Revelation 1:5

1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful ¹  witness, ²  the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free ³  from our sins at the cost of ⁴  his own blood

Revelation 6:10

6:10 They ⁵  cried out with a loud voice, ⁶  “How long, ⁷  Sovereign Master, ⁸  holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

Revelation 6:12

6:12 Then ⁹  I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge ¹⁰  earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, ¹¹  and the full moon became blood red; ¹² 

Revelation 12:11

12:11 But ¹³  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ¹⁴  so much that they were afraid to die.

Revelation 16:3

16:3 Next, ¹⁵  the second angel ¹⁶  poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.

Revelation 19:2

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ¹⁷ 

For he has judged ¹⁸  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ¹⁹  poured out by her own hands!” ²⁰ 

[1:5]  ¹ tn Or “Jesus Christ – the faithful one, the witness…” Some take ὁ πιστός (Jo pistos) as a second substantive in relation to ὁ μάρτυς (Jo martus). In the present translation, however, ὁ πιστός was taken as an adjective in attributive position to ὁ μάρτυς. The idea of martyrdom and faithfulness are intimately connected. See BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1.a.α: “ὁ μάρτυς μου ὁ πιστός μου Rv 2:13 (μάρτυς 3); in this ‘book of martyrs’ Christ is ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς (καὶ ὁ ἀληθινός) 1:5; 3:14; cp. 19:11 (the combination of ἀληθινός and πιστός in the last two passages is like 3 Macc 2:11). Cp. Rv 17:14.”

[1:5]  ² sn The Greek term translated witness can mean both “witness” and “martyr.”

[1:5]  ³ tc The reading “set free” (λύσαντι, lusanti) has better ms support (̹⁸ א A C 1611 2050 2329 2351 Ï^A sy) than its rival, λούσαντι (lousanti, “washed”; found in P 1006 1841 1854 2053 2062 Ï^K lat bo). Internally, it seems that the reading “washed” could have arisen in at least one of three ways: (1) as an error of hearing (both “released” and “washed” are pronounced similarly in Greek); (2) an error of sight (both “released” and “washed” look very similar – a difference of only one letter – which could have resulted in a simple error during the copying of a ms); (3) through scribal inability to appreciate that the Hebrew preposition ב can be used with a noun to indicate the price paid for something. Since the author of Revelation is influenced significantly by a Semitic form of Greek (e.g., 13:10), and since the Hebrew preposition “in” (ב) can indicate the price paid for something, and is often translated with the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) in the LXX, the author may have tried to communicate by the use of ἐν the idea of a price paid for something. That is, John was trying to say that Christ delivered us at the price of his own blood. This whole process, however, may have been lost on a later scribe, who being unfamiliar with Hebrew, found the expression “delivered in his blood” too difficult, and noticing the obvious similarities between λύσαντι and λούσαντι, assumed an error and then proceeded to change the text to “washed in his blood” – a thought more tolerable in his mind. Both readings, of course, are true to scripture; the current question is what the author wrote in this verse.

[1:5]  ⁴ tn The style here is somewhat Semitic, with the use of the ἐν (en) + the dative to mean “at the price of.” The addition of “own” in the English is stylistic and is an attempt to bring out the personal nature of the statement and the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ death – a frequent refrain in the Apocalypse.

[6:10]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:10]  ⁶ tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[6:10]  ⁷ tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.

[6:10]  ⁸ tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).

[6:12]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[6:12]  ¹⁰ tn Or “powerful”; Grk “a great.”

[6:12]  ¹¹ tn Or “like hairy sackcloth” (L&N 8.13).

[6:12]  ¹² tn Grk “like blood,” understanding αἷμα (aima) as a blood-red color rather than actual blood (L&N 8.64).

[12:11]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ¹⁴ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.

[16:3]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “next” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:3]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the second”; the referent (the second angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:2]  ²¹ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ²² 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]  ²³ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).