“For he is good;
his loyal love toward Israel is forever.”
All the people gave a loud 2 shout as they praised the Lord when the temple of the Lord was established. 3:12 Many of the priests, the Levites, and the leaders 3 – older people who had seen with their own eyes the former temple while it was still established 4 – were weeping loudly, 5 and many others raised their voice in a joyous shout. 3:13 People were unable to tell the difference between the sound of joyous shouting and the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people were shouting so loudly 6 that the sound was heard a long way off.
6:16 The people 8 of Israel – the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles 9 – observed the dedication of this temple of God with joy. 6:17 For the dedication of this temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
38:6 On what 10 were its bases 11 set,
or who laid its cornerstone –
38:7 when the morning stars 12 sang 13 in chorus, 14
and all the sons of God 15 shouted for joy?
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were killed, 17
and at the cost of your own blood 18 you have purchased 19 for God
persons 20 from every tribe, language, 21 people, and nation.
5:10 You have appointed 22 them 23 as a kingdom and priests 24 to serve 25 our God, and they will reign 26 on the earth.”
5:11 Then 27 I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their 28 number was ten thousand times ten thousand 29 – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom 30 were singing 31 in a loud voice:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed 32
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and praise!”
5:13 Then 33 I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: 34
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power 35 forever and ever!”
19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
19:2 because his judgments are true and just. 36
For he has judged 37 the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,
and has avenged the blood of his servants 38 poured out by her own hands!” 39
19:3 Then 40 a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. 41 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground 42 and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”
19:5 Then 43 a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God
all you his servants,
and all you who fear Him,
both the small and the great!”
19:6 Then 44 I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: 45
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God, 46 the All-Powerful, 47 reigns!
1 tn Heb “they answered.”
2 tn Heb “great.”
3 tn Heb “the heads of the fathers.”
4 sn The temple had been destroyed some fifty years earlier by the Babylonians in 586
5 tn Heb “with a great voice.”
6 tn Heb “a great shout.”
7 sn The sixth year of the reign of Darius would be ca. 516
8 tn Aram “sons of.”
9 tn Aram “sons of the exile.”
10 tn For the interrogative serving as a genitive, see GKC 442 §136.b.
11 sn The world was conceived of as having bases and pillars, but these poetic descriptions should not be pressed too far (e.g., see Ps 24:2, which may be worded as much for its polemics against Canaanite mythology as anything).
12 sn The expression “morning stars” (Heb “stars of the morning”) is here placed in parallelism to the angels, “the sons of God.” It may refer to the angels under the imagery of the stars, or, as some prefer, it may poetically include all creation. There is a parallel also with the foundation of the temple which was accompanied by song (see Ezra 3:10,11). But then the account of the building of the original tabernacle was designed to mirror creation (see M. Fishbane, Biblical Text and Texture).
13 tn The construction, an adverbial clause of time, uses רָנָן (ranan), which is often a ringing cry, an exultation. The parallelism with “shout for joy” shows this to be enthusiastic acclamation. The infinitive is then continued in the next colon with the vav (ו) consecutive preterite.
14 tn Heb “together.” This is Dhorme’s suggestion for expressing how they sang together.
15 tn See Job 1:6.
16 tn The redundant participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated here.
17 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
18 tn The preposition ἐν (en) is taken to indicate price here, like the Hebrew preposition ב (bet) does at times. BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 5.b states, “The ἐν which takes the place of the gen. of price is also instrumental ἠγόρασας ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου Rv 5:9 (cp. 1 Ch 21:24 ἀγοράζω ἐν ἀργυρίῳ).”
19 tc The Greek text as it stands above (i.e., the reading τῷ θεῷ [tw qew] alone) is found in codex A. א 2050 2344 Ï sy add the term “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas), either before or after τῷ θεῷ, as an attempt to clarify the object of “purchased” (ἠγόρασας, hgorasa"). A few
20 tn The word “persons” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
21 tn Grk “and language,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
22 tn The verb ἐποίησας (epoihsas) is understood to mean “appointed” here. For an example of this use, see Mark 3:14.
23 tc The vast majority of witnesses have αὐτούς (autous, “them”) here, while the Textus Receptus reads ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”) with insignificant support (pc gig vgcl sa Prim Bea). There is no question that the original text read αὐτούς here.
24 tn The reference to “kingdom and priests” may be a hendiadys: “priestly kingdom.”
25 tn The words “to serve” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the word “priests.”
26 tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 ÏK pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 ÏA pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.
27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
28 tn Grk “elders, and the number of them was.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
29 tn Or “myriads of myriads.” Although μυριάς (murias) literally means “10,000,” the point of the combination here may simply be to indicate an incalculably huge number. See L&N 60.9.
30 tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.
31 tn Grk “saying.”
32 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
34 tn Grk “saying.”
35 tn Or “dominion.”
36 tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.
37 tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.
38 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
39 tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).
40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
41 tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”
42 tn Grk “creatures fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
45 tn Grk “like the voice of a large crowd…saying.” Because of the complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”
46 tc Several
47 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22…κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ π. Rv 19:6.”