Numbers 1:5-6

1:5 Now these are the names of the men who are to help ¹  you:

from ²  Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

1:6 from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai; ³ 

Zechariah 14:4-5

14:4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward. ⁴  14:5 Then you will escape ⁵  through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. ⁶  Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah ⁷  of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him.

Matthew 27:51

27:51 Just then ⁸  the temple curtain ⁹  was torn in two, from top to bottom. The ¹⁰  earth shook and the rocks were split apart.

Luke 21:11

21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines ¹¹  and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights ¹²  and great signs ¹³  from heaven.

Revelation 16:18-20

16:18 Then ¹⁴  there were flashes of lightning, roaring, ¹⁵  and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity ¹⁶  has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 16:19 The ¹⁷  great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ¹⁸  collapsed. ¹⁹  So ²⁰  Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ²¹  filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ²²  16:20 Every ²³  island fled away ²⁴  and no mountains could be found. ²⁵ 

[1:5]  ¹ tn The verb is עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”). It literally then is, “who will stand with you.” They will help in the count, but they will also serve as leaders as the camp moves from place to place.

[1:5]  ² tn The preposition lamed (ל) prefixed to the name could be taken in the sense of “from,” but could also be “with regard to” (specification).

[1:6]  ³ sn This name and the name Ammishaddai below have the theophoric element (שַׁדַּי, shadday, “the Almighty”). It would mean “the Almighty is my rock”; the later name means “the Almighty is my kinsman.” Other theophoric elements in the passage are “father,” “brother,” and “God.”

[14:4]  ⁴ sn This seismic activity provides a means of escape from Jerusalem so that the Messiah (the Lord), whose feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, may destroy the wicked nations in the Kidron Valley (the v. of Jehoshaphat, or of “judgment of the Lord”) without harming the inhabitants of the city.

[14:5]  ⁵ tc For the MT reading נַסְתֶּם (nastem, “you will escape”) the LXX presupposes נִסְתַּם (nistam, “will be stopped up”; this reading is followed by NAB). This appears to derive from a perceived need to eliminate the unexpected “you” as subject. This not only is unnecessary to Hebrew discourse (see “you” in the next clause), but it contradicts the statement in the previous verse that the mountain will be split open, not stopped up.

[14:5]  ⁶ sn Azal is a place otherwise unknown.

[14:5]  ⁷ sn The earthquake in the days of King Uzziah, also mentioned in Amos 1:1, is apparently the one attested to at Hazor in 760 b.c.

[27:51]  ⁸ tn Grk “And behold.”

[27:51]  ⁹ tn The referent of this term, καταπέτασμα (katapetasma), is not entirely clear. It could refer to the curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.5 [5.219]), or it could refer to one at the entrance of the temple court (Josephus, J. W. 5.5.4 [5.212]). Many argue that the inner curtain is meant because another term, κάλυμμα (kalumma), is also used for the outer curtain. Others see a reference to the outer curtain as more likely because of the public nature of this sign. Either way, the symbolism means that access to God has been opened up. It also pictures a judgment that includes the sacrifices.

[27:51]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[21:11]  ¹¹ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[21:11]  ¹² tn This term, φόβητρον (fobhtron), occurs only here in the NT. It could refer to an object, event, or condition that causes fear, but in the context it is linked with great signs from heaven, so the translation “sights” was preferred.

[21:11]  ¹³ sn See Jer 4:13-22; 14:12; 21:6-7.

[16:18]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:18]  ¹⁵ tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”

[16:18]  ¹⁶ tn The singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used generically here to refer to the human race.

[16:19]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:19]  ¹⁸ tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[16:19]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “fell.”

[16:19]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).

[16:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “the cup of the wine of the anger of the wrath of him.” The concatenation of four genitives has been rendered somewhat differently by various translations (see the note on the word “wrath”).

[16:19]  ²² tn Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumo") and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9). Thus in Rev 14:8 (to which the present passage alludes) and 18:3 there is irony: The wine of immoral behavior with which Babylon makes the nations drunk becomes the wine of God’s wrath for her.

[16:20]  ²³ tn Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:20]  ²⁴ tn Or “vanished.”

[16:20]  ²⁵ sn Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.