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 9:15

9:15 Then ⁸  the four angels who had been prepared for this ⁹  hour, day, ¹⁰  month, and year were set free to kill ¹¹  a third of humanity.

[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.

[9:15]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[9:15]  ⁹ tn The Greek article τήν (thn) has been translated with demonstrative force here.

[9:15]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Grk “so that they might kill,” but the English infinitive is an equivalent construction to indicate purpose here.