Revelation 2:26-27

2:26 And to the one who conquers ¹  and who continues in ²  my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations ³  –

2:27 he ⁴  will rule ⁵  them with an iron rod ⁶ 

and like clay jars he will break them to pieces, ⁷ 

Revelation 19:15

19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. ⁸  He ⁹  will rule ¹⁰  them with an iron rod, ¹¹  and he stomps the winepress ¹²  of the furious ¹³  wrath of God, the All-Powerful. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 2:9-10

2:9 You will break them ¹⁵  with an iron scepter; ¹⁶ 

you will smash them like a potter’s jar!’” ¹⁷ 

2:10 So now, you kings, do what is wise; ¹⁸ 

you rulers of the earth, submit to correction! ¹⁹ 

[2:26]  ¹ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[2:26]  ² tn Grk “keeps.” In a context that speaks of “holding on to what you have,” the idea here is one of continued faithful behavior (BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 3 has “ὁ τηρῶν τὰ ἔργα μου the one who takes my deeds to heart Rv 2:26”).

[2:26]  ³ tn Or “over the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[2:27]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “will shepherd.”

[2:27]  ⁶ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

[2:27]  ⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 2:9 (with the line introducing the quotation containing a partial allusion to Ps 2:8). See also Rev 12:5, 19:15.

[19:15]  ⁸ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[19:15]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “will shepherd.”

[19:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

[19:15]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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.”

[2:9]  ¹⁵ tc The LXX reads “you will shepherd them.” This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text and understands the verb as רָעָה (ra’ah, “to shepherd”) rather than רָעָע (ra’a’, “to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (nafats, “to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization.

[2:9]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט (shevet) can refer to a “staff” or “rod,” but here it probably refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty.

[2:9]  ¹⁷ sn Like a potter’s jar. Before the Davidic king’s awesome power, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery.

[2:10]  ¹⁸ sn The speaker here is either the psalmist or the Davidic king, who now addresses the rebellious kings.

[2:10]  ¹⁹ tn The Niphal has here a tolerative nuance; the kings are urged to submit themselves to the advice being offered.