Discovery BoxPsalms 58:10-11
Context58:10 The godly 1 will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
58:11 Then 2 observers 3 will say,
“Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded! 4
Yes indeed, there is a God who judges 5 in the earth!”
Revelation 15:3-4
Context15:3 They 6 sang the song of Moses the servant 7 of God and the song of the Lamb: 8
“Great and astounding are your deeds,
Lord God, the All-Powerful! 9
Just 10 and true are your ways,
King over the nations! 11
15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and glorify 12 your name, because you alone are holy? 13
All nations 14 will come and worship before you
for your righteous acts 15 have been revealed.”
Revelation 16:5-7
Context16:5 Now 16 I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just 17 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 18
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so 19 you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” 20
16:7 Then 21 I heard the altar reply, 22 “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 23 your judgments are true and just!”
Revelation 18:20
Context18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 24 against her on your behalf!) 25
Revelation 19:1-6
Context19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
19:2 because his judgments are true and just. 26
For he has judged 27 the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,
and has avenged the blood of his servants 28 poured out by her own hands!” 29
19:3 Then 30 a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. 31 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground 32 and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”
19:5 Then 33 a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God
all you his servants,
and all you who fear Him,
both the small and the great!”
19:6 Then 34 I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: 35
“Hallelujah!
[58:10] 1 tn The singular is representative here, as is the singular from “wicked” in the next line.
[58:11] 2 tn Following the imperfects of v. 10, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates a result or consequence of what precedes.
[58:11] 3 tn Heb “man.” The singular is representative here.
[58:11] 4 tn Heb “surely [there] is fruit for the godly.”
[58:11] 5 tn The plural participle is unusual here if the preceding אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) is here a plural of majesty, referring to the one true God. Occasionally the plural of majesty does take a plural attributive (see GKC 428-29 §132.h). It is possible that the final mem (ם) on the participle is enclitic, and that it was later misunderstood as a plural ending. Another option is to translate, “Yes indeed, there are gods who judge in the earth.” In this case, the statement reflects the polytheistic mindset of pagan observers who, despite their theological ignorance, nevertheless recognize divine retribution when they see it.
[15:3] 6 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[15:3] 7 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[15:3] 8 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[15:3] 9 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.”
[15:3] 10 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[15:3] 11 tc Certain
[15:4] 13 sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).
[15:4] 14 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[15:4] 15 tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”
[16:5] 16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
[16:5] 17 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[16:5] 18 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
[16:6] 19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.
[16:6] 20 tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”
[16:7] 21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:7] 22 tn Grk “the altar saying.”
[16:7] 23 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.”
[18:20] 24 tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”
[18:20] 25 tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.
[19:2] 26 tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.
[19:2] 27 tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.
[19:2] 28 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[19:2] 29 tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).
[19:3] 30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:3] 31 tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”
[19:4] 32 tn Grk “creatures fell down.” 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.”
[19:5] 33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:6] 34 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:6] 35 tn Grk “like the voice of a large crowd…saying.” Because of the complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”
[19:6] 36 tc Several
[19:6] 37 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…κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ π. Rv 19:6.”
