Revelation 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ¹  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ⁴  no one can shut, and shuts doors ⁵  no one can open:

Revelation 4:8

4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings ⁶  and was full of eyes all around and inside. ⁷  They never rest day or night, saying: ⁸ 

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, ⁹ 

Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

Revelation 6:10

6:10 They ¹⁰  cried out with a loud voice, ¹¹  “How long, ¹²  Sovereign Master, ¹³  holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

Revelation 6:1

The Seven Seals

6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, ¹⁴  “Come!” ¹⁵ 

Revelation 2:2

2:2 ‘I know your works as well as your ¹⁶  labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate ¹⁷  evil. You have even put to the test ¹⁸  those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false.

Psalms 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 99:5

99:5 Praise ²⁰  the Lord our God!

Worship ²¹  before his footstool!

He is holy!

Psalms 99:9

99:9 Praise ²²  the Lord our God!

Worship on his holy hill,

for the Lord our God is holy!

Psalms 111:9

111:9 He delivered his people; ²³ 

he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. ²⁴ 

His name is holy and awesome.

Isaiah 6:3

6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ²⁵  is the Lord who commands armies! ²⁶  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Isaiah 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ²⁷  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ²⁸ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ²⁹ 

Habakkuk 1:12

Habakkuk Voices Some Concerns

1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; ³⁰ 

my sovereign God, ³¹  you are immortal. ³² 

Lord, you have made them ³³  your instrument of judgment. ³⁴ 

Protector, ³⁵  you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. ³⁶ 

Habakkuk 1:1

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1:1 The following is the message ³⁷  which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet: ³⁸ 

Habakkuk 1:16

1:16 Because of his success ³⁹  he offers sacrifices to his throw net

and burns incense to his dragnet; ⁴⁰ 

for because of them he has plenty of food, ⁴¹ 

and more than enough to eat. ⁴² 

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

[3:7]  ² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

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

[3:7]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

[4:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.

[4:8]  ⁷ tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (eswqen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.

[4:8]  ⁸ tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”

[4:8]  ⁹ 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.”

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

[6:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[6:10]  ¹² tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.

[6:10]  ¹³ tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).

[6:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “saying like a voice [or sound] of thunder.”

[6:1]  ¹⁵ tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, ercou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.

[2:2]  ¹⁶ tn Although the first possessive pronoun σου (sou) is connected to τὰ ἔργα (ta erga) and the second σου is connected to ὑπομονήν (Jupomonhn), semantically κόπον (kopon) is also to be understood as belonging to the Ephesian church. The translation reflects this.

[2:2]  ¹⁷ tn The translation “tolerate” seems to capture the sense of βαστάσαι (bastasai) here. BDAG 171 s.v. βαστάζω 2.b.β says, “bear, endure…κακούς Rv 2:2.…bear patiently, put up with: weaknesses of the weak Ro 15:1; cf. IPol 1:2; evil Rv 2:3.”

[2:2]  ¹⁸ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was broken off from the previous sentence and translated as an indicative verb beginning a new sentence here in the translation.

[22:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[99:5]  ²⁰ tn Or “exalt.”

[99:5]  ²¹ tn Or “bow down.”

[99:9]  ²² tn Or “exalt.”

[111:9]  ²³ tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”

[111:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”

[6:3]  ²⁵ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  ²⁶ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[57:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ²⁹ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[1:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O Lord?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, of course.” The present translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question, rendering it as an affirmation. When used in a temporal sense the phrase מִקֶדֶם (miqedem) means “from antiquity, ancient times,” often referring to earlier periods in Israel’s history. See its use in Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10; Mic 5:2.

[1:12]  ³¹ tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”

[1:12]  ³² tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.

[1:12]  ³³ tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[1:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “for judgment.”

[1:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).

[1:12]  ³⁶ tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”

[1:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “The burden” (so KJV, ASV). The Hebrew term מַשָּׂא (masa’), usually translated “oracle” (NAB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “utterance” (BDB 672 s.v. III מַשָּׂא), in prophetic literature is a technical term introducing a message from the Lord (see Zech 9:1; 12:1; Mal 1:1). Since it derives from a verb meaning “to carry,” its original nuance was that of a burdensome message, that is, one with ominous content.

[1:1]  ³⁸ tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] which Habakkuk the prophet saw.”

[1:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “therefore.”

[1:16]  ⁴⁰ sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).

[1:16]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”

[1:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”