Zefanya 1:1-18
Konteks1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to 1 Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of 2 King Josiah son of Amon of Judah:
1:2 “I will destroy 3 everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
1:3 “I will destroy people and animals;
I will destroy the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea.
(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) 4
I will remove 5 humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
and all who live in Jerusalem. 7
I will remove 8 from this place every trace of Baal worship, 9
as well as the very memory 10 of the pagan priests. 11
1:5 I will remove 12 those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, 13
those who swear allegiance to the Lord 14 while taking oaths in the name of 15 their ‘king,’ 16
1:6 and those who turn their backs on 17 the Lord
and do not want the Lord’s help or guidance.” 18
1:7 Be silent before the Lord God, 19
for the Lord’s day of judgment 20 is almost here. 21
The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal; 22
he has ritually purified 23 his guests.
1:8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,
I will punish the princes 24 and the king’s sons,
and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. 25
1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, 26
who fill the house of their master 27 with wealth taken by violence and deceit. 28
1:10 On that day,” says the Lord,
“a loud cry will go up 29 from the Fish Gate, 30
wailing from the city’s newer district, 31
and a loud crash 32 from the hills.
1:11 Wail, you who live in the market district, 33
for all the merchants 34 will disappear 35
and those who count money 36 will be removed. 37
1:12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.
I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin, 38
those who think to themselves, 39
‘The Lord neither rewards nor punishes.’ 40
1:13 Their wealth will be stolen
and their houses ruined!
They will not live in the houses they have built,
nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they have planted.
1:14 The Lord’s great day of judgment 41 is almost here;
it is approaching very rapidly!
There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;
at that time warriors will cry out in battle. 42
1:15 That day will be a day of God’s anger, 43
a day of distress and hardship,
a day of devastation and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and dark skies,
1:16 a day of trumpet blasts 44 and battle cries. 45
Judgment will fall on 46 the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
1:17 I will bring distress on the people 47
and they will stumble 48 like blind men,
for they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dirt;
their flesh 49 will be scattered 50 like manure.
1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them
in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.
The whole earth 51 will be consumed by his fiery wrath. 52
Indeed, 53 he will bring terrifying destruction 54 on all who live on the earth.” 55
Yakobus 3:1-18
Konteks3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, 56 because you know that we will be judged more strictly. 57 3:2 For we all stumble 58 in many ways. If someone does not stumble 59 in what he says, 60 he is a perfect individual, 61 able to control the entire body as well. 3:3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. 62 3:4 Look at ships too: Though they are so large and driven by harsh winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination directs. 3:5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, 63 yet it has great pretensions. 64 Think 65 how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 3:6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents 66 the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It 67 pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. 68
3:7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature 69 is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. 70 3:8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless 71 evil, full of deadly poison. 3:9 With it we bless the Lord 72 and Father, and with it we curse people 73 made in God’s image. 3:10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters. 74 3:11 A spring does not pour out fresh water and bitter water from the same opening, does it? 3:12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, 75 or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.
3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 76 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 3:15 Such 77 wisdom does not come 78 from above but is earthly, natural, 79 demonic. 3:16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, 80 full of mercy and good fruit, 81 impartial, and not hypocritical. 82 3:18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness 83 is planted 84 in peace among 85 those who make peace.
Wahyu 16:1-21
Konteks16:1 Then 86 I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” 87 16:2 So 88 the first angel 89 went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then 90 ugly and painful sores 91 appeared on the people 92 who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
16:3 Next, 93 the second angel 94 poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.
16:4 Then 95 the third angel 96 poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 16:5 Now 97 I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just 98 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 99
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so 100 you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” 101
16:7 Then 102 I heard the altar reply, 103 “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 104 your judgments are true and just!”
16:8 Then 105 the fourth angel 106 poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people 107 with fire. 16:9 Thus 108 people 109 were scorched by the terrible heat, 110 yet 111 they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority 112 over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
16:10 Then 113 the fifth angel 114 poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that 115 darkness covered his kingdom, 116 and people 117 began to bite 118 their tongues because 119 of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings 120 and because of their sores, 121 but nevertheless 122 they still refused to repent 123 of their deeds.
16:12 Then 124 the sixth angel 125 poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water 126 to prepare the way 127 for the kings from the east. 128 16:13 Then 129 I saw three unclean spirits 130 that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth 131 to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. 132
16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose 133 his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition 134 be seen.) 135
16:16 Now 136 the spirits 137 gathered the kings and their armies 138 to the place that is called Armageddon 139 in Hebrew.
16:17 Finally 140 the seventh angel 141 poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” 16:18 Then 142 there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 143 and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity 144 has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 16:19 The 145 great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations 146 collapsed. 147 So 148 Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup 149 filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. 150 16:20 Every 151 island fled away 152 and no mountains could be found. 153 16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds 154 each, fell from heaven 155 on people, 156 but they 157 blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it 158 was so horrendous. 159
[1:1] 1 tn Heb “The word of the
[1:1] 2 tn Heb “in the days of.” The words “Zephaniah delivered this message” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:2] 3 tn The Hebrew text combines the infinitive absolute of אָסַף (’asaf, “gather up, sweep away”) with a Hiphil prefixed first person form of סוּף (suf, “come to an end”; see Jer 8:13 for the same combination). This can be translated literally, “Sweeping away, I will bring to an end.” Some prefer to emend the text so that the infinitive and finite form of the verb are from the same root (“I will certainly sweep away,” if from אָסַף [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV]; “I will certainly bring to an end,” if from סוּף). For a discussion of proposals see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, 169.
[1:3] 4 tn Heb “And the stumbling blocks [or, “ruins”] with the evil”; or “the things that make the evil stumble.” The line does not appear in the original form of the LXX; it may be a later scribal addition. The present translation assumes the “stumbling blocks” are idolatrous images of animals, birds, and fish. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, and Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB), 73-74.
[1:4] 6 tn Heb “I will stretch out my hand against,” is an idiom for hostile action.
[1:4] 7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:4] 9 tn Heb “the remnant of Baal.”
[1:4] 10 tn Heb “name.” Here the “name” is figurative for the memory of those who bear it.
[1:4] 11 tc Heb “of the pagan priests and priests.” The first word (כְּמָרִים, kÿmarim) refers to idolatrous priests in its two other appearances in the OT (2 Kgs 23:5, Hos 10:5), while the second word (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) is the normal term for “priest” and is used of both legitimate and illegitimate priests in the OT. It is likely that the second term, which is omitted in the LXX, is a later scribal addition to the Hebrew text, defining the extremely rare word that precedes (see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 167-68; cf. also NEB, NRSV). Some argue that both words are original; among the modern English versions that include both are NASB and NIV. Possibly the first word refers to outright pagan priests, while the second has in view once-legitimate priests of the Lord who had drifted into idolatrous practices. Another option is found in Adele Berlin, who translates, “the idolatrous priests among the priests,” understanding the second word as giving the general category of which the idolatrous priests are a part (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 75).
[1:5] 12 tn The words “I will remove” are repeated from v. 4b for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 4b-6 contain a long list of objects for the verb “I will remove” in v. 4b. In the present translation a new sentence was begun at the beginning of v. 5 in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.
[1:5] 13 tn Heb “those who worship on their roofs the host of heaven.” The “host of heaven” included the sun, moon, planets, and stars, all of which were deified in the ancient Near East.
[1:5] 14 tc The MT reads, “those who worship, those who swear allegiance to the
[1:5] 15 tn Heb “those who swear by.”
[1:5] 16 tn The referent of “their king” is unclear. It may refer sarcastically to a pagan god (perhaps Baal) worshiped by the people. Some English versions (cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) prefer to emend the text to “Milcom,” the name of an Ammonite god (following some LXX
[1:6] 17 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after.”
[1:6] 18 tn Heb “who do not seek the
[1:7] 19 tn Heb “Lord
[1:7] 20 tn Heb “the day of the
[1:7] sn The origin of the concept of “the day of the
[1:7] 22 tn Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse.
[1:7] sn Because a sacrificial meal presupposes the slaughter of animals, it is used here as a metaphor of the bloody judgment to come.
[1:7] 23 tn Or “consecrated” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[1:8] 24 tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”
[1:8] 25 sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.
[1:9] 26 sn The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).
[1:9] 27 tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.
[1:9] 28 tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.
[1:10] 29 tn The words “will go up” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:10] 30 sn The Fish Gate was located on Jerusalem’s north side (cf. 2 Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:39).
[1:10] 31 tn Heb “from the second area.” This may refer to an area northwest of the temple where the rich lived (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 86; cf. NASB, NRSV “the Second Quarter”; NIV “the New Quarter”).
[1:10] 32 tn Heb “great breaking.”
[1:11] 33 tn Heb “in the Mortar.” The Hebrew term מַכְתֵּשׁ (makhtesh, “mortar”) is apparently here the name of a low-lying area where economic activity took place.
[1:11] 34 tn Or perhaps “Canaanites.” Cf. BDB 489 s.v. I and II כְּנַעֲנִי. Translators have rendered the term either as “the merchant people” (KJV, NKJV), “the traders” (NRSV), “merchants” (NEB, NIV), or, alternatively, “the people of Canaan” (NASB).
[1:11] 35 tn Or “be destroyed.”
[1:11] 36 tn Heb “weigh out silver.”
[1:11] 37 tn Heb “be cut off.” In the Hebrew text of v. 11b the perfect verbal forms emphasize the certainty of the judgment, speaking of it as if it were already accomplished.
[1:12] 38 tn Heb “who thicken on their sediment.” The imagery comes from wine making, where the wine, if allowed to remain on the sediment too long, will thicken into syrup. The image suggests that the people described here were complacent in their sinful behavior and interpreted the delay in judgment as divine apathy.
[1:12] 39 tn Heb “who say in their hearts.”
[1:12] 40 tn Heb “The
[1:14] 41 tn Heb “The great day of the
[1:14] 42 tn Heb “the sound of the day of the
[1:15] 43 tn Heb “a day of wrath.” The word “God’s” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:16] 44 tn Heb “a ram’s horn.” By metonymy the Hebrew text mentions the trumpet (“ram’s horn”) in place of the sound it produces (“trumpet blasts”).
[1:16] 45 sn This description of the day of the
[1:16] 46 tn Heb “against.” The words “judgment will fall” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:17] 47 tn “The people” refers to mankind in general (see vv. 2-3) or more specifically to the residents of Judah (see vv. 4-13).
[1:17] 49 tn Some take the referent of “flesh” to be more specific here; cf. NEB (“bowels”), NAB (“brains”), NIV (“entrails”).
[1:17] 50 tn The words “will be scattered” are supplied in the translation for clarity based on the parallelism with “will be poured out” in the previous line.
[1:18] 51 tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.
[1:18] 52 tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”
[1:18] 54 tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”
[1:18] 55 tn It is not certain where the
[3:1] 56 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[3:1] 57 tn Grk “will receive a greater judgment.”
[3:2] 61 tn The word for “man” or “individual” is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” But it sometimes is used generically to mean “anyone,” “a person,” as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 2).
[3:3] 62 tn Grk “their entire body.”
[3:5] 63 tn Grk “a small member.”
[3:5] 64 tn Grk “boasts of great things.”
[3:6] 66 tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”
[3:6] 67 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[3:6] 68 sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).
[3:7] 69 tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”
[3:7] 70 tn Grk “the human species.”
[3:8] 71 tc Most
[3:9] 72 tc Most later
[3:9] 73 tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.
[3:10] 74 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[3:12] 75 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
[3:13] 76 tn Grk “works in the gentleness of wisdom.”
[3:15] 78 tn Grk “come down”; “descend.”
[3:15] 79 tn Grk “soulish,” which describes life apart from God, characteristic of earthly human life as opposed to what is spiritual. Cf. 1 Cor 2:14; 15:44-46; Jude 19.
[3:17] 80 tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”
[3:17] 81 tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”
[3:18] 83 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
[3:18] 85 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”
[16:1] 86 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[16:1] 87 tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.
[16:2] 88 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the directions given by the voice from the temple.
[16:2] 89 tn Grk “the first”; the referent (the first angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:2] 90 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:2] 91 tn Or “ulcerated sores”; the term in the Greek text is singular but is probably best understood as a collective singular.
[16:2] 92 tn Grk ‘the men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:3] 93 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “next” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:3] 94 tn Grk “the second”; the referent (the second angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:4] 95 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:4] 96 tn Grk “the third”; the referent (the third angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:5] 97 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
[16:5] 98 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
[16:5] 99 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
[16:6] 100 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.
[16:6] 101 tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”
[16:7] 102 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:7] 103 tn Grk “the altar saying.”
[16:7] 104 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.”
[16:8] 105 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:8] 106 tn Grk “the fourth”; the referent (the fourth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:8] 107 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:9] 108 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.
[16:9] 109 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:9] 110 tn On this phrase BDAG 536 s.v. καῦμα states, “burning, heat Rv 7:16…καυματίζεσθαι κ. μέγα be burned with a scorching heat 16:9.”
[16:9] 111 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[16:9] 112 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[16:10] 113 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:10] 114 tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:10] 115 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.
[16:10] 116 tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”
[16:10] 117 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
[16:10] 118 tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”
[16:10] 119 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.
[16:11] 120 tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”
[16:11] 121 tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).
[16:11] 122 tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.
[16:11] 123 tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.
[16:12] 124 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:12] 125 tn Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:12] 126 tn Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
[16:12] 127 tn Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
[16:12] 128 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12; simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”
[16:13] 129 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:13] 130 sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.
[16:14] 131 tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”
[16:14] 132 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.”
[16:15] 133 tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”
[16:15] 134 tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschmosunh) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.
[16:15] 135 sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.
[16:16] 136 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption and conclusion of the remarks about the pouring out of the sixth bowl.
[16:16] 137 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:16] 138 tn Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:16] 139 tc There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek
[16:16] tn Or “Harmagedon” (a literal transliteration of the Greek), or “Har-Magedon” (NASB), meaning “the Mount of Magedon” in Hebrew.
[16:17] 140 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “finally” to indicate the conclusion of the seven bowl judgments.
[16:17] 141 tn Grk “the seventh”; the referent (the seventh angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[16:18] 142 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[16:18] 143 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?…).”
[16:18] 144 tn The singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used generically here to refer to the human race.
[16:19] 145 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:19] 146 tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[16:19] 148 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).
[16:19] 149 tn Grk “the cup of the wine of the anger of the wrath of him.” The concatenation of four genitives has been rendered somewhat differently by various translations (see the note on the word “wrath”).
[16:19] 150 tn Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumo") and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9). Thus in Rev 14:8 (to which the present passage alludes) and 18:3 there is irony: The wine of immoral behavior with which Babylon makes the nations drunk becomes the wine of God’s wrath for her.
[16:20] 151 tn Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[16:20] 153 sn Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.
[16:21] 154 tn Here BDAG 988 s.v. ταλαντιαῖος states, “weighing a talent…χάλαζα μεγάλη ὡς ταλαντιαία a severe hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (the talent=125 librae, or Roman pounds of c. 343 gr. or 12 ounces each) (weighing about a hundred pounds NRSV) Rv 16:21.” This means each hailstone would weigh just under 100 pounds or 40 kilograms.
[16:21] 155 tn Or “the sky.” Due to the apocalyptic nature of this book, it is probably best to leave the translation as “from heaven,” since God is ultimately the source of the judgment.
[16:21] 156 tn Grk “on men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense to refer to people in general (the hailstones did not single out adult males, but would have also fallen on women and children).
[16:21] 157 tn Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.
[16:21] 158 tn Grk “the plague of it.”
[16:21] 159 tn Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”
