Isaiah 6:3

6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ¹  is the Lord who commands armies! ²  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Revelation 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ³  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ⁴ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁵  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ⁶  no one can shut, and shuts doors ⁷  no one can open:

Revelation 4:8

4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings ⁸  and was full of eyes all around and inside. ⁹  They never rest day or night, saying: ¹⁰ 

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, ¹¹ 

Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

Revelation 6:10

6:10 They ¹²  cried out with a loud voice, ¹³  “How long, ¹⁴  Sovereign Master, ¹⁵  holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

¹ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

² tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

⁴ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

⁵ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

⁶ tn The word “door” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. Since the following verse does contain the word “door” (θύραν, quran), that word has been supplied as the direct object here.

⁷ tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

⁸ tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.

⁹ tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (eswqen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.

¹⁰ tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”

¹¹ 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.”

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹³ tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

¹⁴ tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.

¹⁵ tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).