Discovery BoxRevelation 18:9-11
Context18:9 Then 1 the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury 2 with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 3 18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom 4 has come!”
18:11 Then 5 the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo 6 any longer –
Revelation 19:13-21
Context19:13 He is dressed in clothing dipped 7 in blood, and he is called 8 the Word of God. 19:14 The 9 armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, 10 were following him on white horses. 19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. 11 He 12 will rule 13 them with an iron rod, 14 and he stomps the winepress 15 of the furious 16 wrath of God, the All-Powerful. 17 19:16 He has a name written on his clothing and on his thigh: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
19:17 Then 18 I saw one angel standing in 19 the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: 20
“Come, gather around for the great banquet 21 of God,
19:18 to eat 22 your fill 23 of the flesh of kings,
the flesh of generals, 24
the flesh of powerful people,
the flesh of horses and those who ride them,
and the flesh of all people, both free and slave, 25
and small and great!”
19:19 Then 26 I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse and with his army. 19:20 Now 27 the beast was seized, and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf 28 – signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. 29 19:21 The 30 others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode the horse, and all the birds gorged 31 themselves with their flesh.
Job 34:19-20
Context34:19 who shows no partiality to princes,
and does not take note of 32 the rich more than the poor,
because all of them are the work of his hands?
34:20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, 33
people 34 are shaken 35 and they pass away.
The mighty are removed effortlessly. 36
Psalms 2:10-12
Context2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; 37
you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! 38
2:11 Serve 39 the Lord in fear!
Repent in terror! 40
Otherwise he 42 will be angry, 43
and you will die because of your behavior, 44
when his anger quickly ignites. 45
How blessed 46 are all who take shelter in him! 47
Psalms 49:1-2
ContextFor the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
49:1 Listen to this, all you nations!
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world! 49
49:2 Pay attention, all you people, 50
both rich and poor!
Psalms 76:12
Contextthe kings of the earth regard him as awesome. 52
Psalms 110:5-6
Context110:5 O sovereign Lord, 53 at your right hand
he strikes down 54 kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 55
110:6 He executes judgment 56 against 57 the nations;
he fills the valleys with corpses; 58
he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. 59
Isaiah 24:21-22
Context24:21 At that time 60 the Lord will punish 61
the heavenly forces in the heavens 62
and the earthly kings on the earth.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 63
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 64 they will be punished. 65
[18:9] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:9] 2 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:9] 3 tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.
[18:10] 4 tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”
[18:11] 5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:11] 6 tn On γόμος (gomos) BDAG 205 s.v. states, “load, freight…cargo of a ship…Ac 21:3. W. gen. of the owner Rv 18:11. W. gen. of content…γ. χρυσοῦ a cargo of gold vs. 12.”
[19:13] 7 tc It appears that “dipped” (βεβαμμένον, bebammenon), supported by several uncials and other witnesses (A 051 Ï), is the original reading. Due to the lack of the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) after the verb (βεβαμμένον αἵματι, bebammenon {aimati), and also probably because of literary allusions to Isa 63:3, several
[19:13] 8 tn Grk “the name of him is called.”
[19:14] 9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:14] 10 tn On the term translated “fine linen,” BDAG 185 s.v. βύσσινος states, “made of fine linen, subst. τὸ β. fine linen, linen garment…Rv 18:12, 16; 19:8, 14.”
[19:15] 11 tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[19:15] 12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:15] 13 tn Grk “will shepherd.”
[19:15] 14 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”
[19:15] 15 sn He stomps the winepress. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process), and Rev 14:20.
[19:15] 16 tn The genitive θυμοῦ (qumou) has been translated as an attributed genitive. Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumos) and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9).
[19:15] 17 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.”
[19:17] 18 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:17] 19 tn The precise significance of ἐν (en) here is difficult to determine.
[19:17] 20 tn On μεσουρανήματι (mesouranhmati) here see L&N 1.10: “high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.” The birds mentioned here are carrion birds like vultures, circling high overhead, and now being summoned to feast on the corpses.
[19:17] 21 tn This is the same Greek word (δεῖπνον, deipnon) used in 19:9.
[19:18] 22 tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause, insofar as it is related to the first imperative, has the force of an imperative.
[19:18] 23 tn The idea of eating “your fill” is evident in the context with the use of χορτάζω (cortazw) in v. 21.
[19:18] 24 tn Grk “chiliarchs”; normally a chiliarch was a military officer commanding a thousand soldiers, but here probably used of higher-ranking commanders like generals (see L&N 55.15; cf. Rev 6:15).
[19:18] 25 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[19:19] 26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:20] 27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of an unexpected development in the account: The opposing armies do not come together in battle; rather the leader of one side is captured.
[19:20] 28 tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”
[19:20] 29 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[19:21] 30 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[19:21] 31 tn On the translation of ἐχορτάσθησαν (ecortasqhsan) BDAG 1087 s.v. χορτάζω 1.a states, “of animals, pass. in act. sense πάντα τὰ ὄρνεα ἐχορτάσθησαν ἐκ τῶν σαρκῶν αὐτῶν all the birds gorged themselves with their flesh Rv 19:21 (cp. TestJud. 21:8).”
[34:19] 32 tn The verb means “to give recognition; to take note of” and in this passage with לִפְנֵי (lifne, “before”) it means to show preferential treatment to the rich before the poor. The word for “rich” here is an unusual word, found parallel to “noble” (Isa 32:2). P. Joüon thinks it is a term of social distinction (Bib 18 [1937]: 207-8).
[34:20] 33 tn Dhorme transposes “in the middle of the night” with “they pass away” to get a smoother reading. But the MT emphasizes the suddenness by putting both temporal ideas first. E. F. Sutcliffe leaves the order as it stands in the text, but adds a verb “they expire” after “in the middle of the night” (“Notes on Job, textual and exegetical,” Bib 30 [1949]: 79ff.).
[34:20] 34 tn R. Gordis (Job, 389) thinks “people” here mean the people who count, the upper class.
[34:20] 35 tn The verb means “to be violently agitated.” There is no problem with the word in this context, but commentators have made suggestions for improving the idea. The proposal that has the most to commend it, if one were inclined to choose a new word, is the change to יִגְוָעוּ (yigva’u, “they expire”; so Ball, Holscher, Fohrer, and others).
[34:20] 36 tn Heb “not by hand.” This means without having to use force.
[2:10] 37 sn The speaker here is either the psalmist or the Davidic king, who now addresses the rebellious kings.
[2:10] 38 tn The Niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.
[2:11] 39 tn The Hebrew verb translated “serve” refers here to submitting to the Lord’s sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king by paying tribute on a regular basis.
[2:11] 40 tn Traditionally, “rejoice with trembling” (KJV). The verb גִּיל (gil) normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not fit well here in conjunction with “in trembling.” Some try to understand “trembling” (and the parallel יִרְאָה, yir’ah, “fear”) in the sense of “reverential awe” and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship” (cf. NASB). But רְעָדָה (rÿ’adah, “trembling”) and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Exod 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss 48:6; 55:5; 104:32; Isa 33:14; Dan 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezra 10:9). It seems more likely here that גִּיל carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” (referring to one’s rebellious ways). On the meaning of the verb in Hos 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB), 556-57.
[2:12] 41 tn Traditionally, “kiss the son” (KJV). But בַּר (bar) is the Aramaic word for “son,” not the Hebrew. For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11b-12a. One of the more popular proposals is to read בִּרְעָדָה נַשְּׁקוּ לְרַגְלָיו (bir’adah nashÿqu lÿraslayv, “in trembling kiss his feet”). It makes better sense to understand בַּר (bar) as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss 24:4; 73:1 and BDB 141 s.v. בַּר 3) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb נָשַׁק (nashaq, “kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam 10:1; Hos 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12a advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath [is sworn], swear the oath with your words and lips [only], do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon…may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future” (see J. B. Pritchard, ed., The Ancient Near East, 2:62).
[2:12] 42 tn Throughout the translation of this verse the third person masculine pronouns refer to the
[2:12] 43 tn The implied subject of the verb is the
[2:12] 44 tn Heb “and you will perish [in the] way.” The Hebrew word דֶּרֶךְ (derekh, “way”) here refers to their rebellious behavior (not to a pathway, as often understood). It functions syntactically as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb “perish.”
[2:12] 45 tn Or “burns.” The
[2:12] 46 tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss 1:1; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 84:12; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
[2:12] 47 sn Who take shelter in him. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking his protection. Seeking his protection presupposes and even demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in the Lord are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve the Lord (Pss 5:11-12; 31:17-20; 34:21-22).
[49:1] 48 sn Psalm 49. In this so-called wisdom psalm (see v. 3) the psalmist states that he will not fear the rich enemies who threaten him, for despite their wealth, they are mere men who will die like everyone else. The psalmist is confident the Lord will vindicate the godly and protect them from the attacks of their oppressors.
[49:1] 49 tn The rare noun חָלֶד (kheled, “world”) occurs in Ps 17:14 and perhaps also in Isa 38:11 (see the note on “world” there).
[49:2] 50 tn Heb “even the sons of mankind, even the sons of man.” Because of the parallel line, where “rich and poor” are mentioned, some treat these expressions as polar opposites, with בְּנֵי אָדָם (bÿney ’adam) referring to the lower classes and בְּנֵי אִישׁ (bÿney ’ish) to higher classes (cf. NIV, NRSV). But usage does not support such a view. The rare phrase בְּנֵי אִישׁ (“sons of man”) appears to refer to human beings in general in its other uses (see Pss 4:2; 62:9; Lam 3:33). It is better to understand “even the sons of mankind” and “even the sons of man” as synonymous expressions (cf. NEB “all mankind, every living man”). The repetition emphasizes the need for all people to pay attention, for the psalmist’s message is relevant to everyone.
[76:12] 51 tn Heb “he reduces the spirit of princes.” According to HALOT 148 s.v. II בצר, the Hebrew verb בָּצַר (batsar) is here a hapax legomenon meaning “reduce, humble.” The statement is generalizing, with the imperfect tense highlighting God’s typical behavior.
[76:12] 52 tn Heb “[he is] awesome to the kings of the earth.”
[110:5] 53 tn As pointed in the Hebrew text, this title refers to God (many medieval Hebrew
[110:5] 54 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 5-6 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing. Another option is to take them as rhetorical. In this case the psalmist describes anticipated events as if they had already taken place.
[110:5] 55 tn Heb “in the day of his anger.”
[110:6] 56 tn The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 6-7 are understood here as descriptive-dramatic or as generalizing, though they could be taken as future.
[110:6] 58 tn Heb “he fills [with] corpses,” but one expects a double accusative here. The translation assumes an emendation to גְוִיּוֹת גֵאָיוֹת(בִּ) מִלֵּא or מִלֵּא גֵאָיוֹת גְּוִיוֹת (for a similar construction see Ezek 32:5). In the former case גֵאָיוֹת(ge’ayot) has accidentally dropped from the text due to homoioteleuton; in the latter case it has dropped out due to homoioarcton.
[110:6] 59 tn Heb “he strikes [the verb is מָחַץ (makhats), translated “strikes down” in v. 5] head[s] over a great land.” The Hebrew term רַבָּה (rabbah, “great”) is here used of distance or spatial measurement (see 1 Sam 26:13).
[24:21] 60 tn Or “in that day” (so KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.
[24:21] 61 tn Heb “visit [in judgment].”
[24:21] 62 tn Heb “the host of the height in the height.” The “host of the height/heaven” refers to the heavenly luminaries (stars and planets, see, among others, Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3, 5; 23:4-5; 2 Chr 33:3, 5) that populate the divine/heavenly assembly in mythological and prescientific Israelite thought (see Job 38:7; Isa 14:13).
[24:22] 63 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
[24:22] 64 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
[24:22] 65 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”
