Revelation 21:23-27

21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. 21:24 The nations ¹  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ²  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ³  (and ⁴  there will be no night there). ⁵  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁶  of the nations ⁷  into it, 21:27 but ⁸  nothing ritually unclean ⁹  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ¹⁰  or practices falsehood, ¹¹  but only those whose names ¹²  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

¹ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

² tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

³ tn On the translation “during the day” see BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a, “But also, as in Thu. et al., of time within which someth. occurs, ἡμέρας during the day Rv 21:25.”

⁴ tn The Greek connective γάρ (gar) most often expresses some sort of causal connection. However, in this context there is no causal force to the second phrase; γάρ simply expresses continuation or connection. Because of this it has been translated as “and.” See BDAG 189-90 s.v. 2.

⁵ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

⁶ tn Grk “honor,” but BDAG 1005 s.v. τιμή 2.b states, “An outstanding feature of the use of τ., as already shown in several passages, is its combination w. δόξα…of earthly possessions τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν Rv 21:26 (τιμή concr.=an object of value: Ezk 22:25).”

⁷ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁹ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

¹⁰ tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

¹¹ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

¹² tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.