Wahyu 1:4

1:4 From John, ¹  to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: ²  Grace and peace to you ³  from “he who is,” ⁴  and who was, and who is still to come, ⁵  and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,

Wahyu 1:11-12

1:11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches – to Ephesus, ⁶  Smyrna, ⁷  Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

1:12 I ⁸  turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, ⁹  and when I did so, ¹⁰  I saw seven golden lampstands,

Wahyu 1:16

1:16 He held ¹¹  seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His ¹²  face shone like the sun shining at full strength.

Wahyu 1:20--2:1

1:20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands is this: ¹³  The seven stars are the angels ¹⁴  of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

To the Church in Ephesus

2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus, ¹⁵  write the following: ¹⁶ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁷  the one who has a firm grasp on ¹⁸  the seven stars in his right hand ¹⁹  – the one who walks among the seven golden ²⁰  lampstands:

Wahyu 3:1

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ²¹  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ²² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ²³  the one who holds ²⁴  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ²⁵  that you are alive, but ²⁶  in reality ²⁷  you are dead.

Wahyu 4:5

4:5 From ²⁸  the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring ²⁹  and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God, ³⁰  were burning in front of the throne

Wahyu 5:1

The Opening of the Scroll

5:1 Then ³¹  I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back ³²  and sealed with seven seals. ³³ 

Wahyu 5:5-6

5:5 Then ³⁴  one of the elders said ³⁵  to me, “Stop weeping! ³⁶  Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; ³⁷  thus he can open ³⁸  the scroll and its seven seals.”

5:6 Then ³⁹  I saw standing in the middle of the throne ⁴⁰  and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. ⁴¹  He had ⁴²  seven horns and seven eyes, which ⁴³  are the seven ⁴⁴  spirits of God ⁴⁵  sent out into all the earth.

Wahyu 6:1

The Seven Seals

6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, ⁴⁶  “Come!” ⁴⁷ 

Wahyu 8:2

8:2 Then ⁴⁸  I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Wahyu 8:6

8:6 Now ⁴⁹  the seven angels holding ⁵⁰  the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Wahyu 10:3-4

10:3 Then ⁵¹  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 ⁵²  just then ⁵³  I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders spoke and do not write it down.”

Wahyu 11:13

11:13 Just then ⁵⁴  a major earthquake took place and a tenth of the city collapsed; seven thousand people ⁵⁵  were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Wahyu 12:3

12:3 Then ⁵⁶  another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon that had seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadem crowns. ⁵⁷ 

Wahyu 13:1

The Two Beasts

13:1 Then ⁵⁸  I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It ⁵⁹  had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, ⁶⁰  and on its heads a blasphemous name. ⁶¹ 

Wahyu 15:1

The Final Plagues

15:1 Then ⁶²  I saw another great and astounding sign in heaven: seven angels who have seven final plagues ⁶³  (they are final because in them God’s anger is completed).

Wahyu 15:6--16:1

15:6 and the seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean bright linen, wearing wide golden belts ⁶⁴  around their chests. 15:7 Then ⁶⁵  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ⁶⁶  of God who lives forever and ever, 15:8 and the temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and from his power. Thus ⁶⁷  no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues from the seven angels were completed.

The Bowls of God’s Wrath

16:1 Then ⁶⁸  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.” ⁶⁹ 

Wahyu 17:1

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

17:1 Then ⁷⁰  one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. ⁷¹  “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment ⁷²  of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,

Wahyu 17:3

17:3 So ⁷³  he carried me away in the Spirit ⁷⁴  to a wilderness, ⁷⁵  and there ⁷⁶  I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Wahyu 17:7

17:7 But ⁷⁷  the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret ⁷⁸  for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

Wahyu 17:9-11

17:9 (This requires ⁷⁹  a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains ⁸⁰  the woman sits on. They are also seven kings: 17:10 five have fallen; one is, ⁸¹  and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time. 17:11 The ⁸²  beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of the seven, and is going to destruction.

Wahyu 21:9

The New Jerusalem Descends

21:9 Then ⁸³  one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, ⁸⁴  saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”

[1:4]  ¹ tn Grk “John.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:4]  ² tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[1:4]  ³ tn It is probable that the ὑμῖν (Jumin) applies to both elements of the greeting, i.e., to both grace and peace.

[1:4]  ⁴ tc The earliest and best mss (Ì^18vid א A C P 2050 al lat sy co) lack the term “God” (θεοῦ, qeou) between “from” (ἀπό, apo) and “he who is” (ὁ ὤν, Jo wn). Its inclusion, as supported by the bulk of the Byzantine witnesses, is clearly secondary and a scribal attempt to achieve two things: (1) to make explicit the referent in the passage, namely, God, and (2) to smooth out the grammar. The preposition “from” in Greek required a noun in the genitive case. But here in Rev 1:4 the words following the preposition “from” (ἀπό) are in another case, i.e., the nominative. There are two principal ways in which to deal with this grammatical anomaly. First, it could be a mistake arising from someone who just did not know Greek very well, or as a Jew, was heavily influenced by a Semitic form of Greek. Both of these unintentional errors are unlikely here. Commenting on this ExSyn 63 argues: “Either of these is doubtful here because (1) such a flagrant misunderstanding of the rudiments of Greek would almost surely mean that the author could not compose in Greek, yet the Apocalypse itself argues against this; (2) nowhere else does the Seer [i.e., John] use a nom. immediately after a preposition (in fact, he uses ἀπό 32 times with the gen. immediately following).” The passage appears to be an allusion to Exod 3:14 (in the LXX) where God refers to himself as “he who is” (ὁ ὤν), the same wording in Greek as here in Rev 1:4. Thus, it appears that John is wanting to leave the divine name untouched (perhaps to allude to God’s immutability, or as a pointer to the Old Testament as the key to unlocking the meaning of this book), irrespective of what it “looks” like grammatically. The translation has placed the “he who is” in quotation marks to indicate to the reader that the syntactical awkwardness is intentional. (For further comments, see ExSyn 63).

[1:4]  ⁵ tn BDAG 106 s.v. ἀπό 5.d states: “The expr. εἰρήνη ἀπὸ ‘ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος’ Rv 1:4 is quite extraordinary. It may be an interpretation of the name Yahweh already current, or an attempt to show reverence for the divine name by preserving it unchanged, or simply one more of the grammatical peculiarities so frequent in Rv.”

[1:11]  ⁶ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[1:11]  ⁷ tn Grk “and to Smyrna.” For stylistic reasons the conjunction καί (kai) and the preposition εἰς (eis) have not been translated before the remaining elements of the list. In lists with more than two elements contemporary English generally does not repeat the conjunction except between the next to last and last elements.

[1:12]  ⁸ tn Throughout the translation John’s use of καί (kai) often reflects the varied usage of the Hebrew conjunction ו (vav). A clause which καί introduces has been translated in terms of its semantic relationship to the clause that preceded it. If the καί seemed redundant, however, it was left untranslated; that is the case in this verse.

[1:12]  ⁹ 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.”

[1:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and turning I saw.” The repetition of ἐπιστρέφω (epistrefw) is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been translated generally.

[1:16]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence, but because contemporary English style employs much shorter sentences, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”

[1:16]  ¹² tn This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[1:20]  ¹³ tn The words “is this” are supplied to make a complete sentence in English.

[1:20]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps “the messengers.”

[2:1]  ¹⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[2:1]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ sn On seven stars in his right hand see 1:16.

[2:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “lampstands of gold” with the genitive τῶν χρυσῶν (twn cruswn) translated as an attributive genitive.

[3:1]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:1]  ²² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:1]  ²³ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

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

[3:1]  ²⁴ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ²⁵ tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ²⁷ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.

[4:5]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:5]  ²⁹ 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?…).”

[4:5]  ³⁰ sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.

[5:1]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:1]  ³² tn Grk “written on the inside and the outside” (an idiom for having writing on both sides).

[5:1]  ³³ 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.”

[5:5]  ³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:5]  ³⁵ tn Grk “says” (a historical present).

[5:5]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ tn Or “has been victorious”; traditionally, “has overcome.”

[5:5]  ³⁸ tn The infinitive has been translated as an infinitive of result here.

[5:6]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[5:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[5:6]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ sn The relative pronoun which is masculine, referring back to the eyes rather than to the horns.

[5:6]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ sn See the note on the phrase the seven spirits of God in Rev 4:5.

[6:1]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “saying like a voice [or sound] of thunder.”

[6:1]  ⁴⁷ tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, ercou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.

[8:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[8:6]  ⁴⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[8:6]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “having.”

[10:3]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[10:4]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[10:4]  ⁵³ tn The words “just then” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[11:13]  ⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:13]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”

[12:3]  ⁵⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:3]  ⁵⁷ 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.

[13:1]  ⁵⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “having” (a continuation of the previous sentence). All of the pronouns referring to this beast (along with the second beast appearing in 13:11) could be translated as “it” because the word for beast (θηρίον, qhrion) is neuter gender in Greek and all the pronouns related to it are parsed as neuter in the Gramcord/Accordance database. Nevertheless, most interpreters would agree that the beast ultimately represents a human ruler, so beginning at the end of v. 4 the masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” etc.) are used to refer to the first beast as well as the second beast appearing in 13:11.

[13:1]  ⁶⁰ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[13:1]  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.

[13:1]  ⁶¹ tc ‡ Several mss (A 051 1611 1854 2053 2344 2351 Ï^K) read the plural ὀνόματα (onomata, “[blasphemous] names”), while the singular ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) has somewhat better support (Ì⁴⁷ א C 1006 1841 2329 Ï^A). The plural reading seems motivated by the fact that what is written is written “on its heads.” In the least, it is a clarifying reading. NA²⁷ puts the plural in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[13:1]  sn Whether this means a single name on all seven heads or seven names, one on each head, is not clear.

[15:1]  ⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[15:1]  ⁶³ tn Grk “seven plagues – the last ones.”

[15:6]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “wide golden sashes,” but these would not be diagonal, as some modern sashes are, but horizontal. The Greek term can refer to a wide band of cloth or leather worn on the outside of one’s clothing (L&N 6.178).

[15:7]  ⁶⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[15:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “anger.”

[15:8]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “power, and no one.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the temple being filled with smoke.

[16:1]  ⁶⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[16:1]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.

[17:1]  ⁷⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[17:1]  ⁷¹ 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.”

[17:1]  ⁷² tn Here one Greek term, κρίμα (krima), has been translated by the two English terms “condemnation” and “punishment.” See BDAG 567 s.v. 4.b, “mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself 2 Pt 2:3; Jd 4…τὸ κ. τῆς πόρνης the condemnation and punishment of the prostitute Rv 17:1.”

[17:3]  ⁷³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.

[17:3]  ⁷⁴ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[17:3]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “desert.”

[17:3]  ⁷⁶ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[17:7]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[17:7]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.

[17:9]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “Here is the mind that has wisdom.”

[17:9]  ⁸⁰ tn It is important to note that the height of “mountains” versus “hills” or other topographical terms is somewhat relative. In terms of Palestinian topography, Mount Tabor (traditionally regarded as the mount of transfiguration) is some 1,800 ft (550 m) above sea level, while the Mount of Olives is only some 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem.

[17:10]  ⁸¹ tn That is, one currently reigns.

[17:11]  ⁸² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:9]  ⁸³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[21:9]  ⁸⁴ 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.” See also v. 15.