Revelation 9:5

9:5 The locusts ¹  were not given permission ²  to kill ³  them, but only to torture ⁴  them ⁵  for five months, and their torture was like that ⁶  of a scorpion when it stings a person. ⁷ 

Revelation 9:10

9:10 They have ⁸  tails and stingers like scorpions, and their ability ⁹  to injure people for five months is in their tails.

[9:5]  ¹ tn Grk “It was not permitted to them”; the referent (the locusts) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:5]  ² tn The word “permission” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[9:5]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text but is picked up from the previous clause.

[9:5]  ⁶ tn Grk “like the torture,” but this is redundant in contemporary English.

[9:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “a man”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in an individualized sense without being limited to the male gender.

[9:10]  ⁸ tn In the Greek text there is a shift to the present tense here; the previous verbs translated “had” are imperfects.

[9:10]  ⁹ tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”