Wahyu 18:4-5

18:4 Then ¹  I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 18:5 because her sins have piled ²  up all the way to heaven ³  and God has remembered ⁴  her crimes. ⁵ 

Wahyu 1:5

1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful ⁶  witness, ⁷  the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free ⁸  from our sins at the cost of ⁹  his own blood

Wahyu 2:14

2:14 But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, ¹⁰  who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block ¹¹  before the people ¹²  of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. ¹³ 

Wahyu 2:16

2:16 Therefore, ¹⁴  repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people ¹⁵  with the sword of my mouth.

Wahyu 22:11

22:11 The evildoer must continue to do evil, ¹⁶  and the one who is morally filthy ¹⁷  must continue to be filthy. The ¹⁸  one who is righteous must continue to act righteously, and the one who is holy must continue to be holy.”

Wahyu 3:19

3:19 All those ¹⁹  I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent!

Wahyu 2:21

2:21 I ²⁰  have given her time to repent, but ²¹  she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.

Wahyu 9:21

9:21 Furthermore, ²²  they did not repent of their murders, of their magic spells, ²³  of their sexual immorality, or of their stealing.

Wahyu 14:8

14:8 A ²⁴  second ²⁵  angel ²⁶  followed the first, ²⁷  declaring: ²⁸  “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! ²⁹  She made all the nations ³⁰  drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” ³¹ 

Wahyu 16:9

16:9 Thus ³²  people ³³  were scorched by the terrible heat, ³⁴  yet ³⁵  they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority ³⁶  over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.

Wahyu 18:3

18:3 For all the nations ³⁷  have fallen ³⁸  from

the wine of her immoral passion, ³⁹ 

and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” ⁴⁰ 

Wahyu 19:2

19:2 because his judgments are true and just. ⁴¹ 

For he has judged ⁴²  the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,

and has avenged the blood of his servants ⁴³  poured out by her own hands!” ⁴⁴ 

Wahyu 2:2

2:2 ‘I know your works as well as your ⁴⁵  labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate ⁴⁶  evil. You have even put to the test ⁴⁷  those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false.

Wahyu 2:5

2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state ⁴⁸  you have fallen and repent! Do ⁴⁹  the deeds you did at the first; ⁵⁰  if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. ⁵¹ 

Wahyu 2:20

2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that ⁵²  woman ⁵³  Jezebel, ⁵⁴  who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives ⁵⁵  my servants ⁵⁶  to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ⁵⁷ 

Wahyu 2:22

2:22 Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness, ⁵⁸  and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering, ⁵⁹  unless they repent of her deeds.

Wahyu 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ⁶⁰  and obey it, ⁶¹  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ⁶²  know at what hour I will come against ⁶³  you.

Wahyu 16:19

16:19 The ⁶⁴  great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ⁶⁵  collapsed. ⁶⁶  So ⁶⁷  Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ⁶⁸  filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ⁶⁹ 

[18:4]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[18:5]  ² tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”

[18:5]  ³ tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[18:5]  ⁴ tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.

[18:5]  ⁵ tn Or “her sins.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Or “Jesus Christ – the faithful one, the witness…” Some take ὁ πιστός (Jo pistos) as a second substantive in relation to ὁ μάρτυς (Jo martus). In the present translation, however, ὁ πιστός was taken as an adjective in attributive position to ὁ μάρτυς. The idea of martyrdom and faithfulness are intimately connected. See BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1.a.α: “ὁ μάρτυς μου ὁ πιστός μου Rv 2:13 (μάρτυς 3); in this ‘book of martyrs’ Christ is ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς (καὶ ὁ ἀληθινός) 1:5; 3:14; cp. 19:11 (the combination of ἀληθινός and πιστός in the last two passages is like 3 Macc 2:11). Cp. Rv 17:14.”

[1:5]  ⁷ sn The Greek term translated witness can mean both “witness” and “martyr.”

[1:5]  ⁸ tc The reading “set free” (λύσαντι, lusanti) has better ms support (̹⁸ א A C 1611 2050 2329 2351 Ï^A sy) than its rival, λούσαντι (lousanti, “washed”; found in P 1006 1841 1854 2053 2062 Ï^K lat bo). Internally, it seems that the reading “washed” could have arisen in at least one of three ways: (1) as an error of hearing (both “released” and “washed” are pronounced similarly in Greek); (2) an error of sight (both “released” and “washed” look very similar – a difference of only one letter – which could have resulted in a simple error during the copying of a ms); (3) through scribal inability to appreciate that the Hebrew preposition ב can be used with a noun to indicate the price paid for something. Since the author of Revelation is influenced significantly by a Semitic form of Greek (e.g., 13:10), and since the Hebrew preposition “in” (ב) can indicate the price paid for something, and is often translated with the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) in the LXX, the author may have tried to communicate by the use of ἐν the idea of a price paid for something. That is, John was trying to say that Christ delivered us at the price of his own blood. This whole process, however, may have been lost on a later scribe, who being unfamiliar with Hebrew, found the expression “delivered in his blood” too difficult, and noticing the obvious similarities between λύσαντι and λούσαντι, assumed an error and then proceeded to change the text to “washed in his blood” – a thought more tolerable in his mind. Both readings, of course, are true to scripture; the current question is what the author wrote in this verse.

[1:5]  tn Or “and released us” (L&N 37.127).

[1:5]  ⁹ tn The style here is somewhat Semitic, with the use of the ἐν (en) + the dative to mean “at the price of.” The addition of “own” in the English is stylistic and is an attempt to bring out the personal nature of the statement and the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ death – a frequent refrain in the Apocalypse.

[2:14]  ¹⁰ sn See Num 22-24; 31:16.

[2:14]  ¹¹ tn That is, a cause for sinning. An alternate translation is “who instructed Balak to cause the people of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols…”

[2:14]  ¹² tn Grk “sons,” but the expression υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ (Juioi Israhl) is an idiom for the people of Israel as an ethnic entity (see L&N 11.58).

[2:14]  ¹³ tn Due to the actual events in the OT (Num 22-24; 31:16), πορνεῦσαι (porneusai) is taken to mean “sexual immorality.” BDAG 854 s.v. πορνεύω 1 states, “engage in illicit sex, to fornicate, to whore…W. φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα ‘eat meat offered to idols’ Rv 2:14, 20.”

[2:16]  ¹⁴ tc The “therefore” (οὖν, oun) is not found in א 2053 2329 2351 Ï^A or the Latin mss. It is, however, included in impressive witnesses such as {A C 046 1006 1611 sy^p,h co}. Though the conjunction looks at first glance like a scribal clarification, its omission may be explained on the basis of its similarity to the last three letters of the verb “repent” (μετανόησον, metanohson; since οὖν is a postpositive conjunction in Greek, the final three letters of the verb [-σον, -son] would have been immediately followed by ουν). A scribe could have simply passed over the conjunction in his copy when he saw the last three letters of the imperative verb. A decision is difficult, however, because of the motivation to add to the text and the quality of witnesses that lack the conjunction.

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “with them”; the referent (those people who follow the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “must do evil still.”

[22:11]  ¹⁷ tn For this translation see L&N 88.258; the term refers to living in moral filth.

[22:11]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “filthy, and the.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started in the translation.

[3:19]  ¹⁹ tn The Greek pronoun ὅσος (Josos) means “as many as” and can be translated “All those” or “Everyone.”

[2:21]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and contemporary English style.

[2:21]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to bring out the contrast present in this woman’s obstinate refusal to repent.

[9:21]  ²² tn Grk “and.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation, with “furthermore” used to indicate a continuation of the preceding.

[9:21]  ²³ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[14:8]  ²⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[14:8]  ²⁵ tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several mss (A 1 2329 Ï^K) read “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος δεύτερος ἄγγελος, allo" deutero" angelo"). Second, other mss (Ì⁴⁷ א* 1006 1841 1854 pc) read just “another, a second” (ἄλλος δεύτερος). Third, the reading “another angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος) is supported by a few Greek mss and some versional evidence (69 pc ar vg). Fourth, several mss (א² [C reads δεύτερον instead of δεύτερος] 051 1611 2053 2344 Ï^A) support the reading “another, a second angel” (ἄλλος ἄγγελος δεύτερος). The reading that most likely gave rise to the others is the fourth. The first reading attempts to smooth out the grammar by placing the adjective in front of the noun. The second reading may have dropped out the “angel” on the basis of its similarity to “another” (ἄλλος). The third reading either intentionally or accidentally left out the word “second.” In any event, this is weakly attested and should not be given much consideration. (If, however, this reading had had good support, with “second” floating, and with “third” in the text in 14:9, one could possibly see δεύτερος as a motivated reading. But without sufficient support for the third reading, the one thing that is most certain is that δεύτερος was part of the original text here.) It is difficult to account for the rise of the other readings if “second” is not original. And the undisputed use of “third” (τρίτος, tritos) in 14:9 may be another indicator that the adjective “second” was in the original text. Finally, the fourth reading is the more difficult and therefore, in this case, to be accepted as the progenitor of the others.

[14:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”

[14:8]  ²⁷ tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:8]  ²⁸ tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.

[14:8]  ²⁹ sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.

[14:8]  ³⁰ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[14:8]  ³¹ tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).

[16:9]  ³² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.

[16:9]  ³³ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:9]  ³⁴ 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]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:9]  ³⁶ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[18:3]  ³⁷ tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[18:3]  ³⁸ tc ‡ Several mss (א A C 1006* 1611 1841 2030 Ï^K), including the best witnesses, read “have fallen” (πεπτώκασιν or πέπτωκαν [peptwkasin or peptwkan]). The singular πέπτωκεν (peptwken), which is better grammatically with the neuter plural subject πάντα τὰ ἔθνη (panta ta eqnh, “all the nations”), is read by 1854 2062 pc; 2042 pc read πεπότικεν (pepotiken). A few mss (1006^c 2329 pc latt sy^h) read “have drunk” (πέπωκαν/πεπώκασιν, pepwkan/pepwkasin); the singular πέπωκεν (pepwken) is read by P 051 1 2053* al. The more difficult reading and that which has the best ms support is “have fallen.” That it is not too difficult is evidenced by the fact that the great majority of Byzantine minuscules, which have a tendency to smooth out problems, left it stand as is. Nonetheless, it is somewhat difficult (TCGNT 683 says that this reading is “scarcely suitable in the context”), and for that reason certain mss seem to have changed it to “have drunk” to agree with the idea of “wine” (οἴνου, oinou). One can understand how this could happen: A scribe coming to the text and seeing the term “wine” expects a verb of drinking. When he sees “have fallen” and knows that in Greek the verbs “have fallen” and “have drunk” are spelled similarly, he concludes that there has been a slip of the pen in the ms he is using, which he then seeks to correct back to the “have drunk” reading. This appears to be more reasonable than to conclude that three early uncials (i.e., א A C) as well as a great number of other witnesses all felt the need to change “have drunk” (πέπωκαν) to “have fallen” (πέπτωκαν), even if “fallen” occurs in the immediate context (“fallen, fallen, [ἔπεσεν ἔπεσεν, epesen epesen] Babylon the great” in the preceding verse). The preferred reading, on both external and internal grounds, is “have fallen,” and thus the Seer intends to focus on the effects of wine, namely, a drunken stupor.

[18:3]  ³⁹ tn See the notes on the words “passion” in Rev 14:8 and “wrath” in 16:19.

[18:3]  ⁴⁰ tn According to BDAG 949 s.v. στρῆνος and στρηνιάω, these terms can refer either to luxury or sensuality. In the context of Rev 18, however (as L&N 88.254 indicate) the stress is on gratification of the senses by sexual immorality, so that meaning was emphasized in the translation here.

[19:2]  ⁴¹ tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.

[19:2]  ⁴² tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.

[19:2]  ⁴³ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[19:2]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).

[2:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Although the first possessive pronoun σου (sou) is connected to τὰ ἔργα (ta erga) and the second σου is connected to ὑπομονήν (Jupomonhn), semantically κόπον (kopon) is also to be understood as belonging to the Ephesian church. The translation reflects this.

[2:2]  ⁴⁶ tn The translation “tolerate” seems to capture the sense of βαστάσαι (bastasai) here. BDAG 171 s.v. βαστάζω 2.b.β says, “bear, endure…κακούς Rv 2:2.…bear patiently, put up with: weaknesses of the weak Ro 15:1; cf. IPol 1:2; evil Rv 2:3.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was broken off from the previous sentence and translated as an indicative verb beginning a new sentence here in the translation.

[2:5]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “from where,” but status is in view rather than physical position. On this term BDAG 838 s.v. πόθεν 1 states, “from what place? from where?…In imagery μνημόνευε πόθεν πέπτωκες remember from what (state) you have fallen Rv 2:5.”

[2:5]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “and do” (a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text). For stylistic reasons in English a new sentence was started here in the translation. The repeated mention of repenting at the end of the verse suggests that the intervening material (“do the deeds you did at first”) specifies how the repentance is to be demonstrated.

[2:5]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “you did formerly.”

[2:5]  ⁵¹ tn Although the final clause is somewhat awkward, it is typical of the style of Revelation.

[2:20]  ⁵² tn The Greek article has been translated here with demonstrative force.

[2:20]  ⁵³ tc The ms evidence for γυναῖκα (gunaika, “woman”) alone includes {א C P 1611 2053 pc lat}. The ms evidence for the addition of “your” (σου, sou) includes A 1006 2351 Ï^K pc sy. With the pronoun, the text reads “your wife, Jezebel” instead of “that woman, Jezebel.” In Revelation, A C are the most important mss, along with א Ì⁴⁷ (which only reads in portions of chapters 9-17) 1006 1611 2053; in this instance, the external evidence slightly favors the shorter reading. But internally, it gains strength. The longer reading implies the idea that the angel in 2:18 is the bishop or leader of the church in Thyatira. The pronoun “your” (σου) is used four times in vv. 19-20 and may have been the cause for the scribe copying it again. Further, once the monarchical episcopate was in vogue (beginning in the 2nd century) scribes might have been prone to add “your” here.

[2:20]  ⁵⁴ sn Jezebel was the name of King Ahab’s idolatrous and wicked queen in 1 Kgs 16:31; 18:1-5; 19:1-3; 21:5-24. It is probable that the individual named here was analogous to her prototype in idolatry and immoral behavior, since those are the items singled out for mention.

[2:20]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “teaches and deceives” (διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ, didaskei kai plana), a construction in which the first verb appears to specify the means by which the second is accomplished: “by her teaching, deceives…”

[2:20]  ⁵⁶ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[2:20]  ⁵⁷ sn To commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Note the conclusions of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:29, which specifically prohibits Gentile Christians from engaging in these activities.

[2:22]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “onto a bed,” in this context an idiom for severe illness (L&N 23.152).

[2:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “into great distress.” The suffering here is not specified as physical or emotional, and could involve persecution.

[3:3]  ⁶⁰ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ⁶² tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ⁶³ tn Or “come on.”

[16:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[16:19]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “fell.”

[16:19]  ⁶⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).

[16:19]  ⁶⁸ 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]  ⁶⁹ 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.