Revelation 1:1

The Prologue

1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, ¹  which God gave him to show his servants ²  what must happen very soon. ³  He made it clear ⁴  by sending his angel to his servant ⁵  John,

Revelation 6:16

6:16 They ⁶  said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, ⁷ 

Revelation 7:2

7:2 Then ⁸  I saw another angel ascending from the east, ⁹  who had ¹⁰  the seal ¹¹  of the living God. He ¹²  shouted out with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given permission ¹³  to damage the earth and the sea: ¹⁴ 

Revelation 11:2

11:2 But ¹⁵  do not measure the outer courtyard ¹⁶  of the temple; leave it out, ¹⁷  because it has been given to the Gentiles, ¹⁸  and they will trample on the holy city ¹⁹  for forty-two months.

Revelation 15:7

15:7 Then ²⁰  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ²¹  of God who lives forever and ever,

Revelation 16:1

The Bowls of God’s Wrath

16:1 Then ²²  I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” ²³ 

Revelation 21:12

21:12 It has ²⁴  a massive, high wall ²⁵  with twelve gates, ²⁶  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ²⁷  are written on the gates. ²⁸ 

Revelation 22:6

A Final Reminder

22:6 Then ²⁹  the angel ³⁰  said to me, “These words are reliable ³¹  and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants ³²  what must happen soon.”

Revelation 22:14

22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access ³³  to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates.

[1:1]  ¹ tn The phrase ἀποκάλυψις ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (ajpokaluyi" Ihsou Cristou, “the revelation of Jesus Christ”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“the revelation about Jesus Christ”), subjective genitive (“the revelation from Jesus Christ”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). In 1:1 and 22:16 it is clear that Jesus has sent his angel to proclaim the message to John; thus the message is from Christ, and this would be a subjective genitive. On a broader scale, though, the revelation is about Christ, so this would be an objective genitive. One important point to note is that the phrase under consideration is best regarded as the title of the book and therefore refers to the whole of the work in all its aspects. This fact favors considering this as a plenary genitive.

[1:1]  ² tn Grk “slaves.” Although this translation frequently renders δοῦλος (doulos) as “slave,” the connotation is often of one who has sold himself into slavery; in a spiritual sense, the idea is that of becoming a slave of God or of Jesus Christ voluntarily. The voluntary notion is not conspicuous here; hence, the translation “servants.” In any case, the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ³ tn BDAG 992-93 s.v. τάχος has “quickly, at once, without delay Ac 10:33 D; 12:7; 17:15 D; 22:18; 1 Cl 48:1; 63:4…soon, in a short time…Rv 1:1; 22:6…shortly Ac 25:4.”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “He indicated it clearly” (L&N 33.153).

[1:1]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “servants” earlier in this verse.

[6:16]  ⁶ 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.

[6:16]  ⁷ tn It is difficult to say where this quotation ends. The translation ends it after “withstand it” at the end of v. 17, but it is possible that it should end here, after “Lamb” at the end of v. 16. If it ends after “Lamb,” v. 17 is a parenthetical explanation by the author.

[7:2]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[7:2]  ¹² tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12…simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”

[7:2]  ¹³ tn Grk “having,” but v. 3 makes it clear that the angel’s purpose is to seal others with the seal he carries.

[7:2]  ¹⁴ tn Or “signet” (L&N 6.54).

[7:2]  ¹⁵ 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.

[7:2]  ¹⁶ tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “to whom it was given to them to damage the earth.”

[7:2]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[11:2]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[11:2]  ¹⁷ tn On the term αὐλήν (aulhn) BDAG 150 s.v. αὐλή 1 states, “(outer) court of the temple…Rv 11:2.”

[11:2]  ¹⁸ tn The precise meaning of the phrase ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν (ekbale exwqen) is difficult to determine.

[11:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “to the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[11:2]  ²⁰ sn The holy city appears to be a reference to Jerusalem. See also Luke 21:24.

[15:7]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[15:7]  ²² tn Or “anger.”

[16:1]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[16:1]  ²⁷ tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.

[21:12]  ³¹ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ³² tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ³⁵ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:6]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[22:6]  ³⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15; 22:1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:6]  ³⁸ tn Grk “faithful.”

[22:6]  ³⁹ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:14]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “so that there will be to them authority over the tree of life.”