3:1 “To 1 the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: 2
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 3 the one who holds 4 the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation 5 that you are alive, but 6 in reality 7 you are dead.
1:12 I 8 turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, 9 and when I did so, 10 I saw seven golden lampstands,
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
3 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.
4 tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).
5 tn Grk “a name.”
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
7 tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.
8 tn Throughout the translation John’s use of καί (kai) often reflects the varied usage of the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav). A clause which καί introduces has been translated in terms of its semantic relationship to the clause that preceded it. If the καί seemed redundant, however, it was left untranslated; that is the case in this verse.
9 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.”
10 tn Grk “and turning I saw.” The repetition of ἐπιστρέφω (epistrefw) is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been translated generally.