5:10 You have appointed 3 them 4 as a kingdom and priests 5 to serve 6 our God, and they will reign 7 on the earth.”
16:7 Then 9 I heard the altar reply, 10 “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, 11 your judgments are true and just!”
1 tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to make the chronological succession clear in the translation.
2 tn The genitive phrase “about Jesus Christ” is taken as an objective genitive.
3 tn The verb ἐποίησας (epoihsas) is understood to mean “appointed” here. For an example of this use, see Mark 3:14.
4 tc The vast majority of witnesses have αὐτούς (autous, “them”) here, while the Textus Receptus reads ἡμᾶς (Jhmas, “us”) with insignificant support (pc gig vgcl sa Prim Bea). There is no question that the original text read αὐτούς here.
5 tn The reference to “kingdom and priests” may be a hendiadys: “priestly kingdom.”
6 tn The words “to serve” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the word “priests.”
7 tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 ÏK pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 ÏA pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
10 tn Grk “the altar saying.”
11 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.”
12 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.”
13 tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
14 tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.
15 tn Or “her sins.”
16 tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”