Wahyu 10:1--12:17
Konteks10:1 Then 1 I saw another powerful angel descending from heaven, wrapped 2 in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun and his legs were like pillars of fire. 3 10:2 He held 4 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 5 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 6 just then 7 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.” 10:5 Then 8 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! 9 10:7 But in the days 10 when the seventh angel is about to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God is completed, 11 just as he has 12 proclaimed to his servants 13 the prophets.” 10:8 Then 14 the voice I had heard from heaven began to speak 15 to me 16 again, 17 “Go and take the open 18 scroll in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 10:9 So 19 I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He 20 said to me, “Take the scroll 21 and eat it. It 22 will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.” 10:10 So 23 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it, and it did taste 24 as sweet as honey in my mouth, but 25 when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. 10:11 Then 26 they 27 told me: “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, 28 languages, and kings.”
11:1 Then 29 a measuring rod 30 like a staff was given to me, and I was told, 31 “Get up and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and the ones who worship there. 11:2 But 32 do not measure the outer courtyard 33 of the temple; leave it out, 34 because it has been given to the Gentiles, 35 and they will trample on the holy city 36 for forty-two months. 11:3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority 37 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.) 38 11:5 If 39 anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths 40 and completely consumes 41 their enemies. If 42 anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way. 11:6 These two have the power 43 to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time 44 they are prophesying. They 45 have power 46 to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want. 11:7 When 47 they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer 48 them and kill them. 11:8 Their 49 corpses will lie in the street 50 of the great city that is symbolically 51 called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was also crucified. 11:9 For three and a half days those from every 52 people, tribe, 53 nation, and language will look at their corpses, because they will not permit them to be placed in a tomb. 54 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 55 after three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and tremendous fear seized 56 those who were watching them. 11:12 Then 57 they 58 heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them: “Come up here!” So the two prophets 59 went up to heaven in a cloud while 60 their enemies stared at them. 11:13 Just then 61 a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people 62 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; 63 the third is coming quickly.
11:15 Then 64 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, 65
and he will reign for ever and ever.”
11:16 Then 66 the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground 67 and worshiped God 11:17 with these words: 68
“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 69
the one who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and begun to reign. 70
11:18 The 71 nations 72 were enraged,
but 73 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, 74
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 75 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 76 to destroy those who destroy 77 the earth.”
11:19 Then 78 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, 79 crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. 80
12:1 Then 81 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. 82 12:2 She 83 was pregnant and was screaming in labor pains, struggling 84 to give birth. 12:3 Then 85 another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. 86 12:4 Now 87 the dragon’s 88 tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. Then 89 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 90 the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, 91 who is going to rule 92 over all the nations 93 with an iron rod. 94 Her 95 child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and she 96 fled into the wilderness 97 where a place had been prepared for her 98 by God, so she could be taken care of 99 for 1,260 days.
12:7 Then 100 war broke out in heaven: Michael 101 and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 12:8 But 102 the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, 103 so there was no longer any place left 104 in heaven for him and his angels. 105 12:9 So 106 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 107 I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,
“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 108 of his Christ, 109 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 110
the one who accuses them day and night 111 before our God,
has been thrown down.
12:11 But 112 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 113 so much that they were afraid to die.
12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But 114 woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He 115 is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”
12:13 Now 116 when the dragon realized 117 that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 12:14 But 118 the woman was given the two wings of a giant eagle so that she could fly out into the wilderness, 119 to the place God 120 prepared for her, where she is taken care of – away from the presence of the serpent – for a time, times, and half a time. 121 12:15 Then 122 the serpent spouted water like a river out of his mouth after the woman in an attempt to 123 sweep her away by a flood, 12:16 but 124 the earth came to her rescue; 125 the ground opened up 126 and swallowed the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth. 12:17 So 127 the dragon became enraged at the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, 128 those who keep 129 God’s commandments and hold to 130 the testimony about Jesus. 131 (12:18) And the dragon 132 stood 133 on the sand 134 of the seashore. 135
[10:1] 1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:1] 3 tn Or “like fiery pillars,” translating πυρός (puros) as an attributive genitive.
[10:2] 4 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] 5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:4] 6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[10:4] 7 tn The words “just then” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[10:5] 8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:6] 9 tn On this phrase see BDAG 1092 s.v. χρόνος.
[10:7] 10 tn Grk “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel.”
[10:7] 11 tn The aorist ἐτελέσθη (etelesqh) has been translated as a proleptic (futuristic) aorist (ExSyn 564 cites this verse as an example).
[10:7] 12 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] 13 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[10:8] 14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:8] 15 tn The participle λαλοῦσαν (lalousan) has been translated as “began to speak.” The use of πάλιν (palin) indicates an ingressive idea.
[10:8] 16 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] 17 tn Grk “again, saying.” The participle λέγουσαν (legousan) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[10:8] 18 tn The perfect passive participle ἠνεῳγμένον (hnewgmenon) is in second attributive position and has been translated as an attributive adjective.
[10:9] 19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.
[10:9] 20 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[10:9] 21 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] 22 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[10:10] 23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the angel.
[10:10] 24 tn Grk “it was.” The idea of taste is implied.
[10:10] 25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[10:11] 26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[10:11] 27 tn The referent of “they” is not clear in the Greek text.
[10:11] 28 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] 29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[11:1] 30 tn Grk “a reed” (but these were used for measuring). Cf. Ezek 40:3ff.
[11:2] 32 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:2] 33 tn On the term αὐλήν (aulhn) BDAG 150 s.v. αὐλή 1 states, “(outer) court of the temple…Rv 11:2.”
[11:2] 34 tn The precise meaning of the phrase ἔκβαλε ἔξωθεν (ekbale exwqen) is difficult to determine.
[11:2] 35 tn Or “to the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[11:2] 36 sn The holy city appears to be a reference to Jerusalem. See also Luke 21:24.
[11:3] 37 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] 38 sn This description is parenthetical in nature.
[11:5] 39 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:5] 40 tn This is a collective singular in Greek.
[11:5] 41 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
[11:5] 42 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:6] 45 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] 47 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:7] 48 tn Or “be victorious over”; traditionally, “overcome.”
[11:8] 49 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:8] 50 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
[11:8] 51 tn Grk “spiritually.”
[11:9] 52 tn The word “every” is not in the Greek text, but is implied by the following list.
[11:9] 53 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] 54 tn Or “to be buried.”
[11:11] 55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:11] 56 tn Grk “fell upon.”
[11:12] 57 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:12] 58 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] 59 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the two prophets) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[11:12] 60 tn The conjunction καί (kai) seems to be introducing a temporal clause contemporaneous in time with the preceding clause.
[11:13] 61 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:13] 62 tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”
[11:14] 63 tn Grk “has passed.”
[11:15] 64 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:15] 65 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[11:16] 66 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[11:16] 67 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] 69 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] 70 tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.
[11:18] 71 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[11:18] 72 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[11:18] 73 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[11:18] 74 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[11:18] 76 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] 77 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] 78 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence on events within the vision.
[11:19] 79 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] 80 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] 81 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[12:1] 82 sn Sun…moon…stars. This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37.
[12:2] 83 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[12:2] 84 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] 85 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:3] 86 tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.
[12:3] sn Diadem crowns were a type of crown used as a symbol of the highest ruling authority in a given area, and thus often associated with kingship.
[12:4] 87 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate that this remark is virtually parenthetical.
[12:4] 88 tn Grk “its”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:4] 89 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:5] 90 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.
[12:5] 91 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] 93 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[12:5] 94 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”
[12:5] sn An allusion to Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27; 19:15).
[12:5] 95 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[12:6] 96 tn Grk “and the woman,” which would be somewhat redundant in English.
[12:6] 98 tn Grk “where she has there a place prepared by God.”
[12:6] 99 tn Grk “so they can take care of her.”
[12:7] 100 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[12:7] 101 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] 102 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the implied contrast.
[12:8] 103 tn The words “to prevail” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[12:8] 105 tn Grk “for them”; the referent (the dragon and his angels, v. 7) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:9] 106 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.
[12:10] 107 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:10] 108 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
[12:10] 109 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[12:10] 110 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] 111 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
[12:11] 112 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
[12:11] 113 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.
[12:12] 114 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] 115 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] 116 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” because the clause it introduces is clearly resumptive.
[12:14] 118 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
[12:14] 120 tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.
[12:14] 121 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.
[12:14] sn The parallel statement in Rev 12:6 suggests that the phrase a time, times, and half a time equals 1,260 days (three and a half years of 360 days each).
[12:15] 122 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[12:15] 123 tn Grk “so that he might make her swept away.”
[12:16] 124 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
[12:16] 125 tn Grk “the earth helped the woman.”
[12:16] 126 tn Grk “the earth opened its mouth” (a metaphor for the ground splitting open).
[12:17] 127 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the woman’s escape.
[12:17] 128 tn Grk “her seed” (an idiom for offspring, children, or descendants).
[12:17] 130 tn Grk “and having.”
[12:17] 131 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] 132 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the dragon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:17] 133 tc Grk ἐστάθη (estaqh, “he stood”). The reading followed by the translation is attested by the better
[12:17] 134 tn Or “sandy beach” (L&N 1.64).
[12:17] 135 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.
