Translation
Then I heard a voice from heaven
Go to footnote numberlike the sound of many waters,
Go to footnote numberand like the sound of loud thunder,
and the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing their harps,
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
Then I heard a voice from God, it sounded like it was coming from everywhere all at once,
and it expressed all the power of nature in one shocking note,
but that voice I heard was also
sweet and pleasant on many levels.
Footnotes
1
“Heaven” is more than God’s residence; it represents God Himself. In the Gospels, the term “kingdom of heaven” is synonymous with the “kingdom of God.” If something comes from heaven it is coming from God, for God controls all that goes in and comes out of His special presence.
2
“Waters” (plural) in Scripture were usually a symbol for abundance. It did not specify what it was that was abundant, context had to supply that. When this symbol is applied to a voice we get a voice that is powerful and sounds like it is coming from a great number of sources at one time. Yet the text says it was one voice, not many. Therefore, I have chosen to repackage it as, “coming from everywhere all at once.”
3: “Like the sound of harpists”
It was sweet on many levels because it was not just one harpist, not just one source of sweet sounds, but many. The Greek has an interesting way of expressing it: “The sound of harpists harping on their harps.”