Psalms 45:13

45:13 The princess ¹  looks absolutely magnificent, ² 

decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold. ³ 

Psalms 87:3

87:3 People say wonderful things about you, ⁴ 

O city of God. (Selah)

Isaiah 60:15-20

60:15 You were once abandoned

and despised, with no one passing through,

but I will make you ⁵  a permanent source of pride

and joy to coming generations.

60:16 You will drink the milk of nations;

you will nurse at the breasts of kings. ⁶ 

Then you will recognize that I, the Lord, am your deliverer,

your protector, ⁷  the powerful ruler of Jacob. ⁸ 

60:17 Instead of bronze, I will bring you gold,

instead of iron, I will bring you silver,

instead of wood, I will bring you ⁹  bronze,

instead of stones, I will bring you ¹⁰  iron.

I will make prosperity ¹¹  your overseer,

and vindication your sovereign ruler. ¹² 

60:18 Sounds of violence ¹³  will no longer be heard in your land,

or the sounds of ¹⁴  destruction and devastation within your borders.

You will name your walls, ‘Deliverance,’

and your gates, ‘Praise.’

60:19 The sun will no longer supply light for you by day,

nor will the moon’s brightness shine on you;

the Lord will be your permanent source of light –

the splendor of your God will shine upon you. ¹⁵ 

60:20 Your sun will no longer set;

your moon will not disappear; ¹⁶ 

the Lord will be your permanent source of light;

your time ¹⁷  of sorrow will be over.

Isaiah 62:3

62:3 You will be a majestic crown in the hand of the Lord,

a royal turban in the hand of your God.

Jeremiah 33:9

33:9 All the nations will hear about all the good things which I will do to them. This city will bring me fame, honor, and praise before them for the joy that I bring it. The nations will tremble in awe at all the peace and prosperity that I will provide for it.’ ¹⁸ 

Hebrews 12:22-24

12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, the city ¹⁹  of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly 12:23 and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect, 12:24 and to Jesus, the mediator ²⁰  of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than Abel’s does. ²¹ 

Revelation 7:9-17

7:9 After these things I looked, and here was ²²  an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, ²³  people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. 7:10 They were shouting out in a loud voice,

“Salvation belongs to our God, ²⁴ 

to the one seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

7:11 And all the angels stood ²⁵  there in a circle around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ²⁶  before the throne and worshiped God, 7:12 saying,

“Amen! Praise and glory,

and wisdom and thanksgiving,

and honor and power and strength

be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

7:13 Then ²⁷  one of the elders asked ²⁸  me, “These dressed in long white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So ²⁹  I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.” ³⁰  Then ³¹  he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They ³²  have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve ³³  him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them. ³⁴  7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat, ³⁵  7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” ³⁶ 

Revelation 21:10-26

21:10 So ³⁷  he took me away in the Spirit ³⁸  to a huge, majestic mountain ³⁹  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 21:11 The city possesses ⁴⁰  the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. ⁴¹  21:12 It has ⁴²  a massive, high wall ⁴³  with twelve gates, ⁴⁴  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ⁴⁵  are written on the gates. ⁴⁶  21:13 There are ⁴⁷  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. ⁴⁸  21:14 The ⁴⁹  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 ⁵⁰  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now ⁵¹  the city is laid out as a square, ⁵²  its length and width the same. He ⁵³  measured the city with the measuring rod ⁵⁴  at fourteen hundred miles ⁵⁵  (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ⁵⁶  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ⁵⁷  21:18 The city’s ⁵⁸  wall is made ⁵⁹  of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. ⁶⁰  21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated ⁶¹  with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, ⁶²  the fourth emerald, 21:20 the fifth onyx, ⁶³  the sixth carnelian, ⁶⁴  the seventh chrysolite, ⁶⁵  the eighth beryl, ⁶⁶  the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, ⁶⁷  the eleventh jacinth, ⁶⁸  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 ⁶⁹  main street ⁷⁰  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

21:22 Now ⁷¹  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ⁷²  – 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 ⁷³  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁷⁴  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁷⁵  (and ⁷⁶  there will be no night there). ⁷⁷  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁷⁸  of the nations ⁷⁹  into it,

[45:13]  ¹ tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”

[45:13]  ² tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”

[45:13]  ³ tc Heb “within, from settings of gold, her clothing.” The Hebrew term פְּנִימָה (pÿnimah, “within”), if retained, would go with the preceding line and perhaps refer to the bride being “within” the palace or her bridal chamber (cf. NIV, NRSV). Since the next two lines refer to her attire (see also v. 9b), it is preferable to emend the form to פְּנִינִיהָּ (“her pearls”) or to פְּנִינִים (“pearls”). The mem (מ) prefixed to “settings” is probably dittographic.

[87:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”

[60:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “Instead of your being abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, I will make you.”

[60:16]  ⁶ sn The nations and kings are depicted as a mother nursing her children. Restored Zion will be nourished by them as she receives their wealth as tribute.

[60:16]  ⁷ tn Or “redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.

[60:16]  ⁸ sn See 1:24 and 49:26.

[60:17]  ⁹ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the preceding lines).

[60:17]  ¹⁰ tn The words “I will bring you” are supplied in the translation; they are understood by ellipsis (see the first two lines of the verse).

[60:17]  ¹¹ tn Or “peace” (KJV and many other English versions).

[60:17]  ¹² tn The plural indicates degree. The language is ironic; in the past Zion was ruled by oppressive tyrants, but now personified prosperity and vindication will be the only things that will “dominate” the city.

[60:18]  ¹³ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:18]  ¹⁴ tn The words “sounds of” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[60:19]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and your God for your splendor.”

[60:20]  ¹⁶ sn In this verse “sun” and “moon” refer to the Lord’s light, which will replace the sun and moon (see v. 19). Light here symbolizes the restoration of divine blessing and prosperity in conjunction with the Lord’s presence. See 30:26.

[60:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “days” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[33:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “And it [the city] will be to me for a name for joy and for praise and for honor before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good things which I will do for them and which will be in awe and tremble for all the good things and all the peace [or prosperity] which I will do for them.” The long complex Hebrew sentence has been broken down to better conform with contemporary English style.

[12:22]  ¹⁹ 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.”

[12:24]  ²⁰ tn The Greek word μεσίτης (mesith", “mediator”) in this context does not imply that Jesus was a mediator in the contemporary sense of the word, i.e., he worked for compromise between opposing parties. Here the term describes his function as the one who was used by God to enact a new covenant which established a new relationship between God and his people, but entirely on God’s terms.

[12:24]  ²¹ sn Abel’s shed blood cried out to the Lord for justice and judgment, but Jesus’ blood speaks of redemption and forgiveness, something better than Abel’s does (Gen 4:10; Heb 9:11-14; 11:4).

[7:9]  ²² tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).

[7:9]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[7:10]  ²⁴ tn The dative here has been translated as a dative of possession.

[7:11]  ²⁵ tn The verb is pluperfect, but the force is simple past. See ExSyn 586.

[7:11]  ²⁶ tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[7:13]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[7:13]  ²⁸ tn Grk “spoke” or “declared to,” but in the context “asked” reads more naturally in English.

[7:14]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.

[7:14]  ³⁰ tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.

[7:14]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[7:14]  ³² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[7:15]  ³³ tn Or “worship.” The word here is λατρεύω (latreuw).

[7:15]  ³⁴ tn Grk “will spread his tent over them,” normally an idiom for taking up residence with someone, but when combined with the preposition ἐπί (epi, “over”) the idea is one of extending protection or shelter (BDAG 929 s.v. σκηνόω).

[7:16]  ³⁵ tn An allusion to Isa 49:10. The phrase “burning heat” is one word in Greek (καῦμα, kauma) that refers to a burning, intensely-felt heat. See BDAG 536 s.v.

[7:17]  ³⁶ sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.

[21:10]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[21:11]  ⁴⁰ 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]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ⁴³ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:13]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

[21:14]  ⁴⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:15]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:16]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

[21:16]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:16]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

[21:16]  ⁵⁵ 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]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ 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]  ⁶⁰ 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]  ⁶¹ tn The perfect participle here has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect.

[21:19]  ⁶² sn Agate (also called chalcedony) is a semiprecious stone usually milky or gray in color (L&N 2.32).

[21:20]  ⁶³ sn Onyx (also called sardonyx) is a semiprecious stone that comes in various colors (L&N 2.35).

[21:20]  ⁶⁴ sn Carnelian is a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[21:20]  ⁶⁵ sn Chrysolite refers to either quartz or topaz, golden yellow in color (L&N 2.37).

[21:20]  ⁶⁶ sn Beryl is a semiprecious stone, usually blue-green or green in color (L&N 2.38).

[21:20]  ⁶⁷ sn Chrysoprase is a greenish type of quartz (L&N 2.40).

[21:20]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ⁷⁰ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[21:22]  ⁷¹ 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]  ⁷² 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]  ⁷³ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

[21:25]  ⁷⁵ 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]  ⁷⁶ 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]  ⁷⁷ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[21:26]  ⁷⁸ 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]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).