Medium: minor note that Korean 인(印) also denotes an ordinary personal name-stamp/seal in daily bureaucratic use; teaching should clarify this is God’s own sovereign authorization, not a bureaucratic formality |
| four horsemen | οἱ τέσσαρες ἵπποι | hoi tessares hippoi | the four horses | ”the four horsemen” | Symbolic agents of conquest, war, famine, and death unleashed under God’s sovereign permission — grounds “The Sovereignty of God over History” even over calamity | 네 말 (백마·붉은 말·검은 말·청황색 말) | Low-Medium |
| the great day of their wrath | ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μεγάλη τῆς ὀργῆς αὐτῶν | hē hēmera hē megalē tēs orgēs autōn | the great day of the wrath of them | ”the great day of their wrath” | God’s/the Lamb’s righteous judgment on unrepentant evil — grounds “Judgment of the Wicked” | 그 진노의 큰 날 | Medium: 진노 (wrath) must be taught as God’s righteous judicial response to sin, not the capricious anger of a folk deity or spirit that must be ritually appeased (cf. baseline’s caution against 기복신앙-style appeasement transactions) |
| souls under the altar (martyrs) | αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἐσφαγμένων | hai psychai tōn esphagmenōn | the souls of those having been slaughtered | ”the souls of those who had been slain” | The faithful killed for their testimony, crying for justice — direct picture for “Perseverance and Faithful Witness” and its vindication | 죽임을 당한 자들의 영혼 | High: connects directly to 순교자 (martyr) concept; must be taught as the vindication (not abandonment) of the persecuted faithful, grounding assurance that God sees and will judge on their behalf |
Chapter 7 — The 144,000 and the Great Multitude
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| sealed | ἐσφραγισμένοι | esphragismenoi | having been sealed | ”sealed,” “marked” | God’s protective ownership-mark on his servants (7:3-4) — contrasts directly with the beast’s mark in ch. 13 | 인침을 받은 | High: must be taught in direct contrast with 짐승의 표 (mark of the beast, ch.13) — two competing, mutually exclusive marks of ultimate allegiance |
| 144,000 | ἑκατὸν τεσσεράκοντα τέσσαρες χιλιάδες | hekaton tesserakonta tessares chiliades | one hundred forty-four thousand | ”144,000” | Symbolic number (12×12×1000) representing the complete, full number of God’s sealed people — a major locus of “Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation” | 십사만 사천 | High: teaching must explicitly frame this as a symbolic number of completeness, not a literal census-count, to model the whole book’s symbolic-interpretation method and avoid speculative numerology |
| every nation, tribe, people, and language | πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ φυλὰς καὶ λαοὺς καὶ γλώσσας | pan ethnos kai phylas kai laous kai glōssas | every nation and tribes and peoples and tongues | ”every nation, tribe, people, and language” | The great multitude’s universal ethnic scope — directly extends baseline’s “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” / “Universal Scope of the Gospel” doctrines | 각 나라와 족속과 백성과 방언 | High: must resist any softening toward 단일민족 (single-ethnic-nation) framing already flagged in baseline; this is Revelation’s climactic vision of the gospel’s full ethnic inclusivity |
| the great tribulation | ἡ θλῖψις ἡ μεγάλη | hē thlipsis hē megalē | the tribulation, the great (one) | “the great tribulation” | The intense period of suffering the redeemed multitude has come through — grounds perseverance doctrine | 큰 환난 | Medium |
| washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb | ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν … ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου | eplynan tas stolas autōn en tō haimati tou arniou | they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb | ”washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” | Paradoxical image: cleansing/purity achieved through blood — Christ’s atoning death as the sole basis of the saints’ vindicated purity | 어린양의 피에 그 옷을 씻어 희게 하였느니라 | Medium-High: must retain the paradox (blood that cleanses rather than stains) clearly; avoid any drift toward a ritual-purification reading disconnected from Christ’s substitutionary atonement (cf. baseline’s caution distinguishing biblical holiness from shamanistic ritual purification, 부정을 씻음) |
Chapters 8–9 — The Seven Trumpets
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| trumpet | σάλπιγξ | salpinx | trumpet | ”trumpet” | Instrument announcing successive divine judgments — escalating covenant-lawsuit imagery echoing OT trumpet-of-the-LORD motifs | 나팔 | Low |
| the abyss / bottomless pit | ἡ ἄβυσσος | hē abyssos | the abyss, the depth without bottom | ”the bottomless pit,” “the abyss” | The prison-realm of demonic forces, opened and shut under God’s sovereign control — grounds “The Sovereignty of God over History” even over the demonic realm | 무저갱 | Medium-High: risk of conflation with the Korean Buddhist/folk-shamanistic multi-layered underworld (지옥/명부/저승), which has its own independent cosmology of judges and realms; must be taught as a place wholly under the one true God’s authority to open and shut, not a parallel independent spirit-realm |
| Abaddon / Apollyon | Ἀβαδδὼν / Ἀπολλύων | Abaddōn / Apollyōn | Destruction (Hebrew) / Destroyer (Greek) | “Abaddon,” “Apollyon” | Named ruler of the demonic locust-army from the abyss — “the Destroyer” | 아바돈 / 아볼루온 | Low: proper-name transliteration; minor note that this is a title meaning “destroyer” in both source languages, worth glossing |
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| little scroll | βιβλαρίδιον | biblaridion | little book/scroll | ”little scroll” | Prophetic commissioning symbol — sweet in the mouth (the joy of God’s word) yet bitter in the stomach (the cost of proclaiming judgment) | 작은 두루마리 | Low: minor imagery, chiefly requiring explanatory (not risk-mitigation) teaching |
No further new theologically load-bearing terms beyond 예언/선지자 (already established in baseline) appear in this chapter.
Chapter 11 — The Two Witnesses
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| two witnesses | οἱ δύο μάρτυρες | hoi dyo martyres | the two witnesses | ”the two witnesses” | Faithful prophetic witnesses who testify, are killed, and are vindicated by resurrection — a compressed picture of the whole book’s perseverance-and-vindication pattern | 두 증인 | High (extends 증언/증인 note from ch.1) |
| the beast rising from the abyss | τὸ θηρίον τὸ ἀναβαῖνον ἐκ τῆς ἀβύσσου | to thērion to anabainon ek tēs abyssou | the beast, the one coming up out of the abyss | ”the beast that rises from the bottomless pit” | First mention of “the beast” as the ultimate persecuting power (fully developed in ch. 13) | 짐승 | High (see full note at ch. 13) |
| temple of God | ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ | ho naos tou theou | the temple of God | ”the temple of God” | Symbolically measured, representing the protected true worshiping community — contrasts with ch. 21’s “no temple” (God himself as temple) | 성전 | Medium (extends baseline’s 교회 caution against 당집/절; sets up the Rev 21:22 climax) |
| the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ | ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ | egeneto hē basileia tou kosmou tou kyriou hēmōn kai tou christou autou | the kingdom of the world became (the kingdom) of our Lord and of his Christ | ”The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” | Central proclamation for “The Return and Reign of Christ” and “The Sovereignty of God over History” — the seventh trumpet’s climactic announcement | 세상 나라가 우리 주와 그의 그리스도의 나라가 되어 | High: must retain full force as a present/settled declaration of Christ’s coming universal reign, not softened into a merely future hope or a private/spiritual-only kingdom (extends baseline’s Low-risk 하나님의 나라 note, elevated here given Revelation’s explicit political-cosmic scope) |
Chapter 12 — The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the dragon | ὁ δράκων | ho drakōn | the dragon, serpent | ”the dragon” | Explicitly identified as “that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan” (12:9) — the ultimate symbol of cosmic evil opposing God and his people throughout the book (ch. 12, 13, 16, 20) | 용 | CRITICAL: this is the single most severe Korean cultural-collision term in the entire book. In Korean tradition 용 (dragon) is an overwhelmingly auspicious, positive symbol — royal authority (the king’s dragon-robe imagery), the still-venerated 용왕 (Dragon King of the sea, honored in coastal shamanistic 용왕제 rituals), and 용꿈 (a “dragon dream,” popularly considered an omen of great fortune, e.g. before childbirth or success). Revelation’s dragon is the diametrically opposite figure: Satan himself. Teaching MUST explicitly and repeatedly clarify this is apocalyptic symbolic identification of evil, never to be assimilated to Korea’s positive cultural-dragon complex; translators must never allow contextual softening that would let 용 read as anything but unambiguously identified with Satan in this book |
| Michael | Μιχαήλ | Michaēl | Michael (Hebrew: “who is like God?”) | ”Michael” | The archangel who leads heaven’s forces against the dragon | 미가엘 | Low: proper name |
| that ancient serpent | ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος | ho ophis ho archaios | the serpent, the ancient (one) | “that ancient serpent” | Identifies the dragon/Satan with the Genesis 3 serpent, tying Revelation’s cosmic conflict to the very beginning of the biblical storyline | 옛 뱀 | Medium (extends the 용/dragon Critical note) |
| the accuser | ὁ κατήγωρ | ho katēgōr | the accuser, prosecutor | ”the accuser” | Satan’s role accusing believers before God, now decisively defeated (12:10) | 참소하던 자 | Medium |
| they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony | ἐνίκησαν αὐτὸν διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀρνίου καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς μαρτυρίας αὐτῶν | enikēsan auton dia to haima tou arniou kai dia ton logon tēs martyrias autōn | they conquered him through the blood of the Lamb and through the word of the testimony of them | ”they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” | The book’s central formula for “Perseverance and Faithful Witness”: victory achieved through Christ’s atonement received by faith and displayed in faithful testimony, even “not loving their lives even unto death” (12:11) | 어린양의 피와 자기들이 증언하는 말씀으로 그를 이겼으니 | High: directly combines 어린양 (Critical), 증언 (High), and 이기다/이기는 자 (High) — must be preserved as an integrated formula, not fragmented, since it is the book’s own summary statement of how believers overcome |
Chapter 13 — The Two Beasts
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the beast | τὸ θηρίον | to thērion | the wild beast | ”the beast” | The dragon’s agent — a persecuting political-religious power demanding worship (13:1-10, from the sea) and a second beast/false prophet enforcing that worship (13:11-18, from the earth) | 짐승 | HIGH: modern colloquial Korean 짐승 can carry a demeaning “brutish/beastly person” connotation that risks flattening the cosmic-political weight of θηρίον; must be taught as a symbolic apocalyptic figure of ultimate anti-God political-religious power, directly opposed to the Lamb, not merely a rude insult-term. Also must be kept distinct from Korean shamanistic animal-spirit veneration (e.g., 산신령 tiger-spirit imagery already flagged in baseline) — the beast is not an animal-spirit to be respected/placated but a power to be resisted |
| mark | χάραγμα | charagma | a stamped mark, engraving | ”mark” | The beast’s mark of allegiance, required for economic participation (13:16-17) — direct counterpart to God’s sealing of his people (ch.7) | 표 | High: must be taught strictly as a symbolic ultimate-allegiance marker contrasted with God’s seal, resisting any speculative attempt to identify it with contemporary technology, national ID systems, or corporate-loyalty culture that would distract from the core call to resist idolatrous worship and remain faithful to the Lamb |
| the number of the beast, 666 | ὁ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, χξς΄ | ho arithmos tou thēriou | the number of the beast | ”the number of the beast, 666” | Symbolic (gematria-based) number falling short of the perfect divine number seven — humanity/human power’s ultimate imperfection set against God’s perfection | 짐승의 수, 육백육십육 | Medium-High: a major locus for “Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation” doctrine — teaching must model responsible symbolic reading and explicitly discourage speculative modern number-hunting, a pattern the book itself warns against by calling for “wisdom” (13:18), not certainty of identification |
Chapter 14 — The Lamb on Mount Zion and the Three Angels
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| firstfruits | ἀπαρχή | aparchē | first portion, firstfruits | ”firstfruits” | The redeemed 144,000 as the first, guaranteeing portion of the full harvest of God’s people | 첫 열매 | Low |
| eternal gospel | εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον | euangelion aiōnion | eternal/everlasting gospel | ”eternal gospel,” “everlasting gospel” | Universal proclamation call to worship the Creator — reuses baseline’s Medium-risk 복음 term | 영원한 복음 | Medium (baseline 복음 caution re: 기복신앙/기복 root reapplies here) |
| Babylon the great | Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη | Babylōn hē megalē | Babylon the great | ”Babylon the Great” | Symbolic name for the corrupt world-system/empire opposing God, fully developed in ch. 17–18 | 큰 바벨론 | Medium: proper-name symbol requiring explanatory background (the OT Babylon’s role in Israel’s exile) for full theological weight |
| the winepress of the wrath of God | ἡ ληνὸς τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ | hē lēnos tou thymou tou theou | the winepress of the wrath of God | ”the winepress of the wrath of God” | Harvest-judgment imagery for God’s final judgment of the unrepentant | 하나님의 진노의 포도주 틀 | Medium |
| rest from their labors | ἀναπαύσονται ἐκ τῶν κόπων αὐτῶν | anapausontai ek tōn kopōn autōn | they will rest from their labors | ”they will rest from their labors” | Promised blessing for those who die “in the Lord” — assurance for the persecuted faithful | 그 수고를 그치고 쉬리로다 | Low |
Chapters 15–16 — The Seven Bowls of Wrath
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb | ἡ ᾠδὴ Μωϋσέως … καὶ ἡ ᾠδὴ τοῦ ἀρνίου | hē ōdē Mōuseōs kai hē ōdē tou arniou | the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb | ”the song of Moses … and the song of the Lamb” | Ties the Exodus deliverance typologically to the Lamb’s final deliverance — worship response to God’s righteous judgments | 모세의 노래와 어린양의 노래 | Low-Medium |
| bowls of the wrath of God | αἱ φιάλαι τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ | hai phialai tou thymou tou theou | the bowls of the wrath of God | ”the bowls of God’s wrath” | Final series of comprehensive judgments — grounds “Sovereignty of God over History” and “Judgment of the Wicked” | 하나님의 진노의 대접 | Medium (see 진노 note at ch. 6) |
| Armageddon | Ἁρμαγεδών | Harmagedōn | Har-Megiddo (Hebrew: mountain of Megiddo) | “Armageddon” | Symbolic site of the final gathering of hostile powers against God — a place-name loaded with symbolic finality rather than necessarily a literal battlefield | 아마겟돈 | Low-Medium: proper-name transliteration; teaching should model the book’s own symbolic-reading method rather than encourage literal-geographic speculation |
Chapters 17–18 — Babylon the Great and Her Fall
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the great prostitute | ἡ πόρνη ἡ μεγάλη | hē pornē hē megalē | the prostitute, the great (one) | “the great prostitute,” “the great harlot” | Symbolic personification of the corrupt world-system’s idolatrous seduction of the nations — the negative counterpart to the Bride of Christ (ch.19, 21) | 큰 음녀 | Medium-High: must be kept clearly symbolic (a corrupt system, not a literal woman or a slur against any people group) and taught in direct structural contrast with 신부 (the Bride, ch.19/21) as the book’s two competing feminine symbols — covenant unfaithfulness vs. covenant faithfulness |
| sexual immorality (symbolic) | πορνεία | porneia | sexual immorality, fornication | ”sexual immorality,” “fornication,” “adulteries” | Applied symbolically throughout ch.17-18 to the nations’ political-economic-religious entanglement with Babylon’s idolatry | 음행 | Medium (see also core-passage note at 21:8) |
| kings of the earth | οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς | hoi basileis tēs gēs | the kings of the earth | ”the kings of the earth” | Earthly political powers complicit with Babylon, later contrasted with those who bring their glory into the New Jerusalem (21:24) | 땅의 왕들 | Low |
Chapter 19 — The Marriage Supper of the Lamb and the Rider on the White Horse
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| Hallelujah | Ἁλληλουϊά | Hallēlouia | Praise Yah(weh) (Hebrew) | “Hallelujah” | This chapter contains the New Testament’s only four occurrences of this Hebrew worship-exclamation — climactic praise for God’s judgment and reign | 할렐루야 | Low: established transliteration |
| the marriage supper of the Lamb | ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου | ho gamos tou arniou | the marriage/wedding of the Lamb | ”the marriage supper of the Lamb,” “the wedding feast of the Lamb” | Consummation of Christ’s covenant union with his Church — central image for “The Church as Bride of Christ” | 어린양의 혼인 잔치 | High (combines Critical 어린양 term with 신부/혼인 imagery; central positive doctrinal image of the whole book) |
| King of kings and Lord of lords | βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων | basileus basileōn kai kyrios kyriōn | king of kings and lord of lords | ”King of kings and Lord of lords” | The climactic title of the returning Christ (19:16) — the supreme, exclusive title for “The Return and Reign of Christ” | 만왕의 왕이요 만주의 주 | CRITICAL: directly extends baseline’s Critical-risk 주님 (Lord) entry to its most emphatic, superlative form; must retain full honorific grammar and absolute exclusivity — no rival king or lord, human or spiritual, shares this title. This is the single highest-stakes Christological title in the book |
| the false prophet | ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης | ho pseudoprophētēs | the false prophet | ”the false prophet” | The beast’s religious enforcer (introduced as the second beast in ch.13, named explicitly here and in 20:10) — direct antonym of baseline’s 선지자 (true prophet) | 거짓 선지자 | Medium-High: must be clearly distinguished from baseline’s 선지자 (true prophet, Medium risk) and also from Korean 점쟁이/무당 folk-diviner figures (already flagged in baseline) — this figure specifically counterfeits true prophetic authority in service of the beast |
Chapter 20 — The Millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| a thousand years | χίλια ἔτη | chilia etē | a thousand years | ”a thousand years,” “the millennium” | Christ’s bounded reign following his return, before the final judgment — a major focus of “The Return and Reign of Christ” doctrine, and a passage with significant, legitimate interpretive diversity within orthodox Christianity | 천 년 / 천년왕국 | HIGH: risks assimilation into two distinct, well-established Korean indigenous expectation-traditions — (1) Korean folk-prophetic literature (정감록, Jeong Gam Nok), which anticipates a coming new golden age/dynasty, and (2) Korean Buddhism’s Maitreya expectation (미륵신앙, already flagged Medium in baseline under “messiah”), which anticipates a coming golden age called 용화세계 (“Dragon-Flower World”) inaugurated by the future Buddha. Teaching must clearly ground this hope in Christ’s own historical return and reign, not an indigenous prophetic-utopian framework, while also respecting the passage’s genuine interpretive range among faithful readers |
| the first resurrection | ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη | hē anastasis hē prōtē | the resurrection, the first (one) | “the first resurrection” | Reuses baseline’s Medium-risk 부활; distinguished from a “second” resurrection (of the unrighteous, implied v.5) for final judgment | 첫째 부활 | Medium (extends baseline 부활 note against 환생/윤회) |
| Gog and Magog | Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ | Gōg kai Magōg | Gog and Magog | ”Gog and Magog” | Symbolic OT-derived names (cf. Ezekiel 38-39) for the final, futile rebellion of the nations against God | 곡과 마곡 | Low-Medium: proper names requiring OT background; risk is chiefly comprehension, not doctrinal collision |
| the great white throne | ὁ θρόνος ὁ μέγας ὁ λευκός | ho thronos ho megas ho leukos | the throne, the great, the white (one) | “the great white throne” | Final judgment scene of all the unrighteous dead — central image for “Judgment of the Wicked and Vindication of the Saints” | 크고 흰 보좌 | CRITICAL: this is Revelation’s single most direct point of contact with Korean Buddhist folk-cosmology’s vivid, culturally well-known judgment imagery — 염라대왕 (King Yama) and the Ten Kings of the underworld (시왕) who judge the dead’s accumulated karma, familiar to Korean readers through temple art, folk tales, and popular media. Teaching MUST clearly distinguish: one throne, one Judge (God/Christ), judgment based on response to Christ recorded in the Book of Life (not accumulated karmic merit/demerit), and a resurrection-body context (not a disembodied intermediate-state judgment) |
| the book of life | τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς | to biblion tēs zōēs | the book of life | ”the book of life” | The record of those who belong to God through faith in Christ, determining final destiny at judgment | 생명책 | High: must be taught as recording those united to Christ by faith (echoing baseline’s Critical 구원/의롭다 하심 doctrines), not a karmic ledger of accumulated good and bad deeds |
Chapter 21 — The New Heaven and New Earth (core passage vv.1–8 above; additional terms in vv.9–27)
Verses 1–8 receive full treatment in Part 1 above. The remainder of the chapter (vv.9–27), describing the New Jerusalem’s structure, introduces the following additional load-bearing terms:
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| twelve gates / twelve foundations | δώδεκα πυλῶνες / δώδεκα θεμέλιοι | dōdeka pylōnes / dōdeka themelioi | twelve gates / twelve foundations | ”twelve gates … twelve foundations” | Named respectively for the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles — architectural symbol uniting OT and NT people of God, extending baseline’s “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” doctrine | 열두 문 / 열두 기초석 | Medium: symbolic architecture requiring OT/NT-unity teaching, reusing baseline’s 사도 (apostle) term for the foundations |
| I saw no temple in it, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb | ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ, ὁ γὰρ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ ναὸς αὐτῆς ἐστιν καὶ τὸ ἀρνίον | naon ouk eidon en autē, ho gar kyrios ho theos ho pantokratōr naos autēs estin kai to arnion | temple I did not see in it, for the Lord God the Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb | ”I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” | Climactic resolution of the whole book’s temple motif (cf. ch. 11, and the earthly temple’s absence in the consummated city) — God’s and the Lamb’s direct, unmediated presence replaces every structure of mediated worship | 성전을 내가 보지 못하였으니 이는 주 하나님 곧 전능하신 이와 어린양이 그 성전이심이라 | High: a positive theological climax that must not be flattened; extends baseline’s 교회/성전 cautions (avoid 당집/절 framing) toward its resolution — the final abolition of any need for ritual-mediating structures, fulfilling rather than merely echoing the OT tabernacle/temple pattern |
| nothing unclean shall ever enter it | οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινόν | ou mē eiselthē eis autēn pan koinon | there shall not enter into it anything common/unclean | ”nothing unclean will ever enter it” | Moral, not ritual, purity requirement for entry into the consummated city | 속된 것은… 결코 그 성에 들어가지 못하되 | Medium: must be taught as moral purity through Christ (reuses baseline’s 거룩한 distinction between moral holiness and shamanistic ritual-purity concepts), not a ritual-cleanliness checkpoint |
Chapter 22 — The River of Life and the Epilogue
| Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal meaning | English variants | Contextual meaning | Korean rendering | Risk |
|---|
| the river of the water of life | ὁ ποταμὸς ὕδατος ζωῆς | ho potamos hydatos zōēs | the river of water of life | ”the river of the water of life” | Edenic-restoration imagery flowing from God’s/the Lamb’s throne — final fulfillment of the water-of-life offer of 21:6 and 22:17 | 생명수의 강 | Low-Medium (see immortality-elixir folklore note at 21:6/ch.2) |
| the tree of life | τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς | to xylon tēs zōēs | the tree of life | ”the tree of life” | Restored Edenic access, yielding fruit and healing “for the nations” — universal, ongoing provision | 생명나무 | Low-Medium (see ch.2 note) |
| no more curse | οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι κατάθεμα | ouk estai eti katathema | there will no longer be any curse | ”no longer will there be anything accursed” | The Genesis 3 curse fully and finally reversed — grounds “Assurance of God’s Final Victory over Evil” | 다시 저주가 없으며 | Low |
| his servants will worship/serve him | οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ λατρεύσουσιν αὐτῷ | hoi douloi autou latreusousin autō | his servants will serve/worship him | ”his servants will worship him” | Eternal, unmediated priestly service — reuses baseline’s 종 (servant)/제사장 themes in consummated form | 그의 종들이 그를 섬기며 | Medium (see 제사장 note at ch.1) |
| they will see his face | ὄψονται τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ | opsontai to prosōpon autou | they will see the face of him | ”they will see his face” | The beatific vision — direct, unmediated relational access to God, the ultimate fulfillment of covenant intimacy | 그의 얼굴을 볼 것이요 | Low |
| I am coming soon | ἔρχομαι ταχύ | erchomai tachy | I am coming quickly/soon | ”I am coming soon,” “I am coming quickly” | Repeated closing promise (22:7,12,20) of Christ’s imminent return — grounds “The Return and Reign of Christ” doctrine’s expectant, hope-filled urgency | 내가 속히 오리니 | Medium: “soon”/“quickly” (ταχύ) must be taught as certain and imminent in redemptive-historical terms, not calculable like a fortune-teller’s timetable (cf. baseline’s caution against 사주팔자/예언 divinatory-prediction framing); the point is confident hope and readiness, not date-setting |
| blessed are those who wash their robes | μακάριοι οἱ πλύνοντες τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν | makarioi hoi plynontes tas stolas autōn | blessed (are) the ones washing their robes | ”blessed are those who wash their robes” | Final beatitude tying back to 7:14’s blood-washed robes — perseverance in reliance on Christ’s atonement, not self-purification | 자기 두루마기를 빠는 자들은 복이 있으니 | Medium (see ch.7 note on blood-washing paradox) |
| The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come” | τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ νύμφη λέγουσιν· ἔρχου | to pneuma kai hē nymphē legousin, erchou | the Spirit and the bride say, Come | ”The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come‘“ | The Church’s Spirit-empowered longing invitation, joining the Holy Spirit’s own voice — a climactic union of pneumatology and ecclesiology (“Church as Bride of Christ”) | 성령과 신부가 말씀하시기를 오라 하시는도다 | High: combines baseline’s Critical 성령 term with 신부 (Bride); must retain the Spirit as fully personal (never assimilated to shamanistic spirit-invocation, baseline’s core caution) even while depicting the Spirit’s and Church’s shared longing for Christ’s return |
| do not add to or take away from the words of this prophecy | μὴ ἐπιθῇ … μὴ ἀφέλῃ | mē epithē / mē aphelē | let him not add … let him not take away | ”if anyone adds to … if anyone takes away from the words of the prophecy of this book” | Canon-integrity warning, reusing baseline’s 예언 term; guards the book’s own authoritative, closed prophetic status | 이 예언의 말씀에 더하거나 제하여 버리면 | Medium: reinforces the book’s self-identification as authoritative, closed prophecy (not an open-ended divinatory text subject to ongoing reinterpretation like folk-prophetic literature such as 정감록) |
| the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all | ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ μετὰ πάντων | hē charis tou kyriou Iēsou meta pantōn | the grace of the Lord Jesus (be) with all | ”the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all” | The book’s closing benediction — reuses baseline’s Critical 은혜 term, ending the whole apocalyptic vision on the note of unmerited grace rather than fear | 주 예수의 은혜가 모든 자들에게 있을지어다 | Critical (baseline 은혜 term reused exactly; fitting closing reinforcement that even this book of judgment ends in grace, not transactional appeasement) |
Summary Observation
Revelation’s Korean-specific risk profile concentrates in five zones not previously surfaced by the Romans baseline: (1) the dragon (용)‘s positive Korean cultural valence directly inverting its biblical meaning; (2) Korean Buddhist folk-judgment cosmology (염라대왕/시왕) colliding with the book’s judgment scenes; (3) Korean folk-millenarian and Maitreya-Buddhist expectation colliding with the millennium and new-creation hope; (4) the shamanistic populated spirit-world colliding with “seven Spirits” and general spirit/power language; and (5) the explicit, named judgment against 술객 (sorcery/mudang-adjacent practice), which is pastorally live rather than merely historical for many Korean readers. All five require Human Theologian review routing per the doctrine risk registry conventions established in the Romans baseline.