Deuteronomy 19:1-21 
Context19:1 When the Lord your God destroys the nations whose land he 1 is about to give you and you dispossess them and settle in their cities and houses, 19:2 you must set apart for yourselves three cities 2 in the middle of your land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession. 19:3 You shall build a roadway and divide into thirds the whole extent 3 of your land that the Lord your God is providing as your inheritance; anyone who kills another person should flee to the closest of these cities. 19:4 Now this is the law pertaining to one who flees there in order to live, 4 if he has accidentally killed another 5 without hating him at the time of the accident. 6 19:5 Suppose he goes with someone else 7 to the forest to cut wood and when he raises the ax 8 to cut the tree, the ax head flies loose 9 from the handle and strikes 10 his fellow worker 11 so hard that he dies. The person responsible 12 may then flee to one of these cities to save himself. 13 19:6 Otherwise the blood avenger will chase after the killer in the heat of his anger, eventually overtake him, 14 and kill him, 15 though this is not a capital case 16 since he did not hate him at the time of the accident. 19:7 Therefore, I am commanding you to set apart for yourselves three cities. 19:8 If the Lord your God enlarges your borders as he promised your ancestors 17 and gives you all the land he pledged to them, 18 19:9 and then you are careful to observe all these commandments 19 I am giving 20 you today (namely, to love the Lord your God and to always walk in his ways), then you must add three more cities 21 to these three. 19:10 You must not shed innocent blood 22 in your land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, for that would make you guilty. 23 19:11 However, suppose a person hates someone else 24 and stalks him, attacks him, kills him, 25 and then flees to one of these cities. 19:12 The elders of his own city must send for him and remove him from there to deliver him over to the blood avenger 26 to die. 19:13 You must not pity him, but purge out the blood of the innocent 27 from Israel, so that it may go well with you.
19:14 You must not encroach on your neighbor’s property, 28 which will have been defined 29 in the inheritance you will obtain in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 30
19:15 A single witness may not testify 31 against another person for any trespass or sin that he commits. A matter may be legally established 32 only on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 19:16 If a false 33 witness testifies against another person and accuses him of a crime, 34 19:17 then both parties to the controversy must stand before the Lord, that is, before the priests and judges 35 who will be in office in those days. 19:18 The judges will thoroughly investigate the matter, and if the witness should prove to be false and to have given false testimony against the accused, 36 19:19 you must do to him what he had intended to do to the accused. In this way you will purge 37 evil from among you. 19:20 The rest of the people will hear and become afraid to keep doing such evil among you. 19:21 You must not show pity; the principle will be a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, and a foot for a foot. 38
Psalms 106:1-48
Context106:1 Praise the Lord!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures! 40
106:2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds? 41
106:3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time!
106:4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people!
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
106:5 so I may see the prosperity 42 of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation, 43
and boast along with the people who belong to you. 44
106:6 We have sinned like 45 our ancestors; 46
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
106:7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds,
they failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea. 47
106:8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation, 48
that he might reveal his power.
106:9 He shouted at 49 the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
106:10 He delivered them from the power 50 of the one who hated them,
and rescued 51 them from the power 52 of the enemy.
106:11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived. 53
106:12 They believed his promises; 54
they sang praises to him.
106:13 They quickly forgot what he had done; 55
they did not wait for his instructions. 56
106:14 In the wilderness they had an insatiable craving 57 for meat; 58
they challenged God 59 in the desert.
106:15 He granted their request,
then struck them with a disease. 60
106:16 In the camp they resented 61 Moses,
and Aaron, the Lord’s holy priest. 62
106:17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan;
it engulfed 63 the group led by Abiram. 64
106:18 Fire burned their group;
the flames scorched the wicked. 65
106:19 They made an image of a calf at Horeb,
and worshiped a metal idol.
106:20 They traded their majestic God 66
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
106:21 They rejected 67 the God who delivered them,
the one who performed great deeds in Egypt,
106:22 amazing feats in the land of Ham,
mighty 68 acts by the Red Sea.
106:23 He threatened 69 to destroy them,
but 70 Moses, his chosen one, interceded with him 71
and turned back his destructive anger. 72
106:24 They rejected the fruitful land; 73
they did not believe his promise. 74
106:25 They grumbled in their tents; 75
they did not obey 76 the Lord.
106:26 So he made a solemn vow 77
that he would make them die 78 in the desert,
106:27 make their descendants 79 die 80 among the nations,
and scatter them among foreign lands. 81
106:28 They worshiped 82 Baal of Peor,
and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. 83
106:29 They made the Lord angry 84 by their actions,
and a plague broke out among them.
106:30 Phinehas took a stand and intervened, 85
and the plague subsided.
106:31 This brought him a reward,
an eternal gift. 86
106:32 They made him angry by the waters of Meribah,
and Moses suffered 87 because of them,
106:33 for they aroused 88 his temper, 89
and he spoke rashly. 90
106:34 They did not destroy the nations, 91
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
106:35 They mixed in with the nations
and learned their ways. 92
106:36 They worshiped 93 their idols,
which became a snare to them. 94
106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. 95
106:38 They shed innocent blood –
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan.
The land was polluted by bloodshed. 96
106:39 They were defiled by their deeds,
and unfaithful in their actions. 97
106:40 So the Lord was angry with his people 98
and despised the people who belong to him. 99
106:41 He handed them over to 100 the nations,
and those who hated them ruled over them.
106:42 Their enemies oppressed them;
they were subject to their authority. 101
106:43 Many times he delivered 102 them,
but they had a rebellious attitude, 103
and degraded themselves 104 by their sin.
106:44 Yet he took notice of their distress,
when he heard their cry for help.
106:45 He remembered his covenant with them,
and relented 105 because of his great loyal love.
106:46 He caused all their conquerors 106
to have pity on them.
106:47 Deliver us, O Lord, our God!
Gather us from among the nations!
Then we will give thanks 107 to your holy name,
and boast about your praiseworthy deeds. 108
106:48 The Lord God of Israel deserves praise, 109
in the future and forevermore. 110
Let all the people say, “We agree! 111 Praise the Lord!” 112
Isaiah 46:1-13
ContextNebo 114 bends low.
Their images weigh down animals and beasts. 115
Your heavy images are burdensome to tired animals. 116
46:2 Together they bend low and kneel down;
they are unable to rescue the images; 117
they themselves 118 head off into captivity. 119
46:3 “Listen to me, O family of Jacob, 120
all you who are left from the family of Israel, 121
you who have been carried from birth, 122
you who have been supported from the time you left the womb. 123
46:4 Even when you are old, I will take care of you, 124
even when you have gray hair, I will carry you.
I made you and I will support you;
I will carry you and rescue you. 125
46:5 To whom can you compare and liken me?
Tell me whom you think I resemble, so we can be compared!
46:6 Those who empty out gold from a purse
and weigh out silver on the scale 126
hire a metalsmith, who makes it into a god.
They then bow down and worship it.
46:7 They put it on their shoulder and carry it;
they put it in its place and it just stands there;
it does not 127 move from its place.
Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply;
it does not deliver him from his distress.
46:8 Remember this, so you can be brave! 128
Think about it, you rebels! 129
46:9 Remember what I accomplished in antiquity! 130
Truly I am God, I have no peer; 131
I am God, and there is none like me,
46:10 who announces the end from the beginning
and reveals beforehand 132 what has not yet occurred,
who says, ‘My plan will be realized,
I will accomplish what I desire,’
46:11 who summons an eagle 133 from the east,
from a distant land, one who carries out my plan.
Yes, I have decreed, 134
yes, I will bring it to pass;
I have formulated a plan,
yes, I will carry it out.
46:12 Listen to me, you stubborn people, 135
you who distance yourself from doing what is right. 136
46:13 I am bringing my deliverance near, it is not far away;
I am bringing my salvation near, 137 it does not wait.
I will save Zion; 138
I will adorn Israel with my splendor.” 139
Revelation 16:1-21
Context16:1 Then 140 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.” 141 16:2 So 142 the first angel 143 went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then 144 ugly and painful sores 145 appeared on the people 146 who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
16:3 Next, 147 the second angel 148 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 149 the third angel 150 poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 16:5 Now 151 I heard the angel of the waters saying:
“You are just 152 – the one who is and who was,
the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, 153
16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,
so 154 you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” 155
16:7 Then 156 I heard the altar reply, 157 “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 158 your judgments are true and just!”
16:8 Then 159 the fourth angel 160 poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people 161 with fire. 16:9 Thus 162 people 163 were scorched by the terrible heat, 164 yet 165 they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority 166 over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.
16:10 Then 167 the fifth angel 168 poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that 169 darkness covered his kingdom, 170 and people 171 began to bite 172 their tongues because 173 of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings 174 and because of their sores, 175 but nevertheless 176 they still refused to repent 177 of their deeds.
16:12 Then 178 the sixth angel 179 poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water 180 to prepare the way 181 for the kings from the east. 182 16:13 Then 183 I saw three unclean spirits 184 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 185 to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. 186
16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose 187 his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition 188 be seen.) 189
16:16 Now 190 the spirits 191 gathered the kings and their armies 192 to the place that is called Armageddon 193 in Hebrew.
16:17 Finally 194 the seventh angel 195 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 196 there were flashes of lightning, roaring, 197 and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity 198 has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 16:19 The 199 great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations 200 collapsed. 201 So 202 Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup 203 filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. 204 16:20 Every 205 island fled away 206 and no mountains could be found. 207 16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds 208 each, fell from heaven 209 on people, 210 but they 211 blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it 212 was so horrendous. 213
1 tn Heb “the
2 sn These three cities, later designated by Joshua, were Kedesh of Galilee, Shechem, and Hebron (Josh 20:7-9).
3 tn Heb “border.”
4 tn Heb “and this is the word pertaining to the one who kills who flees there and lives.”
5 tn Heb “who strikes his neighbor without knowledge.”
6 tn Heb “yesterday and a third (day)” (likewise in v. 6). The point is that there was no animosity between the two parties at the time of the accident and therefore no motive for the killing. Cf. NAB “had previously borne no malice”; NRSV “had not been at enmity before.”
7 tn Heb “his neighbor” (so NAB, NIV); NASB “his friend.”
8 tn Heb “and he raises his hand with the iron.”
9 tn Heb “the iron slips off.”
10 tn Heb “finds.”
11 tn Heb “his neighbor.”
12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the person responsible for his friend’s death) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 tn Heb “and live.”
14 tn Heb “and overtake him, for the road is long.”
15 tn Heb “smite with respect to life,” that is, fatally.
16 tn Heb “no judgment of death.”
17 tn Heb “fathers.”
18 tn Heb “he said to give to your ancestors.” The pronoun has been used in the translation instead for stylistic reasons.
19 tn Heb “all this commandment.” This refers here to the entire covenant agreement of the Book of Deuteronomy as encapsulated in the Shema (Deut 6:4-5).
20 tn Heb “commanding”; NAB “which I enjoin on you today.”
21 sn You will add three more cities. Since these are alluded to nowhere else and thus were probably never added, this must be a provision for other cities of refuge should they be needed (cf. v. 8). See P. C. Craigie, Deuteronomy (NICOT), 267.
22 tn Heb “innocent blood must not be shed.” The Hebrew phrase דָּם נָקִי (dam naqiy) means the blood of a person to whom no culpability or responsibility adheres because what he did was without malice aforethought (HALOT 224 s.v דָּם 4.b).
23 tn Heb “and blood will be upon you” (cf. KJV, ASV); NRSV “thereby bringing bloodguilt upon you.”
24 tn Heb “his neighbor.”
25 tn Heb “rises against him and strikes him fatally.”
26 tn The גֹאֵל הַדָּם (go’el haddam, “avenger of blood”) would ordinarily be a member of the victim’s family who, after due process of law, was invited to initiate the process of execution (cf. Num 35:16-28). See R. Hubbard, NIDOTTE 1:789-94.
27 sn Purge out the blood of the innocent. Because of the corporate nature of Israel’s community life, the whole community shared in the guilt of unavenged murder unless and until vengeance occurred. Only this would restore spiritual and moral equilibrium (Num 35:33).
28 tn Heb “border.” Cf. NRSV “You must not move your neighbor’s boundary marker.”
29 tn Heb “which they set off from the beginning.”
30 tn The Hebrew text includes “to possess it.” This phrase has been left untranslated to avoid redundancy.
31 tn Heb “rise up” (likewise in v. 16).
32 tn Heb “may stand.”
33 tn Heb “violent” (חָמָס, khamas). This is a witness whose motivation from the beginning is to do harm to the accused and who, therefore, resorts to calumny and deceit. See I. Swart and C. VanDam, NIDOTTE 2:177-80.
34 tn Or “rebellion.” Rebellion against God’s law is in view (cf. NAB “of a defection from the law”).
35 tn The appositional construction (“before the
36 tn Heb “his brother” (also in the following verse).
37 tn Heb “you will burn out” (בִּעַרְתָּ, bi’arta). Like a cancer, unavenged sin would infect the whole community. It must, therefore, be excised by the purging out of its perpetrators who, presumably, remained unrepentant (cf. Deut 13:6; 17:7, 12; 21:21; 22:21-22, 24; 24:7).
38 sn This kind of justice is commonly called lex talionis or “measure for measure” (cf. Exod 21:23-25; Lev 24:19-20). It is likely that it is the principle that is important and not always a strict application. That is, the punishment should fit the crime and it may do so by the payment of fines or other suitable and equitable compensation (cf. Exod 22:21; Num 35:31). See T. S. Frymer-Kensky, “Tit for Tat: The Principle of Equal Retribution in Near Eastern and Biblical Law,” BA 43 (1980): 230-34.
39 sn Psalm 106. The psalmist recalls Israel’s long history of rebellion against God, despite his mighty saving deeds on their behalf.
40 tn Heb “for forever [is] his loyal love.”
41 tn Heb “[or] cause to be heard all his praise.”
42 tn Heb “good.”
43 tn Heb “in order that [I may] rejoice with the rejoicing of your nation.”
44 tn Heb “with your inheritance.”
45 tn Heb “with.”
46 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 7).
47 tn Heb “Reed Sea” (also in vv. 9, 22). “Reed Sea” (or “Sea of Reeds”) is a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew expression יָם סוּף (yam suf), traditionally translated “Red Sea.” See the note on the term “Red Sea” in Exod 13:18.
sn They rebelled. The psalmist recalls the people’s complaint recorded in Exod 14:12.
48 tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.
49 tn Or “rebuked.”
50 tn Heb “hand.”
51 tn Or “redeemed.”
52 tn Heb “hand.”
53 tn Heb “remained.”
54 tn Heb “his words.”
55 tn Heb “his works.”
56 tn Heb “his counsel.”
57 sn They had an insatiable craving. This is described in Num 11:4-35.
58 tn Heb “they craved [with] a craving.”
59 tn Heb “they tested God.”
60 tn Heb “and he sent leanness into their being.”
sn Disease. See Num 11:33-34, where this plague is described.
61 tn Or “envied.”
62 tn Heb “the holy one of the
63 tn Or “covered.”
64 tn Or “the assembly of Abiram.”
65 sn Verses 16-18 describe the events of Num 16:1-40.
66 tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the
67 tn Heb “forgot.”
68 tn Or “awe-inspiring.”
69 tn Heb “and he said.”
70 tn Heb “if not,” that is, “[and would have] if [Moses] had not.”
71 tn Heb “stood in the gap before him.”
72 tn Heb “to turn back his anger from destroying.”
sn Verses 19-23 describe the events of Exod 32:1-35.
73 tn Heb “a land of delight” (see also Jer 3:19; Zech 7:14).
74 tn Heb “his word.”
75 sn They grumbled in their tents. See Deut 1:27.
76 tn Heb “did not listen to the voice of.”
77 tn Heb “and he lifted his hand to [or “concerning”] them.” The idiom “to lift a hand” here refers to swearing an oath. One would sometimes solemnly lift one’s hand when making such a vow (see Ezek 20:5-6, 15).
78 tn Heb “to cause them to fall.”
79 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
80 tn Heb “and to cause their offspring to fall.” Some emend the verb to “scatter” to form tighter parallelism with the following line (cf. NRSV “disperse”).
81 tn Heb “among the lands.” The word “foreign” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
82 tn Heb “joined themselves to.”
sn They worshiped Baal of Peor. See Num 25:3, 5. Baal of Peor was a local manifestation of the Canaanite deity Baal located at Peor.
83 tn Here “the dead” may refer to deceased ancestors (see Deut 26:14). Another option is to understand the term as a derogatory reference to the various deities which the Israelites worshiped at Peor along with Baal (see Num 25:2 and L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 49).
84 tn Heb “They made angry [him].” The pronominal suffix is omitted here, but does appear in a few medieval Hebrew
85 sn The intervention of Phinehas is recounted in Num 25:7-8.
86 tn Heb “and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, to a generation and a generation forever.” The verb חָשַׁב (khashav, “to reckon”) is collocated with צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah, “righteousness”) only in Ps 106:31 and Gen 15:6, where God rewards Abram’s faith with a land grant.
sn Brought him a reward. See Num 25:12-13.
87 tn Heb “there was harm to Moses.”
88 tn The Hebrew text vocalizes the form as הִמְרוּ (himru), a Hiphil from מָרָה (marah, “to behave rebelliously”), but the verb fits better with the object (“his spirit”) if it is revocalized as הֵמֵרוּ (hemeru), a Hiphil from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”). The Israelites “embittered” Moses’ “spirit” in the sense that they aroused his temper with their complaints.
89 tn Heb “his spirit.”
90 tn The Hebrew text adds “with his lips,” but this has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
sn Verses 32-33 allude to the events of Num 20:1-13.
91 tn That is, the nations of Canaan.
92 tn Heb “their deeds.”
93 tn Or “served.”
94 sn Became a snare. See Exod 23:33; Judg 2:3.
95 tn The Hebrew term שֵׁדִים (shedim, “demons”) occurs only here and in Deut 32:17. Some type of lesser deity is probably in view.
96 sn Num 35:33-34 explains that bloodshed defiles a land.
97 tn Heb “and they committed adultery in their actions.” This means that they were unfaithful to the
98 tn Heb “the anger of the
99 tn Heb “his inheritance.”
100 tn Heb “gave them into the hand of.”
101 tn Heb “they were subdued under their hand.”
102 tn The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“he would deliver”).
103 tn Heb “but they rebelled in their counsel.” The prefixed verbal form is either preterite or imperfect, in which case it is customary, describing repeated action in past time (“they would have a rebellious attitude”).
104 tn Heb “they sank down.” The Hebrew verb מָכַךְ (makhakh, “to lower; to sink”) occurs only here in the Qal.
105 tn The Niphal of נָחַם (nakham) refers here to God relenting from a punishment already underway.
106 tn Or “captors.”
107 tn Heb “to give thanks.” The infinitive construct indicates result after the imperative.
108 tn Heb “to boast in your praise.”
109 tn Heb “[be] blessed.” See Pss 18:46; 28:6; 31:21.
110 tn Heb “from everlasting to everlasting.”
111 tn Heb “surely” (אָמֵן, ’amen), traditionally transliterated “amen.”
112 sn The final verse (v. 48) is a conclusion to this fourth “book” (or major editorial division) of the Psalter. Similar statements appear at or near the end of each of the first, second and third “books” of the Psalter (see Pss 41:13; 72:18-19; 89:52, respectively).
113 sn Bel was the name of a Babylonian god. The name was originally associated with Enlil, but later was applied to Marduk. See HALOT 132 s.v. בֵּל.
114 sn Nebo is a variation of the name of the Babylonian god Nabu.
115 tn Heb “their images belong to animals and beasts”; NIV “their idols are borne by beasts of burden”; NLT “are being hauled away.”
116 tn Heb “your loads are carried [as] a burden by a weary [animal].”
117 tn Heb “[the] burden,” i.e., their images, the heavy burden carried by the animals.
118 tn נַפְשָׁם (nafsham, “their souls/lives”) is equivalent here to a third masculine plural suffix, but the third feminine singular verb הָלָכָה (halakhah, “they go”) agrees with the feminine noun נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul, life”).
119 sn The downfall of Babylon is depicted here. The idols are carried off by the victorious enemy; the gods are likened to defeated captives who cower before the enemy and are taken into exile.
120 tn Heb “house of Jacob”; TEV “descendants of Jacob.”
121 tn Heb “and all the remnant of the house of Israel.”
122 tn Heb “from the womb” (so NRSV); KJV “from the belly”; NAB “from your infancy.”
123 tn Heb “who have been lifted up from the womb.”
124 tn Heb “until old age, I am he” (NRSV similar); NLT “I will be your God throughout your lifetime.”
125 sn Unlike the weary idol gods, whose images must be carried by animals, the Lord carries his weary people.
126 tn Heb “the reed,” probably referring to the beam of a scales. See BDB 889 s.v. קָנֶה 4.c.
127 tn Or perhaps, “cannot,” here and in the following two lines. The imperfect forms can indicate capability.
128 tn The meaning of the verb אָשַׁשׁ (’ashash, which appears here in the Hitpolel stem) is uncertain. BDB 84 s.v. אשׁשׁ relates it to a root meaning “found, establish” in Arabic; HALOT 100 s.v. II אשׁשׁ gives the meaning “pluck up courage.” The imperative with vav (ו) may indicate purpose following the preceding imperative.
129 tn Heb “return [it], rebels, to heart”; NRSV “recall it to mind, you transgressors.”
130 tn Heb “remember the former things, from antiquity”; KJV, ASV “the former things of old.”
131 tn Heb “and there is no other” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV).
132 tn Or “from long ago”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV “from ancient times.”
133 tn Or, more generally, “a bird of prey” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV; see 18:6).
134 tn Heb “spoken”; KJV “I have spoken it.”
135 tn Heb “strong of heart [or, mind]”; KJV “stouthearted”; NAB “fainthearted”; NIV “stubborn-hearted.”
136 tn Heb “who are far from righteousness [or perhaps, “deliverance”].”
137 tn Heb “my salvation.” The verb “I am bringing near” is understood by ellipsis (note the previous line).
138 tn Heb “I will place in Zion salvation”; NASB “I will grant salvation in Zion.”
139 tn Heb “to Israel my splendor”; KJV, ASV “for Israel my glory.”
140 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
141 tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.
142 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the directions given by the voice from the temple.
143 tn Grk “the first”; the referent (the first angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
144 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
145 tn Or “ulcerated sores”; the term in the Greek text is singular but is probably best understood as a collective singular.
146 tn Grk ‘the men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
147 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “next” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
148 tn Grk “the second”; the referent (the second angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
149 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
150 tn Grk “the third”; the referent (the third angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
151 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.
152 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
153 tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.
154 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.
155 tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”
156 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
157 tn Grk “the altar saying.”
158 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.”
159 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
160 tn Grk “the fourth”; the referent (the fourth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
161 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
162 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.
163 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
164 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.”
165 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
166 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
167 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
168 tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
169 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.
170 tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”
171 tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.
172 tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”
173 tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.
174 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.”
175 tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).
176 tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.
177 tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.
178 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
179 tn Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
180 tn Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
181 tn Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.
182 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.”
183 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
184 sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.
185 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.”
186 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.”
187 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).”
188 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.
189 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.
190 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.
191 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
192 tn Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
193 tc There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek
tn Or “Harmagedon” (a literal transliteration of the Greek), or “Har-Magedon” (NASB), meaning “the Mount of Magedon” in Hebrew.
194 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “finally” to indicate the conclusion of the seven bowl judgments.
195 tn Grk “the seventh”; the referent (the seventh angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
196 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
197 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?…).”
198 tn The singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used generically here to refer to the human race.
199 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
200 tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
201 tn Grk “fell.”
202 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).
203 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”).
204 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.
205 tn Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
206 tn Or “vanished.”
207 sn Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.
208 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.
209 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.
210 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).
211 tn Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.
212 tn Grk “the plague of it.”
213 tn Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”
