1:9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares 1 with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that 2 are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 3
6:9 Now 10 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 11 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.
12:11 But 12 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 13 so much that they were afraid to die.
1 tn The translation attempts to bring out the verbal idea in συγκοινωνός (sunkoinwno", “co-sharer”); John was suffering for his faith at the time he wrote this.
2 tn The prepositional phrase ἐν ᾿Ιησοῦ (en Ihsou) could be taken with ὑπομονῇ (Jupomonh) as the translation does or with the more distant συγκοινωνός (sunkoinwno"), in which case the translation would read “your brother and the one who shares with you in Jesus in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance.”
3 tn The phrase “about Jesus” has been translated as an objective genitive.
4 tn Grk “I have given.”
5 tn Grk “to shut it,” but English would leave the direct object understood in this case.
sn The entire statement is parenthetical, interrupting the construction found in other letters to the churches in 3:1 and 3:15, “I know your deeds, that…” where an enumeration of the deeds follows.
6 tn This translation is based on connecting the ὅτι (Joti) clause with the οἶδα (oida) at the beginning of the verse, giving the content of what is known (see also 3:1, 3:15 for parallels). Because of the intervening clause that is virtually parenthetical (see the note on the word “shut” earlier in this verse), the words “I know that” from the beginning of the verse had to be repeated to make this connection clear for the English reader. However, the ὅτι could be understood as introducing a causal subordinate clause instead and thus translated, “because you have.”
7 tn Or “little power.”
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
9 tn Grk “and having kept.” The participle ἐτήρησας (ethrhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the translation of τηρέω (threw) as “obey” see L&N 36.19. This is the same word that is used in 3:10 (there translated “kept”) where there is a play on words.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a new and somewhat different topic after the introduction of the four riders.
11 tn Or “murdered.” See the note on the word “butcher” in 6:4.
12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
13 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.