Hebrews 12:22

12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city ¹  of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly

Hebrews 12:28

12:28 So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe.

Hebrews 13:14

13:14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.

John 14:2

14:2 There are many dwelling places ²  in my Father’s house. ³  Otherwise, I would have told you, because ⁴  I am going away to make ready ⁵  a place for you. ⁶ 

Philippians 3:20

3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven – and we also await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

Revelation 21:2

21:2 And I saw the holy city – the new Jerusalem – descending out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:10-27

21:10 So ⁷  he took me away in the Spirit ⁸  to a huge, majestic mountain ⁹  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 21:11 The city possesses ¹⁰  the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. ¹¹  21:12 It has ¹²  a massive, high wall ¹³  with twelve gates, ¹⁴  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ¹⁵  are written on the gates. ¹⁶  21:13 There are ¹⁷  three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. ¹⁸  21:14 The ¹⁹  wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

21:15 The angel ²⁰  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now ²¹  the city is laid out as a square, ²²  its length and width the same. He ²³  measured the city with the measuring rod ²⁴  at fourteen hundred miles ²⁵  (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ²⁶  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ²⁷  21:18 The city’s ²⁸  wall is made ²⁹  of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. ³⁰  21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated ³¹  with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, ³²  the fourth emerald, 21:20 the fifth onyx, ³³  the sixth carnelian, ³⁴  the seventh chrysolite, ³⁵  the eighth beryl, ³⁶  the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, ³⁷  the eleventh jacinth, ³⁸  and the twelfth amethyst. 21:21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The ³⁹  main street ⁴⁰  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

21:22 Now ⁴¹  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ⁴²  – and the Lamb are its temple. 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. 21:24 The nations ⁴³  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁴⁴  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁴⁵  (and ⁴⁶  there will be no night there). ⁴⁷  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁴⁸  of the nations ⁴⁹  into it, 21:27 but ⁵⁰  nothing ritually unclean ⁵¹  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ⁵²  or practices falsehood, ⁵³  but only those whose names ⁵⁴  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[12:22]  ¹ tn Grk “and the city”; the conjunction is omitted in translation since it seems to be functioning epexegetically – that is, explaining further what is meant by “Mount Zion.”

[14:2]  ² tn Many interpreters have associated μοναί (monai) with an Aramaic word that can refer to a stopping place or resting place for a traveler on a journey. This is similar to one of the meanings the word can have in secular Greek (Pausanius 10.31.7). Origen understood the use here to refer to stations on the road to God. This may well have been the understanding of the Latin translators who translated μονή (monh) by mansio, a stopping place. The English translation “mansions” can be traced back to Tyndale, but in Middle English the word simply meant “a dwelling place” (not necessarily large or imposing) with no connotation of being temporary. The interpretation put forward by Origen would have been well suited to Gnosticism, where the soul in its ascent passes through stages during which it is gradually purified of all that is material and therefore evil. It is much more likely that the word μονή should be related to its cognate verb μένω (menw), which is frequently used in the Fourth Gospel to refer to the permanence of relationship between Jesus and the Father and/or Jesus and the believer. Thus the idea of a permanent dwelling place, rather than a temporary stopping place, would be in view. Luther’s translation of μοναί by Wohnungen is very accurate here, as it has the connotation of a permanent residence.

[14:2]  ³ sn Most interpreters have understood the reference to my Father’s house as a reference to heaven, and the dwelling places (μονή, monh) as the permanent residences of believers there. This seems consistent with the vocabulary and the context, where in v. 3 Jesus speaks of coming again to take the disciples to himself. However, the phrase in my Father’s house was used previously in the Fourth Gospel in 2:16 to refer to the temple in Jerusalem. The author in 2:19-22 then reinterpreted the temple as Jesus’ body, which was to be destroyed in death and then rebuilt in resurrection after three days. Even more suggestive is the statement by Jesus in 8:35, “Now the slave does not remain (μένω, menw) in the household forever, but the son remains (μένω) forever.” If in the imagery of the Fourth Gospel the phrase in my Father’s house is ultimately a reference to Jesus’ body, the relationship of μονή to μένω suggests the permanent relationship of the believer to Jesus and the Father as an adopted son who remains in the household forever. In this case the “dwelling place” is “in” Jesus himself, where he is, whether in heaven or on earth. The statement in v. 3, “I will come again and receive you to myself,” then refers not just to the parousia, but also to Jesus’ postresurrection return to the disciples in his glorified state, when by virtue of his death on their behalf they may enter into union with him and with the Father as adopted sons. Needless to say, this bears numerous similarities to Pauline theology, especially the concepts of adoption as sons and being “in Christ” which are prominent in passages like Eph 1. It is also important to note, however, the emphasis in the Fourth Gospel itself on the present reality of eternal life (John 5:24, 7:38-39, etc.) and the possibility of worshiping the Father “in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:21-24) in the present age. There is a sense in which it is possible to say that the future reality is present now. See further J. McCaffrey, The House With Many Rooms (AnBib 114).

[14:2]  ⁴ tc A number of important mss (Ì^66c א A B C* D K L W Ψ Ë¹³ 33 565 579 892 al lat) have ὅτι (Joti) here, while the majority lack it (Ì^66* C² Θ Ï). Should the ὅτι be included or omitted? The external evidence is significantly stronger for the longer reading. Most Alexandrian and Western mss favor inclusion (it is a little unusual for the Alexandrian to favor the longer reading), while most Byzantine mss favor omission (again, a little unusual). However, the reading of Ì^66*, which aligns with the Byzantine, needs to be given some value. At the same time, the scribe of this papyrus was known for freely omitting and adding words, and the fact that the ms was corrected discounts its testimony here. But because the shorter reading is out of character for the Byzantine text, the shorter reading (omitting the ὅτι) may well be authentic. Internally, the question comes down to whether the shorter reading is more difficult or not. And here, it loses the battle, for it seems to be a clarifying omission (so TCGNT 206). R. E. Brown is certainly right when he states: “all in all, the translation without ὅτι makes the best sense” (John [AB], 2:620). But this tacitly argues for the authenticity of the word. Thus, on both external and internal grounds, the ὅτι should be regarded as authentic.

[14:2]  ⁵ tn Or “to prepare.”

[14:2]  ⁶ tn Or “If not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?” What is the meaning of the last clause with or without the ὅτι? One of the questions that must be answered here is whether or not τόπος (topos) is to be equated with μονή (monh). In Rev 12:8 τόπος is used to refer to a place in heaven, which would suggest that the two are essentially equal here. Jesus is going ahead of believers to prepare a place for them, a permanent dwelling place in the Father’s house (see the note on this phrase in v. 2).

[21:10]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ⁸ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[21:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[21:11]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “from God, having the glory of God.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “the city” to refer back to the previous clause and translating the participle (“having”) as a finite verb.

[21:11]  ¹¹ tn On the term ἰάσπιδι (iaspidi) BDAG 465 s.v. ἴασπις states, “jasper, a precious stone found in various colors, mostly reddish, somet. green…brown, blue, yellow, and white. In antiquity the name was not limited to the variety of quartz now called jasper, but could designate any opaque precious stone. Rv 21:18f. W. λίθος 4:3 (TestSol C 11:8). λίθος ἴασπις κρυσταλλίζων a stone of crystal-clear jasper 21:11 (cp. Is 54:12); perh. the opal is meant here; acc. to some, the diamond.”

[21:12]  ¹² tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ¹⁴ tn On this term BDAG 897 s.v. πυλών 1 states, “gate, esp. of the large, impressive gateways at the entrance of temples and palaces…of the entrances of the heavenly Jerusalem…οἱ πυλῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν its entrances shall never be shut Rv 21:25; cp. vss. 12ab, 13abcd, 15, 21ab; 22:14.”

[21:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:13]  ¹⁷ tn The words “There are” have been supplied to make a complete English sentence. This is a continuation of the previous sentence, a lengthy and complicated one in Greek.

[21:13]  ¹⁸ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

[21:14]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:15]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:16]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

[21:16]  ²² tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”

[21:16]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:16]  ²⁴ tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

[21:16]  ²⁵ tn Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).

[21:17]  ²⁶ tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).

[21:17]  ²⁷ tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anqrwpou, {o estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.

[21:18]  ²⁸ tn Grk “and its wall”; the referent of the pronoun (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:18]  ²⁹ tn The phrase ἡ ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους (Jh endwmhsi" tou teicou") is difficult to translate precisely. BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνδώμησις states, “primary mng. ‘interior structure’; in our lit. prob.=construction, hence material τοῦ τείχους Rv 21:18.” The phrase could then be translated, “the foundation of the city wall was jasper” or “the material used for the wall of the city was jasper.” The latter alternative has been used in the translation because the text goes on to discuss the foundation in 21:19 (using the term θεμέλιος [qemelios]), which is somewhat redundant if the foundation is mentioned here.

[21:18]  ³⁰ tn Or “transparent crystal.” See L&N 6.222, which notes the emphasis is on transparency here. The same Greek word, καθαρός (kaqaros), means both “pure” (referring to the gold) and “transparent” (referring to the glass).

[21:19]  ³¹ tn The perfect participle here has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect.

[21:19]  ³² sn Agate (also called chalcedony) is a semiprecious stone usually milky or gray in color (L&N 2.32).

[21:20]  ³³ sn Onyx (also called sardonyx) is a semiprecious stone that comes in various colors (L&N 2.35).

[21:20]  ³⁴ sn Carnelian is a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[21:20]  ³⁵ sn Chrysolite refers to either quartz or topaz, golden yellow in color (L&N 2.37).

[21:20]  ³⁶ sn Beryl is a semiprecious stone, usually blue-green or green in color (L&N 2.38).

[21:20]  ³⁷ sn Chrysoprase is a greenish type of quartz (L&N 2.40).

[21:20]  ³⁸ sn Jacinth is a semiprecious stone, probably blue in color (also called “hyacinth,” but that translation is not used here because of possible confusion with the flower of the same name). See L&N 2.41.

[21:21]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ⁴⁰ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[21:22]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Every verse from here to the end of this chapter begins with καί in Greek, but due to differences between Greek and contemporary English style, these have not been translated.

[21:22]  ⁴² tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[21:24]  ⁴³ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

[21:25]  ⁴⁵ tn On the translation “during the day” see BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a, “But also, as in Thu. et al., of time within which someth. occurs, ἡμέρας during the day Rv 21:25.”

[21:25]  ⁴⁶ tn The Greek connective γάρ (gar) most often expresses some sort of causal connection. However, in this context there is no causal force to the second phrase; γάρ simply expresses continuation or connection. Because of this it has been translated as “and.” See BDAG 189-90 s.v. 2.

[21:25]  ⁴⁷ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[21:26]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “honor,” but BDAG 1005 s.v. τιμή 2.b states, “An outstanding feature of the use of τ., as already shown in several passages, is its combination w. δόξα…of earthly possessions τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν Rv 21:26 (τιμή concr.=an object of value: Ezk 22:25).”

[21:26]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ⁵¹ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

[21:27]  ⁵² tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ⁵³ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

[21:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.