Wahyu 2:1

To the Church in Ephesus

2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus, ¹  write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the one who has a firm grasp on ⁴  the seven stars in his right hand ⁵  – the one who walks among the seven golden ⁶  lampstands:

Wahyu 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ⁷  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ⁸ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ⁹  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ¹⁰  no one can shut, and shuts doors ¹¹  no one can open:

Wahyu 5:5

5:5 Then ¹²  one of the elders said ¹³  to me, “Stop weeping! ¹⁴  Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; ¹⁵  thus he can open ¹⁶  the scroll and its seven seals.”

Wahyu 6:6

6:6 Then ¹⁷  I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart ¹⁸  of wheat will cost a day’s pay ¹⁹  and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But ²⁰  do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

Wahyu 15:3

15:3 They ²¹  sang the song of Moses the servant ²²  of God and the song of the Lamb: ²³ 

“Great and astounding are your deeds,

Lord God, the All-Powerful! ²⁴ 

Just ²⁵  and true are your ways,

King over the nations! ²⁶ 

Wahyu 17:8

17:8 The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss ²⁷  and then go to destruction. The ²⁸  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 ²⁹  the beast was, and is not, but is to come.

[2:1]  ¹ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[2:1]  ² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[2:1]  ³ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” The expression τάδε λέγει (tade legei) occurs eight times in the NT, seven of which are in Rev 2-3. “The pronoun is used to add solemnity to the prophetic utterance that follows. …In classical drama, it was used to introduce a new actor to the scene (Smyth, Greek Grammar, 307 [§1241]). But the τάδε λέγει formula in the NT derives from the OT, where it was used to introduce a prophetic utterance (BAGD, s.v. ὅδε, 1)” (ExSyn 328). Thus, the translation “this is the solemn pronouncement of” for τάδε λέγει is very much in keeping with the OT connotations of this expression.

[2:1]  sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. The LXX has the same Greek phrase (τάδε λέγει, tade legei) about 350 times, with nearly 320 of them having “the Lord” (Heb יהוה, Yahweh) as subject. That the author of Revelation would use such an expression seven times with the risen Christ as the speaker may well imply something of Christ’s sovereignty and deity. Cf. also Acts 21:11 in which the Holy Spirit is the speaker of this expression.

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “holds,” but the term (i.e., κρατῶν, kratwn) with an accusative object, along with the context, argues for a sense of firmness. (Cf. ExSyn 132.)

[2:1]  ⁵ sn On seven stars in his right hand see 1:16.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “lampstands of gold” with the genitive τῶν χρυσῶν (twn cruswn) translated as an attributive genitive.

[3:7]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:7]  ⁸ tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:7]  ⁹ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:7]  sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.

[3:7]  ¹⁰ tn The word “door” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. Since the following verse does contain the word “door” (θύραν, quran), that word has been supplied as the direct object here.

[3:7]  ¹¹ tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

[5:5]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:5]  ¹³ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[5:5]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ tn Or “has been victorious”; traditionally, “has overcome.”

[5:5]  ¹⁶ tn The infinitive has been translated as an infinitive of result here.

[6:6]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[6:6]  ¹⁸ tn BDAG 1086 s.v. χοῖνιξ states, “a dry measure, oft. used for grain, approximately equivalent to one quart or one liter, quart. A χ.of grain was a daily ration for one pers.…Rv 6:6ab.”

[6:6]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “a quart of wheat for a denarius.” A denarius was one day’s pay for an average worker. The words “will cost” are used to indicate the genitive of price or value; otherwise the English reader could understand the phrase to mean “a quart of wheat to be given as a day’s pay.”

[6:6]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:3]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[15:3]  ²² tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[15:3]  ²³ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:3]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[15:3]  ²⁶ tc Certain mss (Ì⁴⁷ א*^,2 C 1006 1611 1841 pc) read “ages” (αἰώνων, aiwnwn) instead of “nations” (ἐθνῶν, eqnwn), which itself is supported by several mss (א¹ A 051 Ï). The ms evidence seems to be fairly balanced, though αἰώνων has somewhat better support. The replacement of “ages” with “nations” is possibly a scribal attempt to harmonize this verse with the use of “nations” in the following verse. On the other hand, the idea of “nations” fits well with v. 4 and it may be that “ages” is a scribal attempt to assimilate this text to 1 Tim 1:17: “the king of the ages” (βασιλεὺς τῶν αἰώνων, basileu" twn aiwnwn). The decision is a difficult one since both scenarios deal well with the evidence, though the verbal parallel with 1 Tim 1:17 is exact while the parallel with v. 4 is not. The term “king” occurs 17 other times (most occurrences refer to earthly kings) in Revelation and it is not used with either “ages” or “nations” apart from this verse. Probably the reading “nations” should be considered original due to the influence of 1 Tim 1:17.

[17:8]  ²⁷ 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]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[17:8]  ²⁹ 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).