Revelation 1:17-18

1:17 When ¹  I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but ²  he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last, 1:18 and the one who lives! I ³  was dead, but look, now I am alive – forever and ever – and I hold the keys of death and of Hades! ⁴ 

Revelation 3:1

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ⁵  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ⁶ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁷  the one who holds ⁸  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ⁹  that you are alive, but ¹⁰  in reality ¹¹  you are dead.

[1:17]  ¹ tn Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:17]  ² tn Here the Greek conjunction καί (kai) has been translated as a contrastive (“but”) due to the contrast between the two clauses.

[1:18]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:18]  ⁴ tn Concerning “Hades” BDAG 19 s.v. ᾅδης 1 and 2 states: “Orig. proper noun, god of the nether world, ‘Hades’, then the nether world, Hades as place of the dead, Ac 2:27, 31 (Ps 15:10; Eccl 9:10; PGM 1, 179; 16, 8; Philo, Mos. 1, 195; Jos., Bell. 1, 596, Ant. 6, 332). Of Jonah’s fish ἐκ τοῦ κατωτάτου ᾅδου. In the depths, contrasted w. heaven ἕως (τοῦ) ᾅδου Mt 11:23; Lk 10:15 (PsSol 15:10; cp.; Is 14:11, 15); ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ 16:23; ἐν ῝Αιδου ApcPt Rainer. Accessible by gates (but the pl. is also used [e.g. Hom., X., Ael. Aristid. 47, 20 K.=23 p. 450 D.] when only one gate is meant), hence πύλαι ᾅδου (Il. 5, 646; Is 38:10; Wsd 16:13; 3 Macc 5:51; Pss. Sol. 16:2. – Lucian, Menipp. 6 the magicians can open τοῦ ῝Αιδου τὰς πύλας and conduct people in and out safely) Mt 16:18…locked ἔχω τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου Rv 1:18 (the genitives are either obj. [Ps.-Apollod. 3, 12, 6, 10 Aeacus, the son of Zeus holds the κλεῖς τοῦ ῝Αιδου; SEG VIII, 574, 3 (III ad) τῷ τὰς κλεῖδας ἔχοντι τῶν καθ᾿ ῝Αιδου (restored)] or possess.; in the latter case death and Hades are personif.; s. 2)…Hades personif.…w. θάνατος (cp. Is 28:15; Job 38:17…) Rv 6:8; 20:13f.”

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:1]  ⁶ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:1]  ⁸ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.