Discovery BoxRevelation 8:1--17:18
Context8:1 Now 1 when the Lamb 2 opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 8:2 Then 3 I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 8:3 Another 4 angel holding 5 a golden censer 6 came and was stationed 7 at the altar. A 8 large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne. 8:4 The 9 smoke coming from the incense, 10 along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. 8:5 Then 11 the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, 12 flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
8:6 Now 13 the seven angels holding 14 the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
8:7 The 15 first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that 16 a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
8:8 Then 17 the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A 18 third of the sea became blood, 8:9 and a third of the creatures 19 living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed. 20
8:10 Then 21 the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; 22 it landed 23 on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 8:11 (Now 24 the name of the star is 25 Wormwood.) 26 So 27 a third of the waters became wormwood, 28 and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned. 29
8:12 Then 30 the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day 31 and for a third of the night likewise. 8:13 Then 32 I looked, and I heard an 33 eagle 34 flying directly overhead, 35 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!” 36
9:1 Then 37 the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky 38 to the earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the abyss. 39 9:2 He 40 opened the shaft of the abyss and smoke rose out of it 41 like smoke from a giant furnace. The 42 sun and the air were darkened with smoke from the shaft. 9:3 Then 43 out of the smoke came locusts onto the earth, and they were given power 44 like that of the scorpions of the earth. 9:4 They 45 were told 46 not to damage the grass of the earth, or any green plant or tree, but only those people 47 who did not have the seal of God on their 48 forehead. 9:5 The locusts 49 were not given permission 50 to kill 51 them, but only to torture 52 them 53 for five months, and their torture was like that 54 of a scorpion when it stings a person. 55 9:6 In 56 those days people 57 will seek death, but 58 will not be able to 59 find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
9:7 Now 60 the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On 61 their heads were something like crowns similar to gold, 62 and their faces looked like men’s 63 faces. 9:8 They 64 had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like lions’ teeth. 9:9 They had breastplates 65 like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle. 9:10 They have 66 tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability 67 to injure people for five months is in their tails. 9:11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon. 68
9:12 The first woe has passed, but 69 two woes are still coming after these things!
9:13 Then 70 the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a single voice coming from the 71 horns on the golden altar that is before God, 9:14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding 72 the trumpet, “Set free 73 the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 9:15 Then 74 the four angels who had been prepared for this 75 hour, day, 76 month, and year were set free to kill 77 a third of humanity. 9:16 The 78 number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; 79 I heard their number. 9:17 Now 80 this is what the horses and their riders 81 looked like in my 82 vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, 83 dark blue, 84 and sulfurous 85 yellow in color. 86 The 87 heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur 88 came out of their mouths. 9:18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, 89 by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 9:19 For the power 90 of the horses resides 91 in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries. 9:20 The rest of humanity, who had not been killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so that they did not stop worshiping demons and idols made 92 of gold, silver, 93 bronze, stone, and wood – idols that cannot see or hear or walk about. 9:21 Furthermore, 94 they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, 95 of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.
10:1 Then 96 I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped 97 in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire. 98 10:2 He held 99 in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land. 10:3 Then 100 he shouted in a loud voice like a lion roaring, and when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded their voices. 10:4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was preparing to write, but 101 just then 102 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 10:5 Then 103 the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 10:6 and swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, and the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, “There will be no more delay! 104 10:7 But in the days 105 when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, 106 just as he has 107 proclaimed to his servants 108 the prophets.” 10:8 Then 109 the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak 110 to me 111 again, 112 “Go and take the open 113 scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 10:9 So 114 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He 115 said to me, “Take the scroll 116 and eat it. It 117 will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10:10 So 118 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste 119 as sweet as honey in my mouth, but 120 when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 10:11 Then 121 they 122 told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, 123 languages, and kings.”
11:1 Then 124 a measuring rod 125 like a staff was given to me, and I was told, 126 “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there. 11:2 But 127 do not measure the outer courtyard 128 of the temple; leave it out, 129 because it has been given to the Gentiles, 130 and they will trample on the holy city 131 for forty-two months. 11:3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority 132 to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth. 11:4 (These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.) 133 11:5 If 134 anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths 135 and completely consumes 136 their enemies. If 137 anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way. 11:6 These two have the power 138 to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time 139 they are prophesying. They 140 have power 141 to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. 11:7 When 142 they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer 143 them and kill them. 11:8 Their 144 corpses will lie in the street 145 of the great city that is symbolically 146 called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified. 11:9 For three and a half days those from every 147 people, tribe, 148 nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. 149 11:10 And those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate, even sending gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. 11:11 But 150 after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized 151 those who were watching them. 11:12 Then 152 they 153 heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets 154 went up to heaven in a cloud while 155 their enemies stared at them. 11:13 Just then 156 a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people 157 were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
11:14 The second woe has come and gone; 158 the third is coming quickly.
11:15 Then 159 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, 160
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
11:16 Then 161 the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 162 and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: 163
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 164
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign. 165
11:18 The 166 nations 167 were enraged,
but 168 your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants, 169
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 170 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 171 to destroy those who destroy 172 the earth.”
11:19 Then 173 the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 174 crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. 175
12:1 Then 176 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. 177 12:2 She 178 was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling 179 to give birth. 12:3 Then 180 another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. 181 12:4 Now 182 the dragon’s 183 tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then 184 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 185 the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, 186 who is going to rule 187 over all the nations 188 with an iron rod. 189 Her 190 child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and she 191 fled into the wilderness 192 where a place had been prepared for her 193 by God, so she could be taken care of 194 for 1,260 days.
12:7 Then 195 war broke out in heaven: Michael 196 and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 12:8 But 197 the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, 198 so there was no longer any place left 199 in heaven for him and his angels. 200 12:9 So 201 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 202 I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 203 of his Christ, 204 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 205
the one who accuses them day and night 206 before our God,
has been thrown down.
12:11 But 207 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 208 so much that they were afraid to die.
12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But 209 woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He 210 is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”
12:13 Now 211 when the dragon realized 212 that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 12:14 But 213 the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, 214 to the place God 215 prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time. 216 12:15 Then 217 the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to 218 sweep her away by a flood, 12:16 but 219 the earth came to her rescue; 220 the ground opened up 221 and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 12:17 So 222 the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, 223 those who keep 224 God’s commandments and hold to 225 the testimony about Jesus. 226 (12:18) And the dragon 227 stood 228 on the sand 229 of the seashore. 230
13:1 Then 231 I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It 232 had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, 233 and on its heads a blasphemous name. 234 13:2 Now 235 the beast that I saw was like a leopard, but its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. The 236 dragon gave the beast 237 his power, his throne, and great authority to rule. 238 13:3 One of the beast’s 239 heads appeared to have been killed, 240 but the lethal wound had been healed. 241 And the whole world followed 242 the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority 243 to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” 244 13:5 The beast 245 was given a mouth speaking proud words 246 and blasphemies, and he was permitted 247 to exercise ruling authority 248 for forty-two months. 13:6 So 249 the beast 250 opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, 251 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast 252 was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. 253 He was given ruling authority 254 over every tribe, people, 255 language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, 256 everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world 257 in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. 258 13:9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
13:10 If anyone is meant for captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword, 259
then by the sword he must be killed.
This 260 requires steadfast endurance 261 and faith from the saints.
13:11 Then 262 I saw another beast 263 coming up from the earth. He 264 had two horns like a lamb, 265 but 266 was speaking like a dragon. 13:12 He 267 exercised all the ruling authority 268 of the first beast on his behalf, 269 and made the earth and those who inhabit it worship the first beast, the one whose lethal wound had been healed. 13:13 He 270 performed momentous signs, even making fire come down from heaven in front of people 271 13:14 and, by the signs he was permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, he deceived those who live on the earth. He told 272 those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who had been wounded by the sword, but still lived. 13:15 The second beast 273 was empowered 274 to give life 275 to the image of the first beast 276 so that it could speak, and could cause all those who did not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 13:16 He also caused 277 everyone (small and great, rich and poor, free and slave 278 ) to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. 13:17 Thus no one was allowed to buy 279 or sell things 280 unless he bore 281 the mark of the beast – that is, his name or his number. 282 13:18 This calls for wisdom: 283 Let the one who has insight calculate the beast’s number, for it is man’s number, 284 and his number is 666. 285
14:1 Then 286 I looked, and here was 287 the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 14:2 I also heard a sound 288 coming out of heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. Now 289 the sound I heard was like that made by harpists playing their harps, 14:3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No 290 one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.
14:4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves 291 with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These were redeemed from humanity as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb, 14:5 and no lie was found on their lips; 292 they 293 are blameless.
14:6 Then 294 I saw another 295 angel flying directly overhead, 296 and he had 297 an eternal gospel to proclaim 298 to those who live 299 on the earth – to every nation, tribe, 300 language, and people. 14:7 He declared 301 in a loud voice: “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has arrived, and worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water!”
14:8 A 302 second 303 angel 304 followed the first, 305 declaring: 306 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! 307 She made all the nations 308 drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 309
14:9 A 310 third angel 311 followed the first two, 312 declaring 313 in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and takes the mark on his forehead or his hand, 14:10 that person 314 will also drink of the wine of God’s anger 315 that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur 316 in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. 14:11 And the smoke from their 317 torture will go up 318 forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have 319 no rest day or night, along with 320 anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 14:12 This requires 321 the steadfast endurance 322 of the saints – those who obey 323 God’s commandments and hold to 324 their faith in Jesus. 325
14:13 Then 326 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, 327 because their deeds will follow them.” 328
14:14 Then 329 I looked, and a white cloud appeared, 330 and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man! 331 He had 332 a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then 333 another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use 334 your sickle and start to reap, 335 because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So 336 the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.
14:17 Then 337 another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 14:18 Another 338 angel, who was in charge of 339 the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to the angel 340 who had the sharp sickle, “Use 341 your sharp sickle and gather 342 the clusters of grapes 343 off the vine of the earth, 344 because its grapes 345 are now ripe.” 346 14:19 So 347 the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes from the vineyard 348 of the earth and tossed them into the great 349 winepress of the wrath of God. 14:20 Then 350 the winepress was stomped 351 outside the city, and blood poured out of the winepress up to the height of horses’ bridles 352 for a distance of almost two hundred miles. 353
15:1 Then 354 I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues 355 (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).
15:2 Then 356 I saw something like a sea of glass 357 mixed with fire, and those who had conquered 358 the beast and his image and the number of his name. They were standing 359 by 360 the sea of glass, holding harps given to them by God. 361 15:3 They 362 sang the song of Moses the servant 363 of God and the song of the Lamb: 364
“Great and astounding are your deeds,
Lord God, the All-Powerful! 365
Just 366 and true are your ways,
King over the nations! 367
15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord,
and glorify 368 your name, because you alone are holy? 369
All nations 370 will come and worship before you
for your righteous acts 371 have been revealed.”
15:5 After 372 these things I looked, and the temple (the tent 373 of the testimony) 374 was opened in heaven, 15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts 375 around their chests. 15:7 Then 376 one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath 377 of God who lives forever and ever, 15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus 378 no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.
16:1 Then 379 I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” 380 16:2 So 381 the first angel 382 went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then 383 ugly and painful sores 384 appeared on the people 385 who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
16:3 Next, 386 the second angel 387 poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.
16:4 Then 388 the third angel 389 poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 16:5 Now 390 I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just 391 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 392
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so 393 you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” 394
16:7 Then 395 I heard the altar reply, 396 “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 397 your judgments are true and just!”
16:8 Then 398 the fourth angel 399 poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people 400 with fire. 16:9 Thus 401 people 402 were scorched by the terrible heat, 403 yet 404 they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority 405 over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
16:10 Then 406 the fifth angel 407 poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that 408 darkness covered his kingdom, 409 and people 410 began to bite 411 their tongues because 412 of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings 413 and because of their sores, 414 but nevertheless 415 they still refused to repent 416 of their deeds.
16:12 Then 417 the sixth angel 418 poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water 419 to prepare the way 420 for the kings from the east. 421 16:13 Then 422 I saw three unclean spirits 423 that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth 424 to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. 425
16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose 426 his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition 427 be seen.) 428
16:16 Now 429 the spirits 430 gathered the kings and their armies 431 to the place that is called Armageddon 432 in Hebrew.
16:17 Finally 433 the seventh angel 434 poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” 16:18 Then 435 there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 436 and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity 437 has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 16:19 The 438 great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations 439 collapsed. 440 So 441 Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup 442 filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. 443 16:20 Every 444 island fled away 445 and no mountains could be found. 446 16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds 447 each, fell from heaven 448 on people, 449 but they 450 blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it 451 was so horrendous. 452
17:1 Then 453 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. 454 “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment 455 of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 456 17:3 So 457 he carried me away in the Spirit 458 to a wilderness, 459 and there 460 I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 Now 461 the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, 462 and adorned with gold, 463 precious stones, and pearls. She held 464 in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. 465 17:5 On 466 her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 467 “Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.” 17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. 468 I 469 was greatly astounded 470 when I saw her. 17:7 But 471 the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret 472 for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 17:8 The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss 473 and then go to destruction. The 474 inhabitants of the earth – all those whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world – will be astounded when they see that 475 the beast was, and is not, but is to come. 17:9 (This requires 476 a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains 477 the woman sits on. They are also seven kings: 17:10 five have fallen; one is, 478 and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time. 17:11 The 479 beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of the seven, and is going to destruction. 17:12 The 480 ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority 481 as kings with the beast for one hour. 17:13 These kings 482 have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying 483 the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”
17:15 Then 484 the angel 485 said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, 486 nations, and languages. 17:16 The 487 ten horns that you saw, and the beast – these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They 488 will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. 489 17:17 For God has put into their minds 490 to carry out his purpose 491 by making 492 a decision 493 to give their royal power 494 to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 495 17:18 As for 496 the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”
[8:1] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption of the topic of the seals.
[8:1] 2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the Lamb) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:2] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:3] 4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[8:3] 6 sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.
[8:3] 7 tn The verb “to station” was used to translate ἑστάθη (Jestaqh) because it connotes the idea of purposeful arrangement in English, which seems to be the idea in the Greek.
[8:3] 8 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[8:4] 9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[8:4] 10 tn The expression τῶν θυμιαμάτων (twn qumiamatwn) is taken as a “genitive of producer,” i.e., the noun in the genitive produces the head noun.
[8:5] 11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:5] 12 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?…).”
[8:6] 13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[8:7] 15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[8:7] 16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” because what follows has the logical force of a result clause.
[8:8] 17 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:8] 18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[8:9] 19 tn Or “a third of the living creatures in the sea”; Grk “the third of the creatures which were in the sea, the ones having life.”
[8:9] 20 tn On the term translated “completely destroyed,” L&N 20.40 states, “to cause the complete destruction of someone or something – ‘to destroy utterly.’ τὸ τρίτον τῶν πλοίων διεφθάρησαν ‘a third of the ships were completely destroyed’ Re 8:9.”
[8:10] 21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:10] 22 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
[8:11] 24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” in keeping with the parenthetical nature of this remark.
[8:11] 25 tn Grk “is called,” but this is somewhat redundant in contemporary English.
[8:11] 26 sn Wormwood refers to a particularly bitter herb with medicinal value. According to L&N 3.21, “The English term wormwood is derived from the use of the plant as a medicine to kill intestinal worms.” This remark about the star’s name is parenthetical in nature.
[8:11] 27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the star falling on the waters.
[8:11] 28 tn That is, terribly bitter (see the note on “Wormwood” earlier in this verse).
[8:11] 29 tn Grk “and many of the men died from these waters because they were bitter.”
[8:12] 30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:12] 31 tn Grk “the day did not shine [with respect to] the third of it.”
[8:13] 32 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[8:13] 34 tc ÏA reads “angel” (ἀγγέλου, angelou) instead of “eagle” (ἀετοῦ, aetou), a reading strongly supported by {א A 046 ÏK 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] 35 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] 36 tn Grk “about to sound their trumpets,” but this is redundant in English.
[9:1] 37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[9:1] 38 tn Or “from heaven” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
[9:1] 39 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
[9:2] 40 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:2] 41 tn Grk “the shaft,” but since this would be somewhat redundant in English, the pronoun “it” is used here.
[9:2] 42 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:3] 43 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[9:3] 44 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
[9:4] 45 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:4] 46 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (Jina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (Joti).
[9:4] 47 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
[9:4] 48 tn The article τῶν (twn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
[9:5] 49 tn Grk “It was not permitted to them”; the referent (the locusts) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:5] 50 tn The word “permission” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[9:5] 51 tn The two ἵνα (Jina) clauses of 9:5 are understood to be functioning as epexegetical or complementary clauses related to ἐδόθη (edoqh).
[9:5] 52 tn On this term BDAG 168 s.v. βασανισμός states, “1. infliction of severe suffering or pain associated with torture or torment, tormenting, torture Rv 9:5b. – 2. the severe pain experienced through torture, torment vs. 5a; 14:11; 18:10, 15; (w. πένθος) vs. 7.”
[9:5] 53 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text but is picked up from the previous clause.
[9:5] 54 tn Grk “like the torture,” but this is redundant in contemporary English.
[9:5] 55 tn Grk “a man”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in an individualized sense without being limited to the male gender.
[9:6] 56 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:6] 57 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
[9:6] 58 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[9:6] 59 tn The phrase “not be able to” was used in the translation to emphasize the strong negation (οὐ μή, ou mh) in the Greek text.
[9:7] 60 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the locusts, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
[9:7] 61 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:7] 62 tn The translation attempts to bring out the double uncertainty in this clause in the Greek text, involving both the form (ὡς στέφανοι, Jw" stefanoi, “like crowns”) and the material (ὅμοιοι χρυσῷ, {omoioi crusw, “similar to gold”).
[9:7] 63 tn Or “human faces.” The Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos) is often used in a generic sense, referring to both men and women. However, because “women’s hair” in the next clause suggests a possible gender distinction here, “men’s” was retained.
[9:8] 64 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:9] 65 tn Or perhaps, “scales like iron breastplates” (RSV, NRSV) although the Greek term θώραξ (qwrax) would have to shift its meaning within the clause, and elsewhere in biblical usage (e.g., Eph 6:14; 1 Thess 5:8) it normally means “breastplate.” See also L&N 8.38.
[9:10] 66 tn In the Greek text there is a shift to the present tense here; the previous verbs translated “had” are imperfects.
[9:10] 67 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
[9:11] 68 sn Both the Hebrew Abaddon and the Greek Apollyon mean “Destroyer.”
[9:12] 69 tn Grk “behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
[9:13] 70 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[9:13] 71 tc ‡ Several key
[9:14] 73 tn On λῦσον (luson) BDAG 606-7 s.v. λύω 2 states, “set free, loose, untie – a. lit. a pers., animal, or thing that is bound or tied…Angels that are bound Rv 9:14f.”
[9:15] 74 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[9:15] 75 tn The Greek article τήν (thn) has been translated with demonstrative force here.
[9:15] 76 tn The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term “month” since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[9:15] 77 tn Grk “so that they might kill,” but the English infinitive is an equivalent construction to indicate purpose here.
[9:16] 78 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:16] 79 tn Grk “twenty thousand of ten thousands.”
[9:17] 80 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the horses and riders, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
[9:17] 81 tn Grk “and those seated on them.”
[9:17] 82 tn Grk “the vision”; the Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
[9:17] 83 tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
[9:17] 84 tn On this term BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑακίνθινος states, “hyacinth-colored, i.e. dark blue (dark red?) w. πύρινος Rv 9:17.”
[9:17] 85 tn On this term BDAG 446 s.v. θειώδης states, “sulphurous Rv 9:17.”
[9:17] 86 sn The colors of the riders’ breastplates parallel the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur in v. 18.
[9:17] 87 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[9:17] 88 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[9:18] 89 tn The phrase ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν (“by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths”) is taken as epexegetical (explanatory) to the phrase τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων (“these three plagues”).
[9:19] 90 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
[9:20] 92 tn The word “made” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
[9:20] 93 tn The Greek conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following materials in this list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[9:21] 94 tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation, with “furthermore” used to indicate a continuation of the preceding.
[9:21] 95 tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”
[10:1] 96 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:1] 98 tn Or “like fiery pillars,” translating πυρός (puros) as an attributive genitive.
[10:2] 99 tn Grk “and having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”
[10:3] 100 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:4] 101 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[10:4] 102 tn The words “just then” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[10:5] 103 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:6] 104 tn On this phrase see BDAG 1092 s.v. χρόνος.
[10:7] 105 tn Grk “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.”
[10:7] 106 tn The aorist ἐτελέσθη (etelesqh) has been translated as a proleptic (futuristic) aorist (ExSyn 564 cites this verse as an example).
[10:7] 107 tn The time of the action described by the aorist εὐηγγέλισεν (euhngelisen) seems to be past with respect to the aorist passive ἐτελέσθη (etelesqh). This does not require that the prophets in view here be OT prophets. They may actually refer to the martyrs in the church (so G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 129).
[10:7] 108 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[10:8] 109 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:8] 110 tn The participle λαλοῦσαν (lalousan) has been translated as “began to speak.” The use of πάλιν (palin) indicates an ingressive idea.
[10:8] 111 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.”
[10:8] 112 tn Grk “again, saying.” The participle λέγουσαν (legousan) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[10:8] 113 tn The perfect passive participle ἠνεῳγμένον (hnewgmenon) is in second attributive position and has been translated as an attributive adjective.
[10:9] 114 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.
[10:9] 115 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[10:9] 116 tn The words “the scroll” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[10:9] 117 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[10:10] 118 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.
[10:10] 119 tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.
[10:10] 120 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[10:11] 121 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:11] 122 tn The referent of “they” is not clear in the Greek text.
[10:11] 123 tn Grk “and nations,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the next item since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[11:1] 124 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[11:1] 125 tn Grk “a reed” (but these were used for measuring). Cf. Ezek 40:3ff.
[11:2] 127 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:2] 128 tn On the term αὐλήν (aulhn) BDAG 150 s.v. αὐλή 1 states, “(outer) court of the temple…Rv 11:2.”
[11:2] 129 tn The precise meaning of the phrase ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν (ekbale exwqen) is difficult to determine.
[11:2] 130 tn Or “to the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[11:2] 131 sn The holy city appears to be a reference to Jerusalem. See also Luke 21:24.
[11:3] 132 tn The word “authority” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. “Power” would be another alternative that could be supplied here.
[11:4] 133 sn This description is parenthetical in nature.
[11:5] 134 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:5] 135 tn This is a collective singular in Greek.
[11:5] 136 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
[11:5] 137 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:6] 140 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:7] 142 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:7] 143 tn Or “be victorious over”; traditionally, “overcome.”
[11:8] 144 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:8] 145 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
[11:8] 146 tn Grk “spiritually.”
[11:9] 147 tn The word “every” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the following list.
[11:9] 148 tn The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated before this and the following items in the list, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[11:9] 149 tn Or “to be buried.”
[11:11] 150 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:11] 151 tn Grk “fell upon.”
[11:12] 152 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:12] 153 tn Though the nearest antecedent to the subject of ἤκουσαν (hkousan) is the people (“those who were watching them”), it could also be (based on what immediately follows) that the two prophets are the ones who heard the voice.
[11:12] 154 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the two prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:12] 155 tn The conjunction καί (kai) seems to be introducing a temporal clause contemporaneous in time with the preceding clause.
[11:13] 156 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:13] 157 tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”
[11:14] 158 tn Grk “has passed.”
[11:15] 159 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:15] 160 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[11:16] 161 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:16] 162 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.”
[11:17] 164 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.”
[11:17] 165 tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.
[11:18] 166 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:18] 167 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[11:18] 168 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:18] 169 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[11:18] 170 tn Grk “who fear.”
[11:18] 171 tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.
[11:18] 172 tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.
[11:19] 173 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence on events within the vision.
[11:19] 174 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?…).”
[11:19] 175 tn Although BDAG 1075 s.v. χάλαζα gives the meaning “hail” here, it is not clear whether the adjective μεγάλη (megalh) refers to the intensity of the storm or the size of the individual hailstones, or both.
[12:1] 176 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[12:1] 177 sn Sun…moon…stars. This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37.
[12:2] 178 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[12:2] 179 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] 180 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:3] 181 tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.
[12:4] 182 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.
[12:4] 183 tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:4] 184 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:5] 185 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.
[12:5] 186 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] 188 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[12:5] 189 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”
[12:5] 190 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[12:6] 191 tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.
[12:6] 193 tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”
[12:6] 194 tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”
[12:7] 195 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[12:7] 196 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] 197 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.
[12:8] 198 tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[12:8] 200 tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:9] 201 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
[12:10] 202 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:10] 203 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
[12:10] 204 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[12:10] 205 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] 206 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
[12:11] 207 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
[12:11] 208 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.
[12:12] 209 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] 210 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] 211 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.
[12:14] 213 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
[12:14] 215 tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.
[12:14] 216 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] 217 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:15] 218 tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”
[12:16] 219 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
[12:16] 220 tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”
[12:16] 221 tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).
[12:17] 222 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
[12:17] 223 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
[12:17] 225 tn Grk “and having.”
[12:17] 226 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] 227 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:17] 228 tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better
[12:17] 229 tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).
[12:17] 230 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.
[13:1] 231 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[13:1] 232 tn Grk “having” (a continuation of the previous sentence). All of the pronouns referring to this beast (along with the second beast appearing in 13:11) could be translated as “it” because the word for beast (θηρίον, qhrion) is neuter gender in Greek and all the pronouns related to it are parsed as neuter in the Gramcord/Accordance database. Nevertheless, most interpreters would agree that the beast ultimately represents a human ruler, so beginning at the end of v. 4 the masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” etc.) are used to refer to the first beast as well as the second beast appearing in 13:11.
[13:1] 233 tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.
[13:1] 234 tc ‡ Several
[13:2] 235 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.
[13:2] 236 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:2] 237 tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:2] 238 tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:3] 239 tn Grk “one of its heads”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:3] 240 tn Grk “killed to death,” an expression emphatic in its redundancy. The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. In this instance, the appearance of the beast’s head did not match reality, because the next phrase shows that in fact it did not die. This text does not affirm that the beast died and was resurrected, but some draw this conclusion because of the only other use of the phrase, which refers to Jesus in 5:6.
[13:3] 241 tn The phrase τοῦ θανάτου (tou qanatou) can be translated as an attributive genitive (“deathly wound”) or an objective genitive (the wound which caused death) and the final αὐτοῦ (autou) is either possessive or reference/respect.
[13:3] 242 tn On the phrase “the whole world followed the beast in amazement,” BDAG 445 s.v. θαυμάζω 2 states, “wonder, be amazed…Rv 17:8. In pregnant constr. ἐθαυμάσθη ὅλη ἡ γῆ ὀπίσω τ. θηρίου the whole world followed the beast, full of wonder 13:3 (here wonder becomes worship: cp. Ael. Aristid. 13 p. 290 D.; 39 p. 747 of Dionysus and Heracles, οἳ ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐθαυμάσθησαν. Sir 7:29; Jos., Ant. 3, 65. – The act. is also found in this sense: Cebes 2, 3 θ. τινά = ‘admire’ or ‘venerate’ someone; Epict. 1, 17, 19 θ. τὸν θεόν).”
[13:4] 243 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:4] 244 tn On the use of the masculine pronoun to refer to the beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.
[13:5] 245 tn Grk “and there was given to him.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:5] 246 tn For the translation “proud words” (Grk “great things” or “important things”) see BDAG 624 s.v. μέγας 4.b.
[13:5] 247 tn Grk “to it was granted.”
[13:5] 248 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:6] 249 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the permission granted to the beast.
[13:6] 250 tn Grk “he” (or “it”); the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:6] 251 tc The reading “and his dwelling place” does not occur in codex C, but its omission is probably due to scribal oversight since the phrase has the same ending as the phrase before it, i.e., they both end in “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou). This is similar to the mistake this scribe made in 12:14 with the omission of the reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou).
[13:7] 252 tn Grk “and it was given to him to go to war.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:7] 253 tc Many
[13:7] 254 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:7] 255 tn Grk “and people,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[13:8] 256 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:8] 257 tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.
[13:8] 258 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
[13:10] 259 tc Many
[13:10] 260 tn On ὧδε (Jwde) here, BDAG 1101 s.v. 2 states: “a ref. to a present event, object, or circumstance, in this case, at this point, on this occasion, under these circumstances…in this case moreover 1 Cor 4:2. ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν…Rv 13:18; cf. 17:9. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή…13:10; 14:12.”
[13:10] 261 tn Or “perseverance.”
[13:11] 262 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[13:11] 263 sn This second beast is identified in Rev 16:13 as “the false prophet.”
[13:11] 264 tn Grk “and it had,” a continuation of the preceding sentence. On the use of the pronoun “he” to refer to the second beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.
[13:11] 265 tn Or perhaps, “like a ram.” Here L&N 4.25 states, “In the one context in the NT, namely, Re 13:11, in which ἀρνίον refers literally to a sheep, it is used in a phrase referring to the horns of an ἀρνίον. In such a context the reference is undoubtedly to a ‘ram,’ that is to say, the adult male of sheep.” In spite of this most translations render the word “lamb” here to maintain the connection between this false lamb and the true Lamb of the Book of Revelation, Jesus Christ.
[13:11] 266 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[13:12] 267 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:12] 268 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:12] 269 tn For this meaning see BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνώπιον 4.b, “by the authority of, on behalf of Rv 13:12, 14; 19:20.”
[13:13] 270 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:13] 271 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both men and women.
[13:14] 272 tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.
[13:15] 273 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the second beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:15] 274 tn Grk “it was given [permitted] to it [the second beast].”
[13:15] 275 tn Grk “breath,” but in context the point is that the image of the first beast is made to come to life and speak.
[13:15] 276 tn Grk “of the beast”; the word “first” has been supplied to specify the referent.
[13:16] 277 tn Or “forced”; Grk “makes” (ποιεῖ, poiei).
[13:16] 278 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[13:17] 279 tn Grk “and that no one be able to buy or sell.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Although the ἵνα (Jina) is left untranslated, the English conjunction “thus” is used to indicate that this is a result clause.
[13:17] 280 tn The word “things” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context. In the context of buying and selling, food could be primarily in view, but the more general “things” was used in the translation because the context is not specific.
[13:17] 281 tn Grk “except the one who had.”
[13:17] 282 tn Grk “his name or the number of his name.”
[13:18] 283 tn Grk “Here is wisdom.”
[13:18] 284 tn Grk “it is man’s number.” ExSyn 254 states “if ἀνθρώπου is generic, then the sense is, ‘It is [the] number of humankind.’ It is significant that this construction fits Apollonius’ Canon (i.e., both the head noun and the genitive are anarthrous), suggesting that if one of these nouns is definite, then the other is, too. Grammatically, those who contend that the sense is ‘it is [the] number of a man’ have the burden of proof on them (for they treat the head noun, ἀριθμός, as definite and the genitive, ἀνθρώπου, as indefinite – the rarest of all possibilities). In light of Johannine usage, we might also add Rev 16:18, where the Seer clearly uses the anarthrous ἄνθρωπος in a generic sense, meaning ‘humankind.’ The implications of this grammatical possibility, exegetically speaking, are simply that the number ‘666’ is the number that represents humankind. Of course, an individual is in view, but his number may be the number representing all of humankind. Thus the Seer might be suggesting here that the antichrist, who is the best representative of humanity without Christ (and the best counterfeit of a perfect man that his master, that old serpent, could muster), is still less than perfection (which would have been represented by the number seven).” See G. K. Beale, Revelation, [NIGTC], 723-24, who argues for the “generic” understanding of the noun; for an indefinite translation, see the ASV and ESV which both translate the clause as “it is the number of a man.”
[13:18] 285 tc A few
[14:1] 286 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:1] 287 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
[14:2] 288 tn Or “a voice” (cf. Rev 1:15), but since in this context nothing is mentioned as the content of the voice, it is preferable to translate φωνή (fwnh) as “sound” here.
[14:2] 289 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new topic.
[14:3] 290 tn Grk “elders, and no one.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but because of the length and complexity of the sentence a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[14:4] 291 tn The aorist passive verb is rendered as a reflexive (“defiled themselves”) by BDAG 657 s.v. μολύνω 2.
[14:5] 292 tn Grk “in their mouth was not found a lie.”
[14:5] 293 tc Several
[14:6] 294 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:6] 295 tc Most
[14:6] 296 tn 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.’”
[14:6] 298 tn Or “an eternal gospel to announce as good news.”
[14:6] 299 tn Grk “to those seated on the earth.”
[14:6] 300 tn Grk “and tribe,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[14:7] 301 tn Grk “people, saying.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence. For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
[14:8] 302 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:8] 303 tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several
[14:8] 304 tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”
[14:8] 305 tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[14:8] 306 tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
[14:8] 307 sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.
[14:8] 308 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[14:8] 309 tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).
[14:9] 310 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:9] 311 tn Grk “And another angel, a third.”
[14:9] 312 tn Grk “followed them.”
[14:9] 313 tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
[14:10] 314 tn Grk “he himself.”
[14:10] 315 tn The Greek word for “anger” here is θυμός (qumos), a wordplay on the “passion” (θυμός) of the personified city of Babylon in 14:8.
[14:10] 316 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
[14:11] 317 tn The Greek pronoun is plural here even though the verbs in the previous verse are singular.
[14:11] 318 tn The present tense ἀναβαίνει (anabainei) has been translated as a futuristic present (ExSyn 535-36). This is also consistent with the future passive βασανισθήσεται (basanisqhsetai) in v. 10.
[14:11] 319 tn The present tense ἔχουσιν (ecousin) has been translated as a futuristic present to keep the English tense consistent with the previous verb (see note on “will go up” earlier in this verse).
[14:12] 322 tn Or “the perseverance.”
[14:12] 323 tn Grk “who keep.”
[14:12] 324 tn The words “hold to” are implied as a repetition of the participle translated “keep” (οἱ τηροῦντες, Joi throunte").
[14:12] 325 tn Grk “faith of Jesus.” The construction may mean either “faith in Jesus” or “faithful to Jesus.” Either translation implies that ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is to be taken as an objective genitive; the difference is more lexical than grammatical because πίστις (pistis) can mean either “faith” or “faithfulness.”
[14:13] 326 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:13] 327 tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).
[14:13] 328 tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”
[14:14] 329 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:14] 330 tn Grk “and behold, a white cloud.”
[14:14] 331 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).
[14:14] 332 tn Grk “like a son of man, having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence.
[14:15] 333 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[14:15] 334 tn Grk “Send out.”
[14:15] 335 tn The aorist θέρισον (qerison) has been translated ingressively.
[14:16] 336 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
[14:17] 337 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[14:18] 338 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[14:18] 339 tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.
[14:18] 340 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] 342 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] 343 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] 344 tn The genitive τῆς γῆς (ths ghs), taken symbolically, could be considered a genitive of apposition.
[14:18] 345 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] 346 tn On the use of ἥκμασαν (hkmasan) BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκμάζω states, “to bloom…of grapes…Rv 14:18.”
[14:19] 347 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.
[14:19] 348 tn Or “vine.” BDAG 54 s.v. ἄμπελος a states, “τρυγᾶν τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀ. τῆς γῆς to harvest the grapes fr. the vine of the earth (i.e. fr. the earth, symbol. repr. as a grapevine) Rv 14:18f; but ἀ may be taking on the meaning of ἀμπελών, as oft. in pap., possibly PHib. 70b, 2 [III bc].” The latter alternative has been followed in the translation (ἀμπελών = “vineyard”).
[14:19] 349 tn Although the gender of μέγαν (megan, masc.) does not match the gender of ληνόν (lhnon, fem.) it has been taken to modify that word (as do most English translations).
[14:20] 350 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[14:20] 351 sn The winepress was stomped. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process).
[14:20] 352 tn L&N 6.7 states, “In Re 14:20 the reference to a bit and bridle is merely an indication of measurement, that is to say, the height of the bit and bridle from the ground, and one may reinterpret this measurement as ‘about a meter and a half’ or ‘about five feet.’”
[14:20] 353 tn Grk “1,600 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m). Thus the distance here would be 184 mi or 296 km.
[15:1] 354 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[15:1] 355 tn Grk “seven plagues – the last ones.”
[15:2] 356 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[15:2] 357 sn See Rev 4:6 where the sea of glass was mentioned previously.
[15:2] 358 tn Or “had been victorious over”; traditionally, “had overcome.”
[15:2] 359 tn Grk “of his name, standing.” A new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”
[15:2] 360 tn Or “on.” The preposition ἐπί (epi) with the accusative case could mean “on, at, by, near”; given the nature of this scene appearing in a vision, it is difficult to know precisely which the author of Revelation intended. See BDAG 363 s.v. ἐπί 1.c.γ, “At, by, near someone or someth.”
[15:2] 361 tn Grk “harps of God.” The phrase τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a genitive of agency.
[15:3] 362 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[15:3] 363 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[15:3] 364 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[15:3] 365 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.”
[15:3] 366 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[15:3] 367 tc Certain
[15:4] 368 tn Or “and praise.”
[15:4] 369 sn Because you alone are holy. In the Greek text the sentence literally reads “because alone holy.” Three points can be made in connection with John’s language here: (1) Omitting the second person, singular verb “you are” lays stress on the attribute of God’s holiness. (2) The juxtaposition of alone with holy stresses the unique nature of God’s holiness and complete “otherness” in relationship to his creation. It is not just moral purity which is involved in the use of the term holy, though it certainly includes that. It is also the pervasive OT idea that although God is deeply involved in the governing of his creation, he is to be regarded as separate and distinct from it. (3) John’s use of the term holy is also intriguing since it is the term ὅσιος (Josios) and not the more common NT term ἅγιος (Jagios). The former term evokes images of Christ’s messianic status in early Christian preaching. Both Peter in Acts 2:27 and Paul in Acts 13:35 apply Psalm 16:10 (LXX) to Jesus, referring to him as the “holy one” (ὅσιος). It is also the key term in Acts 13:34 (Isa 55:3 [LXX]) where it refers to the “holy blessings” (i.e., forgiveness and justification) brought about through Jesus in fulfillment of Davidic promise. Thus, in Rev 15:3-4, when John refers to God as “holy,” using the term ὅσιος in a context where the emphasis is on both God and Christ, there might be an implicit connection between divinity and the Messiah. This is bolstered by the fact that the Lamb is referred to in other contexts as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. 1:5; 17:14; 19:16 and perhaps 11:15; G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 796-97).
[15:4] 370 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[15:4] 371 tn Or perhaps, “your sentences of condemnation.” On δικαίωμα (dikaiwma) in this context BDAG 249 s.v. 2. states, “righteous deed…δι᾿ ἑνὸς δικαιώματος (opp. παράπτωμα) Ro 5:18. – B 1:2 (cp. Wengst, Barnabas-brief 196, n.4); Rv 15:4 (here perh.= ‘sentence of condemnation’ [cp. Pla., Leg. 9, 864e; ins fr. Asia Minor: LBW 41, 2 [κατὰ] τὸ δι[καί]ωμα τὸ κυρω[θέν]= ‘acc. to the sentence which has become valid’]; difft. Wengst, s. above); 19:8.”
[15:5] 372 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[15:5] 373 tn On this term BDAG 928 s.v. σκηνή 1.b.α states, “ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου the Tabernacle or Tent of Testimony (Ex 27:21; 29:4; Lev 1:1; Num 1:1 and oft.…) Ac 7:44; 1 Cl 43:2, 5,” and then continues in section 2 to state, “Rv 15:5 speaks of a ναὸς τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. God’s σκ.= dwelling is in heaven 13:6, and will some time be among humans 21:3.”
[15:5] 374 tn Grk “the temple of the tent of the testimony” (ὁ ναός τῆς σκηνῆς τοῦ μαρτυρίου, Jo naos ths skhnhs tou marturiou). The genitive “of the tent” is probably an appositional genitive and should be rendered as “the temple, which is the tent.” The entire expression, then, would be “the temple which is the tent of testimony,” that is, “the heavenly equivalent of the tent or tabernacle that was with Israel in the wilderness” (G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 801-2).
[15:6] 375 tn Or “wide golden sashes,” but these 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).
[15:7] 376 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[15:8] 378 tn Grk “power, and no one.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the temple being filled with smoke.
[16:1] 379 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[16:1] 380 tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.
[16:2] 381 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the directions given by the voice from the temple.
[16:2] 382 tn Grk “the first”; the referent (the first angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:2] 383 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:2] 384 tn Or “ulcerated sores”; the term in the Greek text is singular but is probably best understood as a collective singular.
[16:2] 385 tn Grk ‘the men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:3] 386 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “next” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:3] 387 tn Grk “the second”; the referent (the second angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:4] 388 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:4] 389 tn Grk “the third”; the referent (the third angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:5] 390 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
[16:5] 391 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[16:5] 392 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
[16:6] 393 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.
[16:6] 394 tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”
[16:7] 395 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:7] 396 tn Grk “the altar saying.”
[16:7] 397 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.”
[16:8] 398 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:8] 399 tn Grk “the fourth”; the referent (the fourth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:8] 400 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:9] 401 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.
[16:9] 402 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:9] 403 tn On this phrase BDAG 536 s.v. καῦμα states, “burning, heat Rv 7:16…καυματίζεσθαι κ. μέγα be burned with a scorching heat 16:9.”
[16:9] 404 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[16:9] 405 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[16:10] 406 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:10] 407 tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:10] 408 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.
[16:10] 409 tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”
[16:10] 410 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:10] 411 tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”
[16:10] 412 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.
[16:11] 413 tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”
[16:11] 414 tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).
[16:11] 415 tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.
[16:11] 416 tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.
[16:12] 417 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:12] 418 tn Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:12] 419 tn Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
[16:12] 420 tn Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
[16:12] 421 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12; simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”
[16:13] 422 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:13] 423 sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.
[16:14] 424 tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”
[16:14] 425 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.”
[16:15] 426 tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”
[16:15] 427 tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschmosunh) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.
[16:15] 428 sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.
[16:16] 429 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption and conclusion of the remarks about the pouring out of the sixth bowl.
[16:16] 430 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:16] 431 tn Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:16] 432 tc There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek
[16:17] 433 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “finally” to indicate the conclusion of the seven bowl judgments.
[16:17] 434 tn Grk “the seventh”; the referent (the seventh angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:18] 435 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:18] 436 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?…).”
[16:18] 437 tn The singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used generically here to refer to the human race.
[16:19] 438 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:19] 439 tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[16:19] 441 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).
[16:19] 442 tn Grk “the cup of the wine of the anger of the wrath of him.” The concatenation of four genitives has been rendered somewhat differently by various translations (see the note on the word “wrath”).
[16:19] 443 tn Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumo") 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). Thus in Rev 14:8 (to which the present passage alludes) and 18:3 there is irony: The wine of immoral behavior with which Babylon makes the nations drunk becomes the wine of God’s wrath for her.
[16:20] 444 tn Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:20] 446 sn Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.
[16:21] 447 tn Here BDAG 988 s.v. ταλαντιαῖος states, “weighing a talent…χάλαζα μεγάλη ὡς ταλαντιαία a severe hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (the talent=125 librae, or Roman pounds of c. 343 gr. or 12 ounces each) (weighing about a hundred pounds NRSV) Rv 16:21.” This means each hailstone would weigh just under 100 pounds or 40 kilograms.
[16:21] 448 tn Or “the sky.” Due to the apocalyptic nature of this book, it is probably best to leave the translation as “from heaven,” since God is ultimately the source of the judgment.
[16:21] 449 tn Grk “on men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense to refer to people in general (the hailstones did not single out adult males, but would have also fallen on women and children).
[16:21] 450 tn Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.
[16:21] 451 tn Grk “the plague of it.”
[16:21] 452 tn Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”
[17:1] 453 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[17:1] 454 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.”
[17:1] 455 tn Here one Greek term, κρίμα (krima), has been translated by the two English terms “condemnation” and “punishment.” See BDAG 567 s.v. 4.b, “mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself 2 Pt 2:3; Jd 4…τὸ κ. τῆς πόρνης the condemnation and punishment of the prostitute Rv 17:1.”
[17:2] 456 tn This is the same word translated “sexual immorality” earlier in the verse, but here the qualifier “sexual” has not been repeated for stylistic reasons.
[17:3] 457 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.
[17:3] 458 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
[17:3] 460 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[17:4] 461 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the detailed description of the woman, which is somewhat parenthetical in nature.
[17:4] 462 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
[17:4] 463 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
[17:4] 464 tn Grk “pearls, having in her hand.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[17:4] 465 tc Several
[17:5] 466 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:5] 467 tn Some translations consider the word μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) a part of the name written (“Mystery Babylon the Great,” so KJV, NIV), but the gender of both ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) and μυστήριον are neuter, while the gender of “Babylon” is feminine. This strongly suggests that μυστήριον should be understood as an appositive to ὄνομα (“a name, i.e., a mystery”).
[17:6] 468 tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.
[17:6] 469 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:6] 470 tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).
[17:7] 471 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[17:7] 472 tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.
[17:8] 473 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
[17:8] 474 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:8] 475 tn Some translations take the ὅτι (Joti) here as causal: “because he was, and is not, but is to come” (so NIV, NRSV), but it is much more likely that the subject of the ὅτι clause has been assimilated into the main clause: “when they see the beast, that he was…” = “when they see that the beast was” (so BDAG 732 s.v. ὅτι 1.f, where Rev 17:8 is listed).
[17:9] 476 tn Grk “Here is the mind that has wisdom.”
[17:9] 477 tn It is important to note that the height of “mountains” versus “hills” or other topographical terms is somewhat relative. In terms of Palestinian topography, Mount Tabor (traditionally regarded as the mount of transfiguration) is some 1,800 ft (550 m) above sea level, while the Mount of Olives is only some 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem.
[17:10] 478 tn That is, one currently reigns.
[17:11] 479 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:12] 480 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:12] 481 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[17:13] 482 tn The word “kings” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the referent.
[17:14] 483 tn See BDAG 636 s.v. μετά A.2.a.α.
[17:15] 484 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[17:15] 485 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:15] 486 tn Grk “and multitudes,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[17:16] 487 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 488 tn A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 489 tn The final clause could also be turned into an adverbial clause of means: “They will consume her flesh by burning her with fire.”
[17:17] 491 tn Or “his intent.”
[17:17] 492 tn The infinitive ποιῆσαι (poihsai) was translated here as giving the logical means by which God’s purpose was carried out.
[17:17] 493 tn On this term BDAG 203 s.v. γνώμη 4 states, “declaration, decision, resolution…of God Rv 17:17.”
[17:17] 494 tn For this translation see BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a, “kingship, royal power, royal rule.”
[17:17] 495 tn Or “completed.”
[17:18] 496 tn Grk “And.” Because this remark is somewhat resumptive in nature, “as for” is used in the translation.
