Revelation 3:1

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ¹  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the one who holds ⁴  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ⁵  that you are alive, but ⁶  in reality ⁷  you are dead.

Revelation 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ⁸  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ⁹ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁰  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ¹¹  no one can shut, and shuts doors ¹²  no one can open:

Revelation 8:13

8:13 Then ¹³  I looked, and I heard an ¹⁴  eagle ¹⁵  flying directly overhead, ¹⁶  proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!” ¹⁷ 

Revelation 14:18

14:18 Another ¹⁸  angel, who was in charge of ¹⁹  the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel ²⁰  who had the sharp sickle, “Use ²¹  your sharp sickle and gather ²²  the clusters of grapes ²³  off the vine of the earth, ²⁴  because its grapes ²⁵  are now ripe.” ²⁶ 

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

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

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ⁷ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.

[3:7]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:7]  ⁹ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:7]  ¹¹ tn The word “door” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. Since the following verse does contain the word “door” (θύραν, quran), that word has been supplied as the direct object here.

[3:7]  ¹² tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

[8:13]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[8:13]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “one eagle.”

[8:13]  ¹⁷ tc Ï^A reads “angel” (ἀγγέλου, angelou) instead of “eagle” (ἀετοῦ, aetou), a reading strongly supported by {א A 046 Ï^K and several versions}. On external grounds, ἀετοῦ is clearly the superior reading. ἀγγέλου could have arisen inadvertently due to similarities in spelling or sound between ἀετοῦ and ἀγγέλου. It may also have been intentional in order to bring this statement in line with 14:6 where an angel is mentioned as the one flying in midair. This seems a more likely reason, strengthened by the facts that the book only mentions eagles two other times (4:7; 12:14). Further, the immediate as well as broad context is replete with references to angels.

[8:13]  ¹⁸ tn Concerning the word μεσουράνημα (mesouranhma), L&N 1.10 states, “a point or region of the sky directly above the earth – ‘high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.’ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἁετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι ‘I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying overhead in the sky’ Re 8:13.”

[8:13]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “about to sound their trumpets,” but this is redundant in English.

[14:18]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:18]  ²³ tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.

[14:18]  ²⁴ tn Grk “to the one having the sharp sickle”; the referent (the angel in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:18]  ²⁵ tn Grk “Send.”

[14:18]  ²⁶ tn On this term BDAG 1018 s.v. τρυγάω states: “‘gather in’ ripe fruit, esp. harvest (grapes) w. acc. of the fruit (POslo. 21, 13 [71 ad]; Jos., Ant. 4, 227) Lk 6:44; Rv 14:18 (in imagery, as in the foll. places)…W. acc. of that which bears the fruit gather the fruit of the vine…or the vineyard (s. ἄμπελος a) Rv 14:19.”

[14:18]  ²⁷ tn On this term BDAG 181 s.v. βότρυς states, “bunch of grapes Rv 14:18…The word is also found in the Phrygian Papias of Hierapolis, in a passage in which he speaks of the enormous size of the grapes in the new aeon (in the Lat. transl. in Irenaeus 5, 33, 2f.): dena millia botruum Papias (1:2). On this see Stephan. Byz. s.v. Εὐκαρπία: Metrophanes says that in the district of Εὐκαρπία in Phrygia Minor the grapes were said to be so large that one bunch of them caused a wagon to break down in the middle.”

[14:18]  ²⁸ tn The genitive τῆς γῆς (ths ghs), taken symbolically, could be considered a genitive of apposition.

[14:18]  ²⁹ tn Or perhaps, “its bunches of grapes” (a different Greek word from the previous clause). L&N 3.38 states, “the fruit of grapevines (see 3.27) – ‘grape, bunch of grapes.’ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς ‘cut the grapes from the vineyard of the earth because its grapes are ripe’ Re 14:18. Some scholars have contended that βότρυς means primarily a bunch of grapes, while σταφυλή designates individual grapes. In Re 14:18 this difference might seem plausible, but there is scarcely any evidence for such a distinction, since both words may signify grapes as well as bunches of grapes.”

[14:18]  ³⁰ tn On the use of ἥκμασαν (hkmasan) BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκμάζω states, “to bloom…of grapes…Rv 14:18.”