Revelation 7:3-4

7:3 “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants ¹  of our God.” 7:4 Now ²  I heard the number of those who were marked with the seal, ³  one hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed from all ⁴  the tribes of the people of Israel: ⁵ 

Revelation 14:1

An Interlude: The Song of the 144,000

14:1 Then ⁶  I looked, and here was ⁷  the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.

Exodus 12:23

12:23 For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees ⁸  the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the Lord will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyer ⁹  to enter your houses to strike you. ¹⁰ 

Job 2:6

2:6 So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, ¹¹  he is ¹²  in your power; ¹³  only preserve ¹⁴  his life.”

Ezekiel 9:4

9:4 The Lord said to him, “Go through the city of Jerusalem ¹⁵  and put a mark ¹⁶  on the foreheads of the people who moan and groan over all the abominations practiced in it.”

Ezekiel 9:6

9:6 Old men, young men, young women, little children, and women – wipe them out! But do not touch anyone who has the mark. Begin at my sanctuary!” So they began with the elders who were at the front of the temple.

Ephesians 4:30

4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

¹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of new but related material.

³ tn Grk “who were sealed.”

⁴ tn Normally, “every,” but since 144,000 is the total number, “all” is clearer here.

⁵ tn Grk “the sons of Israel,” normally an idiom for the Israelites as an ethnic entity (L&N 11.58). However, many scholars understand the expression in this context to refer to Christians rather than ethnic Israelites.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

⁷ tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

⁸ tn The first of the two clauses begun with perfects and vav consecutives may be subordinated to form a temporal clause: “and he will see…and he will pass over,” becomes “when he sees…he will pass over.”

⁹ tn Here the form is the Hiphil participle with the definite article. Gesenius says this is now to be explained as “the destroyer” although some take it to mean “destruction” (GKC 406 §126.m, n. 1).

¹⁰ tn “you” has been supplied.

¹¹ tn The particle הִנּוֹ (hinno) is literally, “here he is!” God presents Job to Satan, with the restriction on preserving Job’s life.

¹² tn The LXX has “I deliver him up to you.”

¹³ tn Heb “hand.”

¹⁴ sn The irony of the passage comes through with this choice of words. The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to keep; to guard; to preserve.” The exceptive clause casts Satan in the role of a savior – he cannot destroy this life but must protect it.

¹⁵ tn Heb “through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem.”

¹⁶ tn The word translated “mark” is in Hebrew the letter ת (tav). Outside this context the only other occurrence of the word is in Job 31:35. In ancient Hebrew script this letter was written like the letter X.