Zechariah 5:2

5:2 Someone asked me, “What do you see?” I replied, “I see a flying scroll thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide.” ¹ 

Isaiah 8:1

A Sign-Child is Born

8:1 The Lord told me, “Take a large tablet ²  and inscribe these words ³  on it with an ordinary stylus: ⁴  ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.’ ⁵ 

Jeremiah 36:1-6

Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll Containing the Lord’s Messages

36:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year ⁶  that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. ⁷  36:2 “Get a scroll. ⁸  Write on it everything I have told you to say ⁹  about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. ¹⁰  36:3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. ¹¹  If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.” ¹² 

36:4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the Lord had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. ¹³  36:5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go ¹⁴  into the Lord’s temple. 36:6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast ¹⁵  in the Lord’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the Lord said, which you wrote in the scroll. ¹⁶ 

Jeremiah 36:20-24

36:20 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. ¹⁷  Then they went to the court and reported everything ¹⁸  to the king. ¹⁹  36:21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself ²⁰  read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him. 36:22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters. ²¹  A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him. ²²  36:23 As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns ²³  of the scroll, the king ²⁴  would cut them off with a penknife ²⁵  and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire. ²⁶  36:24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. ²⁷ 

Jeremiah 36:27-32

Baruch and Jeremiah Write Another Scroll

36:27 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after Jehoiakim had burned the scroll containing what Jeremiah had spoken and Baruch had written down. ²⁸  36:28 “Get another ²⁹  scroll and write on it everything ³⁰  that was written on the original scroll ³¹  that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. 36:29 Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The Lord says, “You burned the scroll. You asked ³²  Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’” ³³  36:30 So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. ³⁴  His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night. ³⁵  36:31 I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. ³⁶  I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, ³⁷  and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.”’” ³⁸  36:32 Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind. ³⁹ 

Ezekiel 2:9-10

2:9 Then I looked and realized a hand was stretched out to me, and in it was a written scroll. 2:10 He unrolled it before me, and it had writing on the front ⁴⁰  and back; ⁴¹  written on it were laments, mourning, and woe.

Revelation 5:1-14

The Opening of the Scroll

5:1 Then ⁴²  I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back ⁴³  and sealed with seven seals. ⁴⁴  5:2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 5:3 But ⁴⁵  no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 5:4 So ⁴⁶  I began weeping bitterly ⁴⁷  because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5:5 Then ⁴⁸  one of the elders said ⁴⁹  to me, “Stop weeping! ⁵⁰  Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; ⁵¹  thus he can open ⁵²  the scroll and its seven seals.”

5:6 Then ⁵³  I saw standing in the middle of the throne ⁵⁴  and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. ⁵⁵  He had ⁵⁶  seven horns and seven eyes, which ⁵⁷  are the seven ⁵⁸  spirits of God ⁵⁹  sent out into all the earth. 5:7 Then ⁶⁰  he came and took the scroll ⁶¹  from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, 5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ⁶²  before the Lamb. Each ⁶³  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ⁶⁴  5:9 They were singing a new song: ⁶⁵ 

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals

because you were killed, ⁶⁶ 

and at the cost of your own blood ⁶⁷  you have purchased ⁶⁸  for God

persons ⁶⁹  from every tribe, language, ⁷⁰  people, and nation.

5:10 You have appointed ⁷¹  them ⁷²  as a kingdom and priests ⁷³  to serve ⁷⁴  our God, and they will reign ⁷⁵  on the earth.”

5:11 Then ⁷⁶  I looked and heard the voice of many angels in a circle around the throne, as well as the living creatures and the elders. Their ⁷⁷  number was ten thousand times ten thousand ⁷⁸  – thousands times thousands – 5:12 all of whom ⁷⁹  were singing ⁸⁰  in a loud voice:

“Worthy is the lamb who was killed ⁸¹ 

to receive power and wealth

and wisdom and might

and honor and glory and praise!”

5:13 Then ⁸²  I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: ⁸³ 

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power ⁸⁴  forever and ever!”

5:14 And the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground ⁸⁵  and worshiped.

Revelation 10:2

10:2 He held ⁸⁶  in his hand a little scroll that was open, and he put his right foot on the sea and his left on the land.

Revelation 10:8-11

10:8 Then ⁸⁷  the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak ⁸⁸  to me ⁸⁹  again, ⁹⁰  “Go and take the open ⁹¹  scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 10:9 So ⁹²  I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He ⁹³  said to me, “Take the scroll ⁹⁴  and eat it. It ⁹⁵  will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10:10 So ⁹⁶  I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste ⁹⁷  as sweet as honey in my mouth, but ⁹⁸  when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 10:11 Then ⁹⁹  they ¹⁰⁰  told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, ¹⁰¹  languages, and kings.”

[5:2]  ¹ tn Heb “twenty cubits…ten cubits” (so NAB, NRSV). These dimensions (“thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide”) can hardly be referring to the scroll when unrolled since that would be all out of proportion to the normal ratio, in which the scroll would be 10 to 15 times as long as it was wide. More likely, the scroll is 15 feet thick when rolled, a hyperbole expressing the enormous amount and the profound significance of the information it contains.

[8:1]  ² sn Probably made of metal, wood, or leather. See HALOT 193 s.v. גִּלָּיוֹן.

[8:1]  ³ tn Heb “write” (so KJV, ASV, NIV, NRSV).

[8:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “with the stylus of a man.” The significance of the qualifying genitive “a man” is uncertain. For various interpretations see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:219, n. 1.

[8:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “quickly, [the] plunder; it hurries, [the] loot.” The first word (מַהֵר, maher) is either a Piel imperative (“hurry [to]”) or infinitive (“hurrying,” or “quickly”). The third word (חָשׁ, khash) is either a third masculine singular perfect or a masculine singular participle, in either case from the root חוּשׁ (khush, “hurry”). Perhaps it is best to translate, “One hastens to the plunder, one hurries to the loot.” In this case מַהֵר is understood as an infinitive functioning as a verb, the subject of חוּשׁ is taken as indefinite, and the two nouns are understood as adverbial accusatives. As we discover in v. 3, this is the name of the son to be born to Isaiah through the prophetess.

[36:1]  ⁶ sn The fourth year that Jehoiakim…was ruling over Judah would have been 605/4 b.c. Jehoiakim began his rule in 609/8 b.c. after his father Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo. Necho had installed him as puppet king in place of his brother Jehoahaz who was deposed by Necho after a reign of only three months (2 Kgs 23:31-35). According to Jer 46:2 that was the year in which Nebuchadnezzar defeated Jehoiakim’s suzerain Necho at Carchemish. That was also the same year that Jerusalem came under attack and submitted to Babylonian control after a brief siege (Dan 1:1; see the study note on 25:1 for the reason for the difference in the dating between Jer 25:1; 36:2 and Dan 1:1). These events confirmed what Jeremiah had been saying about the foe from the north (4:6; 6:1; 15:12) and would have provided the impetus for the hopes that the people would repent if they were reminded about what Jeremiah had been saying.

[36:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah the king of Judah, saying.”

[36:2]  ⁸ sn Heb “a roll [or scroll] of a document.” Scrolls consisted of pieces of leather or parchment sewn together and rolled up on wooden rollers. The writing was written from right to left and from top to bottom in columns and the scroll unrolled from the left roller and rolled onto the right one as the scroll was read. The scroll varied in length depending on the contents. This scroll was probably not all that long since it was read three times in a single day (vv. 10-11, 15-16, 21-23).

[36:2]  ⁹ sn The intent is hardly that of giving a verbatim report of everything that the Lord had told him to say or of everything that he had actually said. What the scroll undoubtedly contained was a synopsis of Jeremiah’s messages as constructed from his memory.

[36:2]  ¹⁰ sn This refers to the messages that Jeremiah delivered during the last eighteen years of Josiah, the three month reign of Jehoahaz and the first four years of Jehoiakim’s reign (the period between Josiah’s thirteenth year [cf. 1:2] and the fourth year of Jehoiakim [v. 1]). The exact content of this scroll is unknown since many of the messages in the present book are undated. It is also not known what relation this scroll had to the present form of the book of Jeremiah, since this scroll was destroyed and another one written that contained more than this one did (cf. v. 32). Since Jeremiah continued his ministry down to the fall of Jerusalem in 587/6 b.c. (1:2) and beyond (cf. Jer 40-44) much more was added to those two scrolls even later.

[36:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will turn each one from his wicked way.”

[36:3]  ¹² tn Heb “their iniquity and their sin.”

[36:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “Then Baruch wrote down on a scroll from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which he [the Lord] had spoken to him [Jeremiah].” The syntax of the Hebrew sentence is awkward and hard to reproduce “literally” in any meaningful way. The English sentence has been restructured to reproduce all the pertinent facts in more simplified language.

[36:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “I am restrained; I cannot go into.” The word “restrained” is used elsewhere in Jeremiah of his being confined to the courtyard of the guardhouse (33:1; 39:15). However, that occurred only later during the tenth year of Zedekiah (Jer 32:1-2) and Jeremiah appears here to be free to come and go as he pleased (vv. 19, 26). The word is used in the active voice of the Lord preventing Sarah from having a baby (Gen 16:2). The probable nuance is here “I am prevented/ debarred” from being able to go. No reason is given why he was prevented/debarred. It has been plausibly suggested that he was prohibited from going into the temple any longer because of the scathing sermon he delivered there earlier (Jer 26:1-3; 7:1-15).

[36:6]  ¹⁵ sn Regular fast days were not a part of Israel’s religious calendar. Rather fast days were called on special occasions, i.e., in times of drought or a locust plague (Joel 1:14; 2:15), or during a military crisis (2 Chr 20:3), or after defeat in battle (1 Sam 31:13; 2 Sam 1:12). A fast day was likely chosen for the reading of the scroll because the people would be more mindful of the crisis they were in and be in more of a repentant mood. The events referred to in the study note on v. 1 would have provided the basis for Jeremiah’s anticipation of a fast day when the scroll could be read.

[36:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “So you go and read from the scroll which you have written from my mouth the words of the Lord in the ears of the people in the house of the Lord on a fast day, and in that way [for the explanation of this rendering see below] you will be reading them in the ears of all Judah [= the people of Judah] who come from their towns [i.e., to the temple to fast].” Again the syntax of the original is awkward, separating several of the qualifying phrases from the word or phrase they are intended to modify. In most of the “literal” English versions the emphasis on “what the Lord said” tends to get lost and it looks like two separate groups are to be addressed rather than one. The intent of the phrase is to define who the people are who will hear; the וַ that introduces the clause is explicative (BDB 252 s.v. וַ 1.b) and the גַּם (gam) is used to emphasize the explicative “all Judah who come in from their towns” (cf. BDB 169 s.v. גַּם 2). If some force were to be given to the “literal” rendering of that particle here it would be “actually.” This is the group that is to be addressed according to v. 3. The complex Hebrew sentence has been restructured to include all the relevant information in more comprehensible and shorter English sentences.

[36:20]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they deposited.” For the usage of the verb here see BDB 824 s.v. פָּקַד Hiph.2.b and compare the usage in Jer 37:21 where it is used for “confining” Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

[36:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “all the matters.” Compare the translator’s note on v. 16.

[36:20]  ¹⁹ tn Both here and in the next verse the Hebrew has “in the ears of” before “the king” (and also before “all the officials”). As in v. 15 these words are not represented in the translation due to the awkwardness of the idiom in contemporary English (see the translator’s note on v. 15).

[36:21]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and Jehudi read it.” However, Jehudi has been the subject of the preceding; so it would be awkward in English to use the personal subject. The translation has chosen to bring out the idea that Jehudi himself read it by using the reflexive.

[36:22]  ²¹ tn Heb “in the autumn house.” Commentators are agreed that this was not a separate building or palace but the winter quarters in the palace.

[36:22]  ²² tc Heb “the fire in the firepot was burning before him.” The translation assumes that the word “fire” (אֵשׁ, ’esh) has dropped out after the particle אֶת (’et) because of the similar beginnings of the two words. The word “fire” is found in the Greek, Syriac, and Targumic translations according to BHS. The particle אֵת should be retained rather than dropped as an erroneous writing of אֵשׁ. Its presence is to be explained as the usage of the sign of the accusative introducing a new subject (cf. BDB 85 s.v. אֶת 3.α and compare the usage in 27:8; 38:16 [in the Kethib]; 45:4).

[36:23]  ²³ tn Heb “doors.” This is the only time the word “door” is used in this way but all the commentaries and lexicons agree that it means “columns.” The meaning is figurative based on the similarity of shape.

[36:23]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he.” The majority of commentaries and English versions are agreed that “he” is the king. However, since a penknife (Heb “a scribe’s razor”) is used to cut the columns off, it is possible that Jehudi himself did it. However, even if Jehudi himself did it, he was acting on the king’s orders.

[36:23]  ²⁵ sn Heb “a scribe’s razor.” There is some irony involved here since a scribe’s razor was used to trim the sheets to be sewn together, scrape them in preparation for writing, and to erase errors. What was normally used to prepare the scroll was used to destroy it.

[36:23]  ²⁶ tn Heb “until the whole scroll was consumed upon the fire which was in the fire pot.”

[36:24]  ²⁷ tn Heb “Neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words were afraid or tore their clothes.” The sentence has been broken up into two shorter sentences to better conform to English style and some of the terms explained (e.g., tore their clothes) for the sake of clarity.

[36:27]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words [= containing the words] which Baruch wrote down from the mouth of Jeremiah, saying.”

[36:28]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Return, take another.” The verb “return” is used in the sense of repetition “take again” (cf. BDB 998 s.v. שׁוּב Qal.8). The idea is already contained in “Get another” so most modern English versions do not represent it.

[36:28]  ³⁰ tn Heb “all the former words/things.”

[36:28]  ³¹ tn Heb “first [or former] scroll.”

[36:29]  ³² tn Or “In essence you asked.” For explanation see the translator’s note on the end of the verse.

[36:29]  ³³ tn Heb “You burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why did you write on it, saying, “The king of Babylon will certainly come [the infinitive absolute before the finite verb expresses certainty here as several places elsewhere in Jeremiah] and destroy this land and exterminate from it both man and beast.”’” The sentence raises several difficulties for translating literally. I.e., the “you” in “why did you write” is undefined, though it obviously refers to Jeremiah. The gerund “saying” that introduces ‘Why did you write’ does not fit very well with “you burned the scroll.” Gerunds of this sort are normally explanatory. Lastly, there is no indication in the narrative that Jehoiakim ever directly asked Jeremiah this question. In fact, he had been hidden out of sight so Jehoiakim couldn’t confront him. The question is presented rhetorically, expressing Jehoiakim’s thoughts or intents and giving the rational for burning the scroll, i.e., he questioned Jeremiah’s right to say such things. The translation has attempted to be as literal as possible without resolving some of these difficulties. One level of embedded quotes has been eliminated for greater simplicity. For the rendering of “How dare you” for the interrogative “why do you” see the translator’s note on 26:9.

[36:30]  ³⁴ sn This prophesy was not “totally” fulfilled because his son Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) did occupy the throne for three months (2 Kgs 23:8). However, his rule was negligible and after his capitulation and exile to Babylon, he himself was promised that neither he nor his successors would occupy the throne of David (cf. Jer 22:30; and see the study notes on 22:24, 30).

[36:30]  ³⁵ sn Compare the more poetic prophecy in Jer 22:18-19 and see the study note on 22:19.

[36:31]  ³⁶ tn Heb “for their iniquity.”

[36:31]  ³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[36:31]  ³⁸ tn Heb “all the disaster which I spoke against them and they did not listen [or obey].”

[36:32]  ³⁹ tn Heb “And he wrote upon it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll which Jehoiakim king of Judah burned in the fire. And many words like these were added to them besides [or further].” The translation uses the more active form in the last line because of the tendency in contemporary English style to avoid the passive. It also uses the words “everything” for “all the words” and “messages” for “words” because those are legitimate usages of these phrases, and they avoid the mistaken impression that Jeremiah repeated verbatim the words on the former scroll or repeated verbatim the messages that he had delivered during the course of the preceding twenty-three years.

[2:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “on the face.”

[2:10]  ⁴¹ sn Written on the front and back. While it was common for papyrus scrolls to have writing on both sides the same was not true for leather scrolls.

[5:1]  ⁴² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “written on the inside and the outside” (an idiom for having writing on both sides).

[5:1]  ⁴⁴ tn L&N 6.55 states, “From the immediate context of Re 5:1 it is not possible to determine whether the scroll in question had seven seals on the outside or whether the scroll was sealed at seven different points. However, since according to chapter six of Revelation the seals were broken one after another, it would appear as though the scroll had been sealed at seven different places as it had been rolled up.”

[5:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[5:4]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of no one being found worthy to open the scroll.

[5:4]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “much.”

[5:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[5:5]  ⁵⁰ tn The present imperative with μή (mh) is used here to command cessation of an action in progress (ExSyn 724 lists this verse as an example).

[5:5]  ⁵¹ tn Or “has been victorious”; traditionally, “has overcome.”

[5:5]  ⁵² tn The infinitive has been translated as an infinitive of result here.

[5:6]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:6]  ⁵⁴ tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[5:6]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.” 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. This phrase does not imply that the Lamb “appeared to have been killed” but in reality was not, because the wider context of the NT shows that in fact the Lamb, i.e., Jesus, was killed. See 13:3 for the only other occurrence of this phrase in the NT.

[5:6]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “killed, 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.”

[5:6]  ⁵⁷ sn The relative pronoun which is masculine, referring back to the eyes rather than to the horns.

[5:6]  ⁵⁸ tc There is good ms evidence for the inclusion of “seven” (ἑπτά, Jepta; ̲⁴ א 2053 2351 Ï^K). There is equally good ms support for the omission of the term (A 1006 1611 Ï^A pc). It may have been accidentally added due to its repeated presence in the immediately preceding phrases, or it may have been intentionally added to maintain the symmetry of the phrases or more likely to harmonize the phrase with 1:4; 3:1; 4:5. Or it may have been accidentally deleted by way of homoioteleuton (τὰ ἑπτά, ta Jepta). A decision is difficult in this instance. NA²⁷ also does not find the problem easy to solve, placing the word in brackets to indicate doubts as to its authenticity.

[5:6]  ⁵⁹ sn See the note on the phrase the seven spirits of God in Rev 4:5.

[5:7]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:7]  ⁶¹ 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.

[5:8]  ⁶² tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[5:8]  ⁶³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:8]  ⁶⁴ sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.

[5:9]  ⁶⁵ tn The redundant participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated here.

[5:9]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:9]  ⁶⁷ tn The preposition ἐν (en) is taken to indicate price here, like the Hebrew preposition ב (bet) does at times. BDAG 329 s.v. ἐν 5.b states, “The ἐν which takes the place of the gen. of price is also instrumental ἠγόρασας ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου Rv 5:9 (cp. 1 Ch 21:24 ἀγοράζω ἐν ἀργυρίῳ).”

[5:9]  ⁶⁸ tc The Greek text as it stands above (i.e., the reading τῷ θεῷ [tw qew] alone) is found in codex A. א 2050 2344 Ï sy add the term “us” (ἡμᾶς, Jhmas), either before or after τῷ θεῷ, as an attempt to clarify the object of “purchased” (ἠγόρασας, hgorasa"). A few mss (1 vg^ms) delete the reference to God altogether and simply replace it with “us” (ἡμᾶς). This too is an attempt to remove ambiguity in the phrase and provide an object for “purchased.” The shorter reading, supported by the best witness for Revelation, best accounts for the other readings.

[5:9]  ⁶⁹ tn The word “persons” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[5:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “and language,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[5:10]  ⁷¹ tn The verb ἐποίησας (epoihsas) is understood to mean “appointed” here. For an example of this use, see Mark 3:14.

[5:10]  ⁷² tc The vast majority of witnesses have αὐτούς (autous, “them”) here, while the Textus Receptus reads ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”) with insignificant support (pc gig vg^cl sa Prim Bea). There is no question that the original text read αὐτούς here.

[5:10]  ⁷³ tn The reference to “kingdom and priests” may be a hendiadys: “priestly kingdom.”

[5:10]  ⁷⁴ tn The words “to serve” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the word “priests.”

[5:10]  ⁷⁵ tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 Ï^K pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 Ï^A pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.

[5:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “elders, and the number of them was.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:11]  ⁷⁸ tn Or “myriads of myriads.” Although μυριάς (murias) literally means “10,000,” the point of the combination here may simply be to indicate an incalculably huge number. See L&N 60.9.

[5:12]  ⁷⁹ tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.

[5:12]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:12]  ⁸¹ tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”

[5:13]  ⁸² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[5:13]  ⁸³ tn Grk “saying.”

[5:13]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “dominion.”

[5:14]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[10:2]  ⁸⁶ 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.”

[10:8]  ⁸⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[10:8]  ⁸⁸ tn The participle λαλοῦσαν (lalousan) has been translated as “began to speak.” The use of πάλιν (palin) indicates an ingressive idea.

[10:8]  ⁸⁹ 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]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “again, saying.” The participle λέγουσαν (legousan) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:8]  ⁹¹ tn The perfect passive participle ἠνεῳγμένον (hnewgmenon) is in second attributive position and has been translated as an attributive adjective.

[10:9]  ⁹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.

[10:9]  ⁹³ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:9]  ⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[10:10]  ⁹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.

[10:10]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.

[10:10]  ⁹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[10:11]  ⁹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[10:11]  ¹⁰⁰ tn The referent of “they” is not clear in the Greek text.

[10:11]  ¹⁰¹ 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.