Revelation 1:20

1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: ¹  The seven stars are the angels ²  of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 2:13

2:13 ‘I know ³  where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet ⁴  you continue to cling ⁵  to my name and you have not denied your ⁶  faith in me, ⁷  even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, ⁸  who was killed in your city ⁹  where Satan lives.

Revelation 2:17

2:17 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, ¹⁰  I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white ¹¹  stone, ¹²  and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand ¹³  except the one who receives it.’

Revelation 3:1

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ¹⁴  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ¹⁵ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁶  the one who holds ¹⁷  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ¹⁸  that you are alive, but ¹⁹  in reality ²⁰  you are dead.

Revelation 3:8

3:8 ‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put ²¹  in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) ²²  I know ²³  that you have little strength, ²⁴  but ²⁵  you have obeyed ²⁶  my word and have not denied my name.

Revelation 4:1

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4:1 After these things I looked, and there was ²⁷  a door standing open in heaven! ²⁸  And the first voice I had heard speaking to me ²⁹  like a trumpet ³⁰  said: “Come up here so that ³¹  I can show you what must happen after these things.”

Revelation 5:6

5:6 Then ³²  I saw standing in the middle of the throne ³³  and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. ³⁴  He had ³⁵  seven horns and seven eyes, which ³⁶  are the seven ³⁷  spirits of God ³⁸  sent out into all the earth.

[1:20]  ¹ tn The words “is this” are supplied to make a complete sentence in English.

[1:20]  ² tn Or perhaps “the messengers.”

[2:13]  ³ tc The shorter reading adopted here has superior ms support (א A C P 2053 al latt co), while the inclusion of “your works and” (τὰ ἔργα σου καί, ta erga sou kai) before “where you reside” is supported by the Byzantine witnesses and is evidently a secondary attempt to harmonize the passage with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.

[2:13]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast between their location and their faithful behavior.

[2:13]  ⁵ tn The present indicative verb κρατεῖς (kratei") has been translated as a progressive present.

[2:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “the faith”; here the Greek article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[2:13]  ⁷ tn Grk “the faith of me” (τὴν πίστιν μου, thn pistin mou) with the genitive “of me” (μου) functioning objectively.

[2:13]  ⁸ tn Or “martyr.” The Greek word μάρτυς can mean either “witness” or “martyr.”

[2:13]  ⁹ tn Grk “killed among you.” The term “city” does not occur in the Greek text of course, but the expression παρ᾿ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ (par’ Jumin, {opou Jo satana" katoikei) seems to indicate that this is what is meant. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 36-38.

[2:17]  ⁵ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.

[2:17]  ⁶ tn Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).

[2:17]  ⁷ tn On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’”

[2:17]  ⁸ tn Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:1]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ¹³ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.

[3:8]  ⁹ tn Grk “I have given.”

[3:8]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “to shut it,” but English would leave the direct object understood in this case.

[3:8]  ¹¹ tn This translation is based on connecting the ὅτι (Joti) clause with the οἶδα (oida) at the beginning of the verse, giving the content of what is known (see also 3:1, 3:15 for parallels). Because of the intervening clause that is virtually parenthetical (see the note on the word “shut” earlier in this verse), the words “I know that” from the beginning of the verse had to be repeated to make this connection clear for the English reader. However, the ὅτι could be understood as introducing a causal subordinate clause instead and thus translated, “because you have.”

[3:8]  ¹² tn Or “little power.”

[3:8]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:8]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and having kept.” The participle ἐτήρησας (ethrhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the translation of τηρέω (threw) as “obey” see L&N 36.19. This is the same word that is used in 3:10 (there translated “kept”) where there is a play on words.

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:1]  ¹² tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[4:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”

[4:1]  ¹⁴ sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.

[4:1]  ¹⁵ tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.

[5:6]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:6]  ¹⁴ tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[5:6]  ¹⁵ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.” The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. This phrase does not imply that the Lamb “appeared to have been killed” but in reality was not, because the wider context of the NT shows that in fact the Lamb, i.e., Jesus, was killed. See 13:3 for the only other occurrence of this phrase in the NT.

[5:6]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “killed, having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”

[5:6]  ¹⁷ sn The relative pronoun which is masculine, referring back to the eyes rather than to the horns.

[5:6]  ¹⁸ tc There is good ms evidence for the inclusion of “seven” (ἑπτά, Jepta; ̲⁴ א 2053 2351 Ï^K). There is equally good ms support for the omission of the term (A 1006 1611 Ï^A pc). It may have been accidentally added due to its repeated presence in the immediately preceding phrases, or it may have been intentionally added to maintain the symmetry of the phrases or more likely to harmonize the phrase with 1:4; 3:1; 4:5. Or it may have been accidentally deleted by way of homoioteleuton (τὰ ἑπτά, ta Jepta). A decision is difficult in this instance. NA²⁷ also does not find the problem easy to solve, placing the word in brackets to indicate doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:6]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the phrase the seven spirits of God in Rev 4:5.