Genesis 2:1

2:1 The heavens and the earth ¹  were completed with everything that was in them. ² 

Genesis 32:2

32:2 When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, ³  “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim. ⁴ 

Genesis 32:1

Jacob Wrestles at Peniel

32:1 So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God ⁵  met him.

Genesis 22:19

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together ⁶  for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed. ⁷ 

Psalms 103:21

103:21 Praise the Lord, all you warriors of his, ⁸ 

you servants of his who carry out his desires! ⁹ 

Psalms 148:2-4

148:2 Praise him, all his angels! ¹⁰ 

Praise him, all his heavenly assembly! ¹¹ 

148:3 Praise him, O sun and moon!

Praise him, all you shiny stars! ¹² 

148:4 Praise him, O highest heaven,

and you waters above the sky! ¹³ 

Isaiah 6:2-3

6:2 Seraphs ¹⁴  stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, ¹⁵  and they used the remaining two to fly. 6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ¹⁶  is the Lord who commands armies! ¹⁷  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Hebrews 1:6

1:6 But when he again brings ¹⁸  his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” ¹⁹ 

Revelation 5:11-13

5:11 Then ²⁰  I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their ²¹  number was ten thousand times ten thousand ²²  – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom ²³  were singing ²⁴  in a loud voice:

“Worthy is the lamb who was killed ²⁵ 

to receive power and wealth

and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and praise!”

5:13 Then ²⁶  I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: ²⁷ 

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power ²⁸  forever and ever!”

[2:1]  ¹ tn See the note on the phrase “the heavens and the earth” in 1:1.

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “and all the host of them.” Here the “host” refers to all the entities and creatures that God created to populate the world.

[32:2]  ³ tn Heb “and Jacob said when he saw them.”

[32:2]  ⁴ sn The name Mahanaim apparently means “two camps.” Perhaps the two camps were those of God and of Jacob.

[32:1]  ⁵ sn The phrase angels of God occurs only here and in Gen 28:12 in the OT. Jacob saw a vision of angels just before he left the promised land. Now he encounters angels as he prepares to return to it. The text does not give the details of the encounter, but Jacob’s response suggests it was amicable. This location was a spot where heaven made contact with earth, and where God made his presence known to the patriarch. See C. Houtman, “Jacob at Mahanaim: Some Remarks on Genesis XXXII 2-3,” VT 28 (1978): 37-44.

[22:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “and they arose and went together.”

[22:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “and Abraham stayed in Beer Sheba. This has been translated as a relative clause for stylistic reasons.

[103:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “all his hosts.”

[103:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “his attendants, doers of his desire.”

[148:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “heavenly messengers.”

[148:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all his host.”

[148:3]  ¹² tn Heb “stars of light.”

[148:4]  ¹³ sn The “water” mentioned here corresponds to the “waters above” mentioned in Gen 1:7. See also Ps 104:3. For a discussion of the picture envisioned by the psalmist, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 47.

[6:2]  ¹⁴ tn Hebrew שָׂרָף (saraf, “seraph”) literally means “burning one,” perhaps suggesting that these creatures had a fiery appearance (cf. TEV, CEV “flaming creatures”; NCV “heavenly creatures of fire”). Elsewhere in the OT the word “seraph” refers to poisonous snakes (Num 21:6; Deut 8:15; Isa 14:29; 30:6). Perhaps they were called “burning ones” because of their appearance or the effect of their venomous bites, which would cause a victim to burn up with fever. It is possible that the seraphs seen by Isaiah were at least partially serpentine in appearance. Though it might seem strange for a snake-like creature to have wings, two of the texts where “seraphs” are snakes describe them as “flying” (Isa 14:29; 30:6), perhaps referring to their darting movements. See the note at 14:29.

[6:2]  ¹⁵ sn Some understand “feet” here as a euphemistic reference to the genitals.

[6:3]  ¹⁶ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  ¹⁷ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[1:6]  ¹⁸ tn Or “And again when he brings.” The translation adopted in the text looks forward to Christ’s second coming to earth. Some take “again” to introduce the quotation (as in 1:5) and understand this as Christ’s first coming, but this view does not fit well with Heb 2:7. Others understand it as his exaltation/ascension to heaven, but this takes the phrase “into the world” in an unlikely way.

[1:6]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7.

[5:11]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:11]  ²¹ tn Grk “elders, and the number of them was.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:11]  ²² tn Or “myriads of myriads.” Although μυριάς (murias) literally means “10,000,” the point of the combination here may simply be to indicate an incalculably huge number. See L&N 60.9.

[5:12]  ²³ tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.

[5:12]  ²⁴ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:13]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:13]  ²⁷ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:13]  ²⁸ tn Or “dominion.”