1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” 1 says the Lord God – the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come – the All-Powerful! 2
“You are just 4 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 5
1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, 11 which God gave him to show his servants 12 what must happen very soon. 13 He made it clear 14 by sending his angel to his servant 15 John,
1:4 From John, 16 to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: 17 Grace and peace to you 18 from “he who is,” 19 and who was, and who is still to come, 20 and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
5:11 Then 21 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 22 number was ten thousand times ten thousand 23 – thousands times thousands –
6:9 Now 24 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 25 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 30
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign. 31
4:1 After these things I looked, and there was 47 a door standing open in heaven! 48 And the first voice I had heard speaking to me 49 like a trumpet 50 said: “Come up here so that 51 I can show you what must happen after these things.”
“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, 55
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”
1 tc The shorter reading “Omega” (ὦ, w) has superior ms evidence ({א1 A C 1611}) to the longer reading which includes “the beginning and the end” (ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος or ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος, arch kai telo" or Jh arch kai to telo"), found in א*,2 1854 2050 2329 2351 ÏA lat bo. There is little reason why a scribe would have deleted the words, but their clarifying value and the fact that they harmonize with 21:6 indicate that they are a secondary addition to the text.
2 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.”
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
4 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
5 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7 tn Grk “And.” Because this remark is somewhat resumptive in nature, “as for” is used in the translation.
9 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
10 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
11 tn Some translations take the ὅτι (Joti) here as causal: “because he was, and is not, but is to come” (so NIV, NRSV), but it is much more likely that the subject of the ὅτι clause has been assimilated into the main clause: “when they see the beast, that he was…” = “when they see that the beast was” (so BDAG 732 s.v. ὅτι 1.f, where Rev 17:8 is listed).
11 tn The phrase ἀποκάλυψις ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (ajpokaluyi" Ihsou Cristou, “the revelation of Jesus Christ”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“the revelation about Jesus Christ”), subjective genitive (“the revelation from Jesus Christ”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). In 1:1 and 22:16 it is clear that Jesus has sent his angel to proclaim the message to John; thus the message is from Christ, and this would be a subjective genitive. On a broader scale, though, the revelation is about Christ, so this would be an objective genitive. One important point to note is that the phrase under consideration is best regarded as the title of the book and therefore refers to the whole of the work in all its aspects. This fact favors considering this as a plenary genitive.
12 tn Grk “slaves.” Although this translation frequently renders δοῦλος (doulos) as “slave,” the connotation is often of one who has sold himself into slavery; in a spiritual sense, the idea is that of becoming a slave of God or of Jesus Christ voluntarily. The voluntary notion is not conspicuous here; hence, the translation “servants.” In any case, the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
13 tn BDAG 992-93 s.v. τάχος has “quickly, at once, without delay Ac 10:33 D; 12:7; 17:15 D; 22:18; 1 Cl 48:1; 63:4…soon, in a short time…Rv 1:1; 22:6…shortly Ac 25:4.”
14 tn Or “He indicated it clearly” (L&N 33.153).
15 tn See the note on the word “servants” earlier in this verse.
13 tn Grk “John.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
14 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
15 tn It is probable that the ὑμῖν (Jumin) applies to both elements of the greeting, i.e., to both grace and peace.
16 tc The earliest and best
17 tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.d states: “The expr. εἰρήνη ἀπὸ ‘ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος’ Rv 1:4 is quite extraordinary. It may be an interpretation of the name Yahweh already current, or an attempt to show reverence for the divine name by preserving it unchanged, or simply one more of the grammatical peculiarities so frequent in Rv.”
15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
16 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.
17 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.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new and somewhat different topic after the introduction of the four riders.
18 tn Or “murdered.” See the note on the word “butcher” in 6:4.
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.
20 tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.
21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
21 tn Grk “saying.”
22 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.”
23 tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.
23 tn Or “a voice” (cf. Rev 1:15), but since in this context nothing is mentioned as the content of the voice, it is preferable to translate φωνή (fwnh) as “sound” here.
24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new topic.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the detailed description of the woman, which is somewhat parenthetical in nature.
26 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
27 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
28 tn Grk “pearls, having in her hand.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
29 tc Several
27 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
28 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
29 tn Grk “I have given.”
30 tn Grk “to shut it,” but English would leave the direct object understood in this case.
31 tn This translation is based on connecting the ὅτι (Joti) clause with the οἶδα (oida) at the beginning of the verse, giving the content of what is known (see also 3:1, 3:15 for parallels). Because of the intervening clause that is virtually parenthetical (see the note on the word “shut” earlier in this verse), the words “I know that” from the beginning of the verse had to be repeated to make this connection clear for the English reader. However, the ὅτι could be understood as introducing a causal subordinate clause instead and thus translated, “because you have.”
32 tn Or “little power.”
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
34 tn Grk “and having kept.” The participle ἐτήρησας (ethrhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the translation of τηρέω (threw) as “obey” see L&N 36.19. This is the same word that is used in 3:10 (there translated “kept”) where there is a play on words.
31 tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
32 tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
33 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
34 sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.
35 tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.
33 tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.
34 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.
35 tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”
36 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.”
35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
36 tn The participle λαλοῦσαν (lalousan) has been translated as “began to speak.” The use of πάλιν (palin) indicates an ingressive idea.
37 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
38 tn Grk “again, saying.” The participle λέγουσαν (legousan) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
39 tn The perfect passive participle ἠνεῳγμένον (hnewgmenon) is in second attributive position and has been translated as an attributive adjective.
37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.
38 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
39 tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.