Wahyu 2:2

2:2 ‘I know your works as well as your ¹  labor and steadfast endurance, and that you cannot tolerate ²  evil. You have even put to the test ³  those who refer to themselves as apostles (but are not), and have discovered that they are false.

Wahyu 2:20

2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that ⁴  woman ⁵  Jezebel, ⁶  who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives ⁷  my servants ⁸  to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ⁹ 

Wahyu 3:1

To the Church in Sardis

3:1 “To ¹⁰  the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: ¹¹ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹²  the one who holds ¹³  the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation ¹⁴  that you are alive, but ¹⁵  in reality ¹⁶  you are dead.

[2:2]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.

[2:20]  ⁴ tn The Greek article has been translated here with demonstrative force.

[2:20]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[2:20]  ⁹ 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.

[3:1]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:1]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).

[3:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “a name.”

[3:1]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:1]  ¹⁶ tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.