14:13 Then 10 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, 11 because their deeds will follow them.” 12
14:14 Then 13 I looked, and a white cloud appeared, 14 and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! 15 He had 16 a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then 17 another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use 18 your sickle and start to reap, 19 because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So 20 the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
14:17 Then 21 another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
1 tn The Greek pronoun is plural here even though the verbs in the previous verse are singular.
2 tn The present tense ἀναβαίνει (anabainei) has been translated as a futuristic present (ExSyn 535-36). This is also consistent with the future passive βασανισθήσεται (basanisqhsetai) in v. 10.
3 tn The present tense ἔχουσιν (ecousin) has been translated as a futuristic present to keep the English tense consistent with the previous verb (see note on “will go up” earlier in this verse).
4 tn Grk “and.”
5 tn Grk “Here is.”
6 tn Or “the perseverance.”
7 tn Grk “who keep.”
8 tn The words “hold to” are implied as a repetition of the participle translated “keep” (οἱ τηροῦντες, Joi throunte").
9 tn Grk “faith of Jesus.” The construction may mean either “faith in Jesus” or “faithful to Jesus.” Either translation implies that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is to be taken as an objective genitive; the difference is more lexical than grammatical because πίστις (pistis) can mean either “faith” or “faithfulness.”
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
10 tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).
11 tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
14 tn Grk “and behold, a white cloud.”
15 tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Juio" tou anqrwpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).
16 tn Grk “like a son of man, having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
18 tn Grk “Send out.”
19 tn The aorist θέρισον (qerison) has been translated ingressively.
21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.