Revelation 4:9

4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, ¹  and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

Revelation 4:1

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4:1 After these things I looked, and there was ²  a door standing open in heaven! ³  And the first voice I had heard speaking to me ⁴  like a trumpet ⁵  said: “Come up here so that ⁶  I can show you what must happen after these things.”

Revelation 12:1-17

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12:1 Then ⁷  a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. ⁸  12:2 She ⁹  was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling ¹⁰  to give birth. 12:3 Then ¹¹  another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ¹²  12:4 Now ¹³  the dragon’s ¹⁴  tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then ¹⁵  the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. 12:5 So ¹⁶  the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, ¹⁷  who is going to rule ¹⁸  over all the nations ¹⁹  with an iron rod. ²⁰  Her ²¹  child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and she ²²  fled into the wilderness ²³  where a place had been prepared for her ²⁴  by God, so she could be taken care of ²⁵  for 1,260 days.

War in Heaven

12:7 Then ²⁶  war broke out in heaven: Michael ²⁷  and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 12:8 But ²⁸  the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, ²⁹  so there was no longer any place left ³⁰  in heaven for him and his angels. ³¹  12:9 So ³²  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 12:10 Then ³³  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ³⁴  of his Christ, ³⁵  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ³⁶ 

the one who accuses them day and night ³⁷  before our God,

has been thrown down.

12:11 But ³⁸  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ³⁹  so much that they were afraid to die.

12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!

But ⁴⁰  woe to the earth and the sea

because the devil has come down to you!

He ⁴¹  is filled with terrible anger,

for he knows that he only has a little time!”

12:13 Now ⁴²  when the dragon realized ⁴³  that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 12:14 But ⁴⁴  the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, ⁴⁵  to the place God ⁴⁶  prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time. ⁴⁷  12:15 Then ⁴⁸  the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to ⁴⁹  sweep her away by a flood, 12:16 but ⁵⁰  the earth came to her rescue; ⁵¹  the ground opened up ⁵²  and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 12:17 So ⁵³  the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, ⁵⁴  those who keep ⁵⁵  God’s commandments and hold to ⁵⁶  the testimony about Jesus. ⁵⁷  (12:18) And the dragon ⁵⁸  stood ⁵⁹  on the sand ⁶⁰  of the seashore. ⁶¹ 

Revelation 1:13

1:13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. ⁶²  He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt ⁶³  around his chest.

[4:9]  ¹ 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.

[4:1]  ² tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:1]  ³ tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[4:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”

[4:1]  ⁵ sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.

[4:1]  ⁶ tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.

[12:1]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[12:1]  ⁴ sn Sun…moon…stars. This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37.

[12:2]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[12:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “and being tortured,” though βασανίζω (basanizw) in this context refers to birth pangs. BDAG 168 s.v. 2.b states, “Of birth-pangs (Anth. Pal. 9, 311 βάσανος has this mng.) Rv 12:2.” The καί (kai) has not been translated.

[12:3]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:3]  ⁶ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[12:4]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.

[12:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:5]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.

[12:5]  ⁸ tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἄρσην states: “male…The neut. ἄρσεν Rv 12:5, difft. vs. 13, comes fr. Is 66:7 and is in apposition to υἱόν. On the juxtaposition s. FBoll, ZNW 15, 1914, 253; BOlsson, Glotta 23, ’34, 112.”

[12:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “shepherd.”

[12:5]  ¹⁰ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[12:5]  ¹¹ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

[12:5]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[12:6]  ⁸ tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.

[12:6]  ⁹ tn Or “desert.”

[12:6]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”

[12:6]  ¹¹ tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”

[12:7]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[12:7]  ¹⁰ sn The archangel Michael had a special role in protecting the nation of Israel in the OT (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; see also Jude 9).

[12:8]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.

[12:8]  ¹¹ tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:8]  ¹² tn Grk “found.”

[12:8]  ¹³ tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:9]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.

[12:10]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ¹³ tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ¹⁶ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[12:11]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ¹⁴ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.

[12:12]  ¹⁴ tn The word “But” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied. This is a case of asyndeton (lack of a connective).

[12:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “and is filled,” a continuation of the previous sentence. Because English tends to use shorter sentences (especially when exclamations are involved), a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[12:13]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.

[12:13]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “saw.”

[12:14]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

[12:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “desert.”

[12:14]  ¹⁸ tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.

[12:14]  ¹⁹ tc The reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou) is lacking in the important uncial C. Its inclusion, however, is supported by {Ì⁴⁷ א A and the rest of the ms tradition}. There is apparently no reason for the scribe of C to intentionally omit the phrase, and the fact that the word “time” (καιρὸν καὶ καιρούς, kairon kai kairou") appears twice before may indicate a scribal oversight.

[12:15]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:15]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”

[12:16]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

[12:16]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”

[12:16]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).

[12:17]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.

[12:17]  ²⁰ tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).

[12:17]  ²¹ tn Or “who obey.”

[12:17]  ²² tn Grk “and having.”

[12:17]  ²³ tn Grk “the testimony of Jesus,” which may involve a subjective genitive (“Jesus’ testimony”) or, more likely, an objective genitive (“testimony about Jesus”).

[12:17]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:17]  ²⁵ tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better mss (Ì⁴⁷ א A C 1854 2344 2351 pc lat sy^h) while the majority of mss (051 Ï vg^mss sy^ph co) have the reading ἐστάθην (estaqhn, “I stood”). Thus, the majority of mss make the narrator, rather than the dragon of 12:17, the subject of the verb. The first person reading is most likely an assimilation to the following verb in 13:1, “I saw.” The reading “I stood” was introduced either by accident or to produce a smoother flow, giving the narrator a vantage point on the sea’s edge from which to observe the beast rising out of the sea in 13:1. But almost everywhere else in the book, the phrase καὶ εἶδον (kai eidon, “and I saw”) marks a transition to a new vision, without reference to the narrator’s activity. On both external and internal grounds, it is best to adopt the third person reading, “he stood.”

[12:17]  ²⁶ tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).

[12:17]  ²⁷ sn The standard critical texts of the Greek NT, NA²⁷ and UBS⁴, both include this sentence as 12:18, as do the RSV and NRSV. Other modern translations like the NASB and NIV include the sentence at the beginning of 13:1; in these versions chap. 12 has only 17 verses.

[1:13]  ²⁰ tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (Juio" tou anqrwpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’…‘the human being, the human one, the man’…On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46-48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 51f)…Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56…Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13…).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800-801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771-72; NRSV).

[1:13]  ²¹ tn Or “a wide golden sash,” but this would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).