Wahyu 1:1

The Prologue

1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, ¹  which God gave him to show his servants ²  what must happen very soon. ³  He made it clear ⁴  by sending his angel to his servant ⁵  John,

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: ⁶  The seven stars are the angels ⁷  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, ⁸  write the following: ⁹ 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ¹⁰  the one who has a firm grasp on ¹¹  the seven stars in his right hand ¹²  – the one who walks among the seven golden ¹³  lampstands:

Wahyu 5:8

5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ¹⁴  before the Lamb. Each ¹⁵  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ¹⁶ 

Wahyu 6:10

6:10 They ¹⁷  cried out with a loud voice, ¹⁸  “How long, ¹⁹  Sovereign Master, ²⁰  holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

Wahyu 8:3

8:3 Another ²¹  angel holding ²²  a golden censer ²³  came and was stationed ²⁴  at the altar. A ²⁵  large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne.

Wahyu 11:17

11:17 with these words: ²⁶ 

“We give you thanks, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ²⁷ 

the one who is and who was,

because you have taken your great power

and begun to reign. ²⁸ 

Wahyu 11:19

11:19 Then ²⁹  the temple of God in heaven was opened and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, ³⁰  crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. ³¹ 

Wahyu 13:4

13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority ³²  to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” ³³ 

Wahyu 14:10

14:10 that person ³⁴  will also drink of the wine of God’s anger ³⁵  that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur ³⁶  in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb.

Wahyu 16:19

16:19 The ³⁷  great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ³⁸  collapsed. ³⁹  So ⁴⁰  Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ⁴¹  filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ⁴² 

Wahyu 18:21

18:21 Then ⁴³  one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,

“With this kind of sudden violent force ⁴⁴ 

Babylon the great city will be thrown down ⁴⁵ 

and it will never be found again!

Wahyu 19:15

19:15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. ⁴⁶  He ⁴⁷  will rule ⁴⁸  them with an iron rod, ⁴⁹  and he stomps the winepress ⁵⁰  of the furious ⁵¹  wrath of God, the All-Powerful. ⁵² 

Wahyu 21:27

21:27 but ⁵³  nothing ritually unclean ⁵⁴  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ⁵⁵  or practices falsehood, ⁵⁶  but only those whose names ⁵⁷  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[1:1]  ¹ tn The phrase ἀποκάλυψις ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ (ajpokaluyi" Ihsou Cristou, “the revelation of Jesus Christ”) could be interpreted as either an objective genitive (“the revelation about Jesus Christ”), subjective genitive (“the revelation from Jesus Christ”), or both (M. Zerwick’s “general” genitive [Biblical Greek, §§36-39]; D. B. Wallace’s “plenary” genitive [ExSyn 119-21]). In 1:1 and 22:16 it is clear that Jesus has sent his angel to proclaim the message to John; thus the message is from Christ, and this would be a subjective genitive. On a broader scale, though, the revelation is about Christ, so this would be an objective genitive. One important point to note is that the phrase under consideration is best regarded as the title of the book and therefore refers to the whole of the work in all its aspects. This fact favors considering this as a plenary genitive.

[1:1]  ² tn Grk “slaves.” Although this translation frequently renders δοῦλος (doulos) as “slave,” the connotation is often of one who has sold himself into slavery; in a spiritual sense, the idea is that of becoming a slave of God or of Jesus Christ voluntarily. The voluntary notion is not conspicuous here; hence, the translation “servants.” In any case, the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ³ tn BDAG 992-93 s.v. τάχος has “quickly, at once, without delay Ac 10:33 D; 12:7; 17:15 D; 22:18; 1 Cl 48:1; 63:4…soon, in a short time…Rv 1:1; 22:6…shortly Ac 25:4.”

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Or “He indicated it clearly” (L&N 33.153).

[1:1]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “servants” earlier in this verse.

[1:20]  ⁶ tn The words “is this” are supplied to make a complete sentence in English.

[1:20]  ⁷ tn Or perhaps “the messengers.”

[2:1]  ⁸ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[2:1]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² sn On seven stars in his right hand see 1:16.

[2:1]  ¹³ tn Grk “lampstands of gold” with the genitive τῶν χρυσῶν (twn cruswn) translated as an attributive genitive.

[5:8]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[5:8]  ¹⁵ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[5:8]  ¹⁶ sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.

[6:10]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:10]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[6:10]  ¹⁹ tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.

[6:10]  ²⁰ tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).

[8:3]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[8:3]  ²² tn Grk “having.”

[8:3]  ²³ sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.

[8:3]  ²⁴ tn The verb “to station” was used to translate ἑστάθη (Jestaqh) because it connotes the idea of purposeful arrangement in English, which seems to be the idea in the Greek.

[8:3]  ²⁵ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:17]  ²⁶ tn Grk “saying.”

[11:17]  ²⁷ 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.”

[11:17]  ²⁸ tn The aorist verb ἐβασίλευσας (ebasileusa") has been translated ingressively.

[11:19]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence on events within the vision.

[11:19]  ³⁰ 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?…).”

[11:19]  ³¹ tn Although BDAG 1075 s.v. χάλαζα gives the meaning “hail” here, it is not clear whether the adjective μεγάλη (megalh) refers to the intensity of the storm or the size of the individual hailstones, or both.

[13:4]  ³² tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[13:4]  ³³ tn On the use of the masculine pronoun to refer to the beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.

[14:10]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he himself.”

[14:10]  ³⁵ tn The Greek word for “anger” here is θυμός (qumos), a wordplay on the “passion” (θυμός) of the personified city of Babylon in 14:8.

[14:10]  ³⁶ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[16:19]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:19]  ³⁸ tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[16:19]  ³⁹ tn Grk “fell.”

[16:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).

[16:19]  ⁴¹ 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]  ⁴² 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.

[18:21]  ⁴³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[18:21]  ⁴⁴ tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.

[18:21]  ⁴⁵ sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.

[19:15]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[19:15]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “will shepherd.”

[19:15]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

[19:15]  sn A quotation from Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27, 12:5).

[19:15]  ⁵⁰ sn He stomps the winepress. See Isa 63:3, where Messiah does this alone (usually several individuals would join in the process), and Rev 14:20.

[19:15]  ⁵¹ tn The genitive θυμοῦ (qumou) has been translated as an attributed genitive. Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumos) 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).

[19:15]  ⁵² 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.”

[21:27]  ⁵³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ⁵⁴ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

[21:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

[21:27]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.