Daniel 8:10

8:10 It grew so big it reached the army ¹  of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army and some of the stars ²  to the ground, where it trampled them.

Daniel 8:12

8:12 The army was given over, ³  along with the daily sacrifice, in the course of his sinful rebellion. ⁴  It hurled ⁵  truth ⁶  to the ground and enjoyed success. ⁷ 

Daniel 7:25

7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.

He will harass ⁸  the holy ones of the Most High continually.

His intention ⁹  will be to change times established by law. ¹⁰ 

They will be delivered into his hand

For a time, times, ¹¹  and half a time.

Daniel 11:31-36

11:31 His forces ¹²  will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary, ¹³  stopping the daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up ¹⁴  the abomination that causes desolation. 11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile ¹⁵  those who have rejected ¹⁶  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ¹⁷  their God will act valiantly. ¹⁸  11:33 These who are wise among the people will teach the masses. ¹⁹  However, they will fall ²⁰  by the sword and by the flame, ²¹  and they will be imprisoned and plundered for some time. ²²  11:34 When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully. 11:35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.

11:36 “Then the king ²³  will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of ²⁴  wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. ²⁵ 

Revelation 13:10

13:10 If anyone is meant for captivity,

into captivity he will go.

If anyone is to be killed by the sword, ²⁶ 

then by the sword he must be killed.

This ²⁷  requires steadfast endurance ²⁸  and faith from the saints.

Revelation 16:6

16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,

so ²⁹  you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” ³⁰ 

Revelation 17:6

17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. ³¹  I ³²  was greatly astounded ³³  when I saw her.

Revelation 19:2

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ³⁴ 

For he has judged ³⁵  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ³⁶  poured out by her own hands!” ³⁷ 

[8:10]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “host.” The term refers to God’s heavenly angelic assembly, which he sometimes leads into battle as an army.

[8:10]  ² sn In prescientific Israelite thinking the stars were associated with the angelic members of God’s heavenly assembly. See Judg 5:20; Job 38:7; Isa 40:26. In west Semitic mythology the stars were members of the high god’s divine assembly (see Isa 14:13).

[8:12]  ³ tc The present translation reads וּצְבָאָהּ נִתַּן (utsÿva’ah nittan) for the MT וְצָבָא תִּנָּתֵן (vÿtsava’ tinnaten). The context suggests a perfect rather than an imperfect verb.

[8:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “in (the course of) rebellion.” The meaning of the phrase is difficult to determine. It could mean “due to rebellion,” referring to the failures of the Jews, but this is not likely since it is not a point made elsewhere in the book. The phrase more probably refers to the rebellion against God and the atrocities against the Jews epitomized by Antiochus.

[8:12]  ⁵ tc Two medieval Hebrew MSS and the LXX have a passive verb here: “truth was hurled to the ground” (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV).

[8:12]  ⁶ sn Truth here probably refers to the Torah. According to 1 Macc 1:56, Antiochus initiated destruction of the sacred books of the Jews.

[8:12]  ⁷ tn Heb “it acted and prospered.”

[7:25]  ⁸ tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”

[7:25]  ⁹ tn Aram “he will think.”

[7:25]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.

[7:25]  ¹¹ sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”

[11:31]  ¹² tn Heb “arms.”

[11:31]  ¹³ tn Heb “the sanctuary, the fortress.”

[11:31]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “will give.”

[11:32]  ¹⁵ tn Or “corrupt.”

[11:32]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “acted wickedly toward.”

[11:32]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “know.” The term “know” sometimes means “to recognize.” In relational contexts it can have the connotation “recognize the authority of, be loyal to,” as it does here.

[11:32]  ¹⁸ sn This is an allusion to the Maccabean revolt, which struggled to bring about Jewish independence in the second century B.C.

[11:33]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the many.”

[11:33]  ²⁰ tn Heb “stumble.”

[11:33]  ²¹ tn Or “by burning.”

[11:33]  ²² tn Heb “days.”

[11:36]  ²³ sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.

[11:36]  ²⁴ tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.

[11:36]  ²⁵ tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.

[13:10]  ²⁶ tc Many mss (C 051* 2351 Ï^A pc) read “if anyone will kill with the sword, it is necessary for him to be killed with the sword” (εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτενεῖ, δεῖ αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι). Other mss (א 1006 1611* 1854 al) are similar except that they read a present tense “kills” (ἀποκτείνει, apokteinei) in this sentence. Both of these variants may be regarded as essentially saying the same thing. On the other hand, codex A reads “if anyone is to be killed by the sword, he is to be killed by the sword” (εἴ τις ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν μαχαίρῃ ἀποκτανθῆναι). Thus the first two variants convey the idea of retribution, while the last variant, supported by codex A, does not. (There are actually a dozen variants here, evidence that scribes found the original text quite difficult. Only the most important variants are discussed in this note.) The first two variants seem to be in line with Jesus’ comments in Matt 26:52: “everyone who takes up the sword will die by the sword.” The last variant, however, seems to be taking up an idea found in Jer 15:2: “Those destined for death, to death; those for the sword, to the sword; those for starvation, to starvation; those for captivity, to captivity.” Though G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 169-70, gives four arguments in favor of the first reading (i.e., “whoever kills with the sword must with the sword be killed”), the arguments he puts forward can be read equally as well to support the latter alternative. In the end, the reading in codex A seems to be original. The fact that this sentence seems to be in parallel with 10a (which simply focuses on God’s will and suffering passively and is therefore akin to the reading in codex A), and that it most likely gave rise to the others as the most difficult reading, argues for its authenticity.

[13:10]  ²⁷ tn On ὧδε (Jwde) here, BDAG 1101 s.v. 2 states: “a ref. to a present event, object, or circumstance, in this case, at this point, on this occasion, under these circumstances…in this case moreover 1 Cor 4:2. ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν…Rv 13:18; cf. 17:9. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή…13:10; 14:12.”

[13:10]  ²⁸ tn Or “perseverance.”

[16:6]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.

[16:6]  ³⁰ tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”

[17:6]  ³¹ tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.

[17:6]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[17:6]  ³³ tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).

[19:2]  ³⁴ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ³⁵ tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ³⁶ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ³⁷ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).