Revelation 4:4-10

4:4 In ¹  a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were ²  dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns ³  on their heads. 4:5 From ⁴  the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring ⁵  and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, ⁶  were burning in front of the throne 4:6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal. ⁷ 

In ⁸  the middle of the throne ⁹  and around the throne were four living creatures ¹⁰  full of eyes in front and in back. 4:7 The ¹¹  first living creature was like a lion, the ¹²  second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings ¹³  and was full of eyes all around and inside. ¹⁴  They never rest day or night, saying: ¹⁵ 

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, ¹⁶ 

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

4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, ¹⁷  and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground ¹⁸  before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns ¹⁹  before his ²⁰  throne, saying:

Revelation 5:8-11

5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ²¹  before the Lamb. Each ²²  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ²³  5:9 They were singing a new song: ²⁴ 

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed, ²⁵ 

and at the cost of your own blood ²⁶  you have purchased ²⁷  for God

persons ²⁸  from every tribe, language, ²⁹  people, and nation.

5:10 You have appointed ³⁰  them ³¹  as a kingdom and priests ³²  to serve ³³  our God, and they will reign ³⁴  on the earth.”

5:11 Then ³⁵  I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their ³⁶  number was ten thousand times ten thousand ³⁷  – thousands times thousands –

Revelation 5:14

5:14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground ³⁸  and worshiped.

Revelation 11:15-16

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ³⁹  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ⁴⁰ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

11:16 Then ⁴¹  the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ⁴²  and worshiped God

Revelation 15:7

15:7 Then ⁴³  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ⁴⁴  of God who lives forever and ever,

[4:4]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:4]  ² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.

[4:4]  ³ sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:5]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:5]  ⁵ tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”

[4:5]  ⁶ sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.

[4:6]  ⁷ tn This could refer to rock crystal, but it is possible this refers to ice (an older meaning). See BDAG 571 s.v. κρύσταλλος.

[4:6]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:6]  ⁹ tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[4:6]  ¹⁰ tn On the meaning of ζῴον (zwon) BDAG 431 s.v. 2 states, “Of the four peculiar beings at God’s throne, whose description Rv 4:6-9 reminds one of the ζῷα in Ezk 1:5ff, the cherubim. S. also Rv 5:6, 8, 11, 14; 6:1, 3, 5-7; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4.”

[4:7]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:7]  ¹² tn Both here and before the phrase “the third,” καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[4:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.

[4:8]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”

[4:8]  ¹⁶ 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.”

[4:9]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[4:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the twenty-four elders fall down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[4:10]  ¹⁹ sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:10]  ²⁰ tn The pronoun “his” is understood from the demonstrative force of the article τοῦ (tou) before θρόνου (qronou).

[5:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[5:8]  ²² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:8]  ²³ sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.

[5:9]  ²⁴ tn The redundant participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated here.

[5:9]  ²⁵ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:9]  ²⁶ tn The preposition ἐν (en) is taken to indicate price here, like the Hebrew preposition ב (bet) does at times. BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 5.b states, “The ἐν which takes the place of the gen. of price is also instrumental ἠγόρασας ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου Rv 5:9 (cp. 1 Ch 21:24 ἀγοράζω ἐν ἀργυρίῳ).”

[5:9]  ²⁷ tc The Greek text as it stands above (i.e., the reading τῷ θεῷ [tw qew] alone) is found in codex A. א 2050 2344 Ï sy add the term “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas), either before or after τῷ θεῷ, as an attempt to clarify the object of “purchased” (ἠγόρασας, hgorasa"). A few mss (1 vg^ms) delete the reference to God altogether and simply replace it with “us” (ἡμᾶς). This too is an attempt to remove ambiguity in the phrase and provide an object for “purchased.” The shorter reading, supported by the best witness for Revelation, best accounts for the other readings.

[5:9]  ²⁸ tn The word “persons” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:9]  ²⁹ tn Grk “and language,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[5:10]  ³⁰ tn The verb ἐποίησας (epoihsas) is understood to mean “appointed” here. For an example of this use, see Mark 3:14.

[5:10]  ³¹ tc The vast majority of witnesses have αὐτούς (autous, “them”) here, while the Textus Receptus reads ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”) with insignificant support (pc gig vg^cl sa Prim Bea). There is no question that the original text read αὐτούς here.

[5:10]  ³² tn The reference to “kingdom and priests” may be a hendiadys: “priestly kingdom.”

[5:10]  ³³ tn The words “to serve” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the word “priests.”

[5:10]  ³⁴ tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 Ï^K pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 Ï^A pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.

[5:11]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:11]  ³⁶ tn Grk “elders, and the number of them was.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:11]  ³⁷ tn Or “myriads of myriads.” Although μυριάς (murias) literally means “10,000,” the point of the combination here may simply be to indicate an incalculably huge number. See L&N 60.9.

[5:14]  ³⁸ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[11:15]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[11:16]  ⁴¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:16]  ⁴² tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[15:7]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[15:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “anger.”