Jeremiah 1:10

1:10 Know for certain that ¹  I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be ²  uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” ³ 

Jeremiah 30:18

The Lord Will Restore Israel and Judah

30:18 The Lord says,

“I will restore the ruined houses of the descendants of Jacob.

I will show compassion on their ruined homes. ⁴ 

Every city will be rebuilt on its former ruins. ⁵ 

Every fortified dwelling will occupy its traditional site. ⁶ 

Jeremiah 33:7

33:7 I will restore Judah and Israel ⁷  and will rebuild them as they were in days of old. ⁸ 

Psalms 51:18

51:18 Because you favor Zion, do what is good for her! ⁹ 

Fortify ¹⁰  the walls of Jerusalem! ¹¹ 

Psalms 69:35

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people ¹²  will again live in them and possess Zion. ¹³ 

Amos 9:11

The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty

9:11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut ¹⁴  of David.

I will seal its ¹⁵  gaps,

repair its ¹⁶  ruins,

and restore it to what it was like in days gone by. ¹⁷ 

Acts 15:16

15:16 ‘After this ¹⁸  I ¹⁹  will return,

and I will rebuild the fallen tent ²⁰  of David;

I will rebuild its ruins and restore ²¹  it,

Ephesians 2:20-22

2:20 because you have been built ²²  on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, ²³  with Christ Jesus himself as ²⁴  the cornerstone. ²⁵  2:21 In him ²⁶  the whole building, ²⁷  being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Revelation 21:10-27

21:10 So ²⁸  he took me away in the Spirit ²⁹  to a huge, majestic mountain ³⁰  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 21:11 The city possesses ³¹  the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. ³²  21:12 It has ³³  a massive, high wall ³⁴  with twelve gates, ³⁵  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ³⁶  are written on the gates. ³⁷  21:13 There are ³⁸  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. ³⁹  21:14 The ⁴⁰  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 ⁴¹  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now ⁴²  the city is laid out as a square, ⁴³  its length and width the same. He ⁴⁴  measured the city with the measuring rod ⁴⁵  at fourteen hundred miles ⁴⁶  (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ⁴⁷  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ⁴⁸  21:18 The city’s ⁴⁹  wall is made ⁵⁰  of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. ⁵¹  21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated ⁵²  with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, ⁵³  the fourth emerald, 21:20 the fifth onyx, ⁵⁴  the sixth carnelian, ⁵⁵  the seventh chrysolite, ⁵⁶  the eighth beryl, ⁵⁷  the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, ⁵⁸  the eleventh jacinth, ⁵⁹  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 ⁶⁰  main street ⁶¹  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

21:22 Now ⁶²  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ⁶³  – 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 ⁶⁴  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁶⁵  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁶⁶  (and ⁶⁷  there will be no night there). ⁶⁸  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁶⁹  of the nations ⁷⁰  into it, 21:27 but ⁷¹  nothing ritually unclean ⁷²  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ⁷³  or practices falsehood, ⁷⁴  but only those whose names ⁷⁵  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[1:10]  ¹ tn Heb “See!” The Hebrew imperative of the verb used here (רָאָה, ra’ah) functions the same as the particle in v. 9. See the translator’s note there.

[1:10]  ² tn Heb “I appoint you today over nations and kingdoms to uproot….” The phrase refers to the Lord giving Jeremiah authority as a prophet to declare what he, the Lord, will do; it does not mean that Jeremiah himself will do these things. The expression involves a figure of speech where the subject of a declaration is stated instead of the declaration about it. Compare a similar use of the same figure in Gen 41:13.

[1:10]  ³ sn These three pairs represent the twofold nature of Jeremiah’s prophecies, prophecies of judgment and restoration. For the further programmatic use of these pairs for Jeremiah’s ministry see 18:7-10 and 31:27-28.

[30:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob and will have compassion on his habitations.” For the meaning of the idiom “restore the fortunes of” see the translator’s note on 29:14. The “tents of Jacob” refers to their homes or houses (see BDB 14 s.v. אֹהֶל 2 and compare usage in Judg 19:9; Mal 2:12). The word “ruined” has been supplied in the translation to show more clearly the idea of restoration of their houses on their former sites in conformity to the concepts in the latter half of the verse.

[30:18]  ⁵ sn Heb “on its tel.” A tel is a site where successive layers of occupation are built upon one another after the destruction or decay of the former city. The original site was not abandoned because it had been chosen for strategic purposes, such as proximity to water or ease of defense. Many modern archaeological sites have the designation “Tel” as a component of their name because of this practice.

[30:18]  ⁶ tn Heb “according to its custom [or plan].” Cf. BDB 1049 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 6.d and compare usage in 1 Sam 27:11.

[33:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “I will reverse [or restore] the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel.” For this idiom see the translator’s note on Jer 29:14 and see the usage in 30:3, 18; 31:23; 32:44.

[33:7]  ⁸ tn This phrase simply means “as formerly” (BDB 911 s.v. רִאשׁוֹן 3.a). The reference to the “as formerly” must be established from the context. See the usage in Judg 20:32; 1 Kgs 13:6; Isa 1:26.

[51:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “do what is good for Zion in your favor.”

[51:18]  ¹⁰ tn Or “Build.” The imperfect verbal form is used here to express the psalmist’s wish or request.

[51:18]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[69:35]  ¹² tn Heb “they”; the referent (God’s people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[69:35]  ¹³ tn Heb “it.” The third feminine singular pronominal suffix probably refers to “Zion” (see Pss 48:12; 102:14); thus the referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:11]  ¹⁴ tn The phrase translated “collapsing hut” refers to a temporary shelter (cf. NASB, NRSV “booth”) in disrepair and emphasizes the relatively weakened condition of the once powerful Davidic dynasty. Others have suggested that the term refers to Jerusalem, while still others argue that it should be repointed to read “Sukkoth,” a garrison town in Transjordan. Its reconstruction would symbolize the rebirth of the Davidic empire and its return to power (e.g., M. E. Polley, Amos and the Davidic Empire, 71-74).

[9:11]  ¹⁵ tc The MT reads a third feminine plural suffix, which could refer to the two kingdoms (Judah and Israel) or, more literally, to the breaches in the walls of the cities that are mentioned in v. 4 (cf. 4:3). Some emend to third feminine singular, since the “hut” of the preceding line (a feminine singular noun) might be the antecedent. In that case, the final nun (ן) is virtually dittographic with the vav (ו) that appears at the beginning of the following word.

[9:11]  ¹⁶ tc The MT reads a third masculine singular suffix, which could refer back to David. However, it is possible that an original third feminine singular suffix (יה-, yod-hey) has been misread as masculine (יו-, yod-vav). In later Hebrew script a ה (he) resembles a יו- (yod-vav) combination.

[9:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and I will rebuild as in days of antiquity.”

[15:16]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “After these things.”

[15:16]  ¹⁹ sn The first person pronoun I refers to God and his activity. It is God who is doing this.

[15:16]  ²⁰ tn Or more generally, “dwelling”; perhaps, “royal tent.” According to BDAG 928 s.v. σκηνή the word can mean “tent” or “hut,” or more generally “lodging” or “dwelling.” In this verse (a quotation from Amos 9:11) BDAG refers this to David’s ruined kingdom; it is possibly an allusion to a king’s tent (a royal tent). God is at work to reestablish David’s line (Acts 2:30-36; 13:32-39).

[15:16]  ²¹ tn BDAG 86 s.v. ἀνορθόω places this verb under the meaning “to build someth. up again after it has fallen, rebuild, restore,” but since ἀνοικοδομέω (anoikodomew, “rebuild”) has occurred twice in this verse already, “restore” is used here.

[2:20]  ²² tn Grk “having been built.”

[2:20]  ²³ sn Apostles and prophets. Because the prophets appear after the mention of the apostles and because they are linked together in 3:5 as recipients of revelation about the church, they are to be regarded not as Old Testament prophets, but as New Testament prophets.

[2:20]  ²⁴ tn Grk “while Christ Jesus himself is” or “Christ Jesus himself being.”

[2:20]  ²⁵ tn Or perhaps “capstone” (NAB). The meaning of ἀκρογωνιαῖος (akrogwniaio") is greatly debated. The meaning “capstone” is proposed by J. Jeremias (TDNT 1:792), but the most important text for this meaning (T. Sol. 22:7-23:4) is late and possibly not even an appropriate parallel. The only place ἀκρογωνιαῖος is used in the LXX is Isa 28:16, and there it clearly refers to a cornerstone that is part of a foundation. Furthermore, the imagery in this context has the building growing off the cornerstone upward, whereas if Christ were the capstone, he would not assume his position until the building was finished, which vv. 21-22 argue against.

[2:21]  ²⁶ tn Grk “in whom” (v. 21 is a relative clause, subordinate to v. 20).

[2:21]  ²⁷ tc Although several important witnesses (א¹ A C P 6 81 326 1739^c 1881) have πᾶσα ἡ οἰκοδομή (pasa Jh oikodomh), instead of πᾶσα οἰκοδομή (the reading of א* B D F G Ψ 33 1739* Ï), the article is almost surely a scribal addition intended to clarify the meaning of the text, for with the article the meaning is unambiguously “the whole building.”

[21:10]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ²⁹ 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]  ³⁰ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[21:11]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ³⁴ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ³⁷ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:13]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

[21:14]  ⁴⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:15]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:16]  ⁴² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

[21:16]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

[21:16]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ 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]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ 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]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² tn The perfect participle here has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect.

[21:19]  ⁵³ sn Agate (also called chalcedony) is a semiprecious stone usually milky or gray in color (L&N 2.32).

[21:20]  ⁵⁴ sn Onyx (also called sardonyx) is a semiprecious stone that comes in various colors (L&N 2.35).

[21:20]  ⁵⁵ sn Carnelian is a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[21:20]  ⁵⁶ sn Chrysolite refers to either quartz or topaz, golden yellow in color (L&N 2.37).

[21:20]  ⁵⁷ sn Beryl is a semiprecious stone, usually blue-green or green in color (L&N 2.38).

[21:20]  ⁵⁸ sn Chrysoprase is a greenish type of quartz (L&N 2.40).

[21:20]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ⁶¹ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[21:22]  ⁶² 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]  ⁶³ 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]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

[21:25]  ⁶⁶ 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]  ⁶⁷ 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]  ⁶⁸ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[21:26]  ⁶⁹ 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]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:27]  ⁷¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ⁷⁴ 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]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.