2:2 In the future 14
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure 15
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills. 16
All the nations will stream to it,
2:3 many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob,
so 17 he can teach us his requirements, 18
and 19 we can follow his standards.” 20
For Zion will be the center for moral instruction; 21
the Lord will issue edicts from Jerusalem. 22
2:4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares, 23
and their spears into pruning hooks. 24
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
2:5 O descendants 25 of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light. 26
7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,
and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven
will be delivered to the people of the holy ones 28 of the Most High.
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
all authorities will serve him and obey him.’
11:15 Then 29 the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:
“The kingdom of the world
has become the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ, 30
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
19:6 Then 31 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: 32
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God, 33 the All-Powerful, 34 reigns!
20:4 Then 35 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 36 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 37 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 38 came to life 39 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (that town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
4 tn Or “come near to you,” suggesting the approach (but not arrival) of the kingdom. But the combination of the perfect tense of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) most likely suggests that the sense is “has come upon” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2; W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91; and D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 2:1000; cf. also NAB “is at hand for you”). These passages argue that a key element of the kingdom is its ability to overcome the power of Satan and those elements in the creation that oppose humanity. Confirmation of this understanding comes in v. 18 and in Luke 11:14-23, especially the parable of vv. 21-23.
5 tn Grk “whatever town you enter,” but this is more often expressed in English as “whenever you enter a town.”
6 tn Or “city.”
7 tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people who live in the town) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 sn More discussion takes place concerning rejection (the people do not welcome you), as these verses lead into the condemnation of certain towns for their rejection of God’s kingdom.
9 tn The term πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to the “broad street,” so this refers to the main roads of the town.
10 tn Or “city.”
11 sn See Luke 9:5, where the verb is different but the meaning is the same. This was a sign of rejection.
12 tn Here ὑμῖν (Jumin) has been translated as a dative of disadvantage.
13 tn Or “has come near.” As in v. 9 (see above), the combination of ἐγγίζω (engizw) with the preposition ἐπί (epi) is decisive in showing that the sense is “has come” (see BDAG 270 s.v. ἐγγίζω 2, and W. R. Hutton, “The Kingdom of God Has Come,” ExpTim 64 [Dec 1952]: 89-91).
14 tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.
15 tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).
16 tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.
17 tn The prefixed verb form with simple vav (ו) introduces a purpose/result clause after the preceding prefixed verb form (probably to be taken as a cohortative; see IBHS 650 §39.2.2a).
18 tn Heb “his ways.” In this context God’s “ways” are the standards of moral conduct he decrees that people should live by.
19 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) after the prefixed verb form indicates the ultimate purpose/goal of their action.
20 tn Heb “walk in his ways.”
21 tn Heb “for out of Zion will go instruction.”
22 tn Heb “the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
23 sn Instead of referring to the large plow as a whole, the plowshare is simply the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow.
24 sn This implement was used to prune the vines, i.e., to cut off extra leaves and young shoots (H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:93; M. Klingbeil, NIDOTTE 1:1117-18). It was a short knife with a curved hook at the end sharpened on the inside like a sickle. Breaking weapons and fashioning agricultural implements indicates a transition from fear and stress to peace and security.
25 tn Heb “house,” referring to the family line or descendants (likewise in v. 6).
26 tn Heb “let’s walk in the light of the Lord.” In this context, which speaks of the Lord’s instruction and commands, the “light of the Lord” refers to his moral standards by which he seeks to guide his people. One could paraphrase, “let’s obey the Lord’s commands.”
27 sn The expression holy ones is either a reference to angels or to human beings devoted to God.
28 tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
30 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
31 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
32 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.”
33 tc Several
34 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.”
35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
36 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
37 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
38 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
39 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”