24:4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground 3 with eyes open: 4
24:16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,
and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
8:1 In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, 5 as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of me, the hand 6 of the sovereign Lord seized me. 7 8:2 As I watched, I noticed 8 a form that appeared to be a man. 9 From his waist downward was something like fire, 10 and from his waist upward something like a brightness, 11 like an amber glow. 12 8:3 He stretched out the form 13 of a hand and grabbed me by a lock of hair on my head. Then a wind 14 lifted me up between the earth and sky and brought me to Jerusalem 15 by means of divine visions, to the door of the inner gate which faces north where the statue 16 which provokes to jealousy was located.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me.
1:3 We always 27 give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 1:4 since 28 we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.
1 tn Grk “It happened to me that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
2 tn BDAG 309 s.v. ἔκστασις 2 has “γενέσθαι ἐν ἐκστάσει fall into a trance Ac 22:17.”
3 tn The phrase “flat on the ground” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The Greek version interprets the line to mean “falling asleep.” It may mean falling into a trance.
4 tn The last colon simply has “falling, but opened eyes.” The falling may simply refer to lying prone; and the opened eyes may refer to his receiving a vision. See H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, 37-41.
5 tc The LXX reads “In the sixth year, in the fifth month, on the fifth of the month.”
6 tn Or “power.”
7 tn Heb “fell upon me there,” that is, God’s influence came over him.
8 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb (so also throughout the chapter).
9 tc The MT reads “fire” rather than “man,” the reading of the LXX. The nouns are very similar in Hebrew.
10 tc The MT reads “what appeared to be his waist and downwards was fire.” The LXX omits “what appeared to be,” reading “from his waist to below was fire.” Suggesting that “like what appeared to be” belongs before “fire,” D. I. Block (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:277) points out the resulting poetic symmetry of form with the next line as followed in the translation here.
11 tc The LXX omits “like a brightness.”
12 tn See Ezek 1:4.
13 tn The Hebrew term is normally used as an architectural term in describing the pattern of the tabernacle or temple or a representation of it (see Exod 25:8; 1 Chr 28:11).
14 tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.
15 map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
16 tn Or “image.”
17 tn Or “spirit.” See note on “wind” in 2:2.
18 tn Heb “to Chaldea.”
19 tn The expression introduces the three major visions of Ezekiel (1:1; 8:3; 40:2).
20 tn The reference to a very high mountain is harmonious with Isa 2:2.
21 tn The expression introduces the three major visions of Ezekiel (1:1; 8:3; 40:2).
22 tn The reference to a very high mountain is harmonious with Isa 2:2.
23 tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.
24 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
25 tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”
26 tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these
27 tn The adverb πάντοτε (pantote) is understood to modify the indicative εὐχαριστοῦμεν (eucaristoumen) because it precedes περὶ ὑμῶν (peri Jumwn) which probably modifies the indicative and not the participle προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi). But see 1:9 where the same expression occurs and περὶ ὑμῶν modifies the participle “praying” (προσευχόμενοι).
28 tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).
29 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
30 tn Concerning the phrase κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ (kuriakh Jhmera) BDAG 576 s.v. κυριακός states: “pert. to belonging to the Lord, the Lord’s…κ. ἡμέρᾳ the Lord’s day (Kephal. I 192, 1; 193, 31…) i.e. certainly Sunday (so in Mod. Gk….) Rv 1:10 (WStott, NTS 12, ’65, 70-75).”
31 tn The conjunction καί (kai) is not introducing a coordinate thought, but one that is logically subordinate to the main verb ἐγενόμην (egenomhn).
32 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
33 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
34 tn BDAG 537 s.v. κεῖμαι 2 gives the translation “stand” for the term in this verse.
35 tn Grk “jasper stone.”
36 sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).
37 tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”