12:1 “At that time Michael,
the great prince who watches over your people, 1
will arise. 2
There will be a time of distress
unlike any other from the nation’s beginning 3
up to that time.
But at that time your own people,
all those whose names are 4 found written in the book,
will escape.
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 24 of his Christ, 25 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 26
the one who accuses them day and night 27 before our God,
has been thrown down.
1 tn Heb “stands over the sons of your people.”
2 tn Heb “will stand up.”
3 tn Or “from the beginning of a nation.”
4 tn The words “whose names are” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
5 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
6 tn Grk “rebuked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
7 sn The command Come out of him! is an example of Jesus’ authority (see v. 32). Unlike other exorcists, Jesus did not use magical incantations nor did he invoke anyone else’s name.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast involved in Jesus’ reply.
9 tn Grk “rebuked him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
10 sn The command Come out of him! is an example of Jesus’ authority (see v. 32). Unlike other exorcists, Jesus did not use magical incantations nor did he invoke anyone else’s name.
11 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 sn The departure of the evil spirit from the man without hurting him shows Jesus’ total deliverance and protection of this individual.
13 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
14 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the boy) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 sn At this point the boy was thrown down in another convulsion by the demon. See L&N 23.168.
16 tn See L&N 23.167-68, where the second verb συσπαράσσω (susparassw) is taken to mean the violent shaking associated with the convulsions, thus the translation here “and shook him with convulsions.”
17 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
18 sn This is a reference to an evil spirit. See Luke 4:33.
19 tn The word “even” is not in Greek; it is implied by the height of the contrast.
20 sn According to Jewish intertestamental literature (such as 1 En. 20), Michael was one of seven archangels.
21 tn The sentence structure is a bit different in Greek. Literally it reads: “But Michael the archangel, when arguing with the devil and disputing.”
22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
24 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
25 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
26 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
27 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”