14:8 A 4 second 5 angel 6 followed the first, 7 declaring: 8 “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great city! 9 She made all the nations 10 drink of the wine of her immoral passion.” 11
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, 12
and adorned with gold, 13 precious stones, and pearls –
21:15 The angel 22 who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall.
21:22 Now 23 I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful 24 – and the Lamb are its temple. 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes so they can have access 30 to the tree of life and can enter into the city by the gates.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).
3 tn Grk “spiritually.”
4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5 tc There are several different variants comprising a textual problem involving “second” (δεύτερος, deuteros). First, several
6 tn Grk “And another angel, a second.”
7 tn The words “the first” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
8 tn For the translation of λέγω (legw) as “declare,” see BDAG 590 s.v. 2.e.
9 sn The fall of Babylon the great city is described in detail in Rev 18:2-24.
10 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
11 tn Grk “of the wine of the passion of the sexual immorality of her.” Here τῆς πορνείας (th" porneia") has been translated as an attributive genitive. In an ironic twist of fate, God will make Babylon drink her own mixture, but it will become the wine of his wrath in retribution for her immoral deeds (see the note on the word “wrath” in 16:19).
12 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
13 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
14 tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.
15 tn Grk “from the burning of her, saying.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burned her up,” see L&N 14.63. Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.
17 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
18 tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”
19 tn Grk “from God, having the glory of God.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “the city” to refer back to the previous clause and translating the participle (“having”) as a finite verb.
20 tn On the term ἰάσπιδι (iaspidi) BDAG 465 s.v. ἴασπις states, “jasper, a precious stone found in various colors, mostly reddish, somet. green…brown, blue, yellow, and white. In antiquity the name was not limited to the variety of quartz now called jasper, but could designate any opaque precious stone. Rv 21:18f. W. λίθος 4:3 (TestSol C 11:8). λίθος ἴασπις κρυσταλλίζων a stone of crystal-clear jasper 21:11 (cp. Is 54:12); perh. the opal is meant here; acc. to some, the diamond.”
21 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
22 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Every verse from here to the end of this chapter begins with καί in Greek, but due to differences between Greek and contemporary English style, these have not been translated.
24 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.”
25 tn Or “be anything accursed” (L&N 33.474).
26 tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
27 tn Grk “city, and his.” Although this is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, a new sentence was started here in the translation because of the introduction of the Lamb’s followers.
28 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
29 tn Or “will serve.”
30 tn Grk “so that there will be to them authority over the tree of life.”