8:10 Then 3 the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; 4 it landed 5 on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
8:12 Then 6 the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day 7 and for a third of the night likewise.
2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, 22
for 23 all the high and mighty,
for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;
2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,
that are so high and mighty,
for all the oaks of Bashan; 24
10:17 The light of Israel 25 will become a fire,
their Holy One 26 will become a flame;
it will burn and consume the Assyrian king’s 27 briers
and his thorns in one day.
10:18 The splendor of his forest and his orchard
will be completely destroyed, 28
as when a sick man’s life ebbs away. 29
1:1 From James, 31 a slave 32 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 33 Greetings!
1 tn Or “a third of the living creatures in the sea”; Grk “the third of the creatures which were in the sea, the ones having life.”
2 tn On the term translated “completely destroyed,” L&N 20.40 states, “to cause the complete destruction of someone or something – ‘to destroy utterly.’ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν ‘a third of the ships were completely destroyed’ Re 8:9.”
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
4 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
5 tn Grk “fell.”
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
7 tn Grk “the day did not shine [with respect to] the third of it.”
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the fourth creature.
9 tc The reading “and I looked” (καὶ εἶδον, kai eidon) or some slight variation (e.g., ἶδον, idon) has excellent ms support ({א A C P 1611}) and its omission seems to have come through the
10 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
11 tn A sickly pallor, when referring to persons, or the green color of plants. BDAG 1085 s.v. χλωρός 2 states, “pale, greenish gray…as the color of a pers. in sickness contrasted with appearance in health…so the horse ridden by Death…ἵππος χλωρός Rv 6:8.” Because the color of the horse is symbolic, “pale green” is used in the translation. Cf. NIV, NCV “pale”; NASB “ashen.”
12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
13 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
14 tn Grk “And Hades was following with him.” The Greek expression μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ (met’ autou, “with him”) is Semitic and indicates close proximity. The translation “followed right behind” reflects this.
15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
17 tn Grk “with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
19 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (Jina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (Joti).
20 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
21 tn The article τῶν (twn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
22 tn Heb “indeed [or “for”] the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] has a day.”
23 tn Or “against” (NAB, NASB, NRSV).
24 sn The cedars of Lebanon and oaks of Bashan were well-known for their size and prominence. They make apt symbols here for powerful men who think of themselves as prominent and secure.
25 tn In this context the “Light of Israel” is a divine title (note the parallel title “his holy one”). The title points to God’s royal splendor, which overshadows and, when transformed into fire, destroys the “majestic glory” of the king of Assyria (v. 16b).
26 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
27 tn Heb “his.” In vv. 17-19 the Assyrian king and his empire is compared to a great forest and orchard that are destroyed by fire (symbolic of the Lord).
28 tn Heb “from breath to flesh it will destroy.” The expression “from breath to flesh” refers to the two basic components of a person, the immaterial (life’s breath) and the material (flesh). Here the phrase is used idiomatically to indicate totality.
29 tn The precise meaning of this line is uncertain. מָסַס (masas), which is used elsewhere of substances dissolving or melting, may here mean “waste away” or “despair.” נָסַס (nasas), which appears only here, may mean “be sick” or “stagger, despair.” See BDB 651 s.v. I נָסַס and HALOT 703 s.v. I נסס. One might translate the line literally, “like the wasting away of one who is sick” (cf. NRSV “as when an invalid wastes away”).
30 tn Or “perishes,” “is destroyed.”
31 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
32 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” 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.
33 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
34 tn Grk “and he has gone out and immediately has forgotten.”