Luke 1:12

1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.

Isaiah 6:4-5

6:4 The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke.

6:5 I said, “Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies.”

Acts 22:6-9

22:6 As I was en route and near Damascus, about noon a very bright 10  light from heaven 11  suddenly flashed 12  around me. 22:7 Then I 13  fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 22:8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ 22:9 Those who were with me saw the light, but did not understand 14  the voice of the one who was speaking to me.

Acts 26:13-14

26:13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, 15  I saw a light from heaven, 16  brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around 17  me and those traveling with me. 26:14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, 18  ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself 19  by kicking against the goads.’ 20 

Hebrews 12:21

12:21 In fact, the scene 21  was so terrifying that Moses said, “I shudder with fear.” 22 

Revelation 20:11

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then 23  I saw a large 24  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven 25  fled 26  from his presence, and no place was found for them.


tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).

tn On the phrase אַמּוֹת הַסִּפִּים (’ammot hassippim, “pivots of the frames”) see HALOT 763 s.v. סַף.

tn Isaiah uses the suffixed (perfect) form of the verb for rhetorical purposes. In this way his destruction is described as occurring or as already completed. Rather than understanding the verb as derived from דָּמַה (damah, “be destroyed”), some take it from a proposed homonymic root דמה, which would mean “be silent.” In this case, one might translate, “I must be silent.”

tn Heb “a man unclean of lips am I.” Isaiah is not qualified to praise the king. His lips (the instruments of praise) are “unclean” because he has been contaminated by sin.

tn Heb “and among a nation unclean of lips I live.”

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.

tn Grk “It happened that as.” 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.

tn Grk “going and nearing Damascus.”

10 tn BDAG 472 s.v. ἱκανός 3.b has “φῶς a very bright light Ac 22:6.”

11 tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

12 tn Or “shone.”

13 tn This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek using the connective τέ (te), but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence a new sentence was begun in the translation here. To indicate the logical sequence for the modern English reader, τέ was translated as “then.”

14 tn Grk “did not hear” (but see Acts 9:7). BDAG 38 s.v. ἀκούω 7 has “W. acc. τὸν νόμον understand the law Gal 4:21; perh. Ac 22:9; 26:14…belong here.” If the word has this sense here, then a metonymy is present, since the lack of effect is put for a failure to appreciate what was heard.

15 tn Grk “O King.”

16 tn Or “from the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

17 tn The word “everywhere” has been supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of περιλάμψαν (perilamyan). Otherwise the modern reader might think that each of the individuals were encircled by lights or halos. See also Acts 9:7; 22:6, 9.

18 tn Grk “in the Hebrew language.” See Acts 22:7 and 9:4.

19 tn Grk “It is hard for you.”

20 tn “Goads” are pointed sticks used to direct a draft animal (an idiom for stubborn resistance). See BDAG 539-40 s.v. κέντρον 2.

21 tn Grk “that which appeared.”

22 tn Grk “I am terrified and trembling.”

23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

24 tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

25 tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

26 tn Or “vanished.”