3:1 “To 10 the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: 11
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 12 the one who holds 13 the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation 14 that you are alive, but 15 in reality 16 you are dead.
11:18 The 31 nations 32 were enraged,
but 33 your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants, 34
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 35 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 36 to destroy those who destroy 37 the earth.”
12:12 Therefore you heavens rejoice, and all who reside in them!
But 38 woe to the earth and the sea
because the devil has come down to you!
He 39 is filled with terrible anger,
for he knows that he only has a little time!”
1 tn Although the first possessive pronoun σου (sou) is connected to τὰ ἔργα (ta erga) and the second σου is connected to ὑπομονήν (Jupomonhn), semantically κόπον (kopon) is also to be understood as belonging to the Ephesian church. The translation reflects this.
2 tn The translation “tolerate” seems to capture the sense of βαστάσαι (bastasai) here. BDAG 171 s.v. βαστάζω 2.b.β says, “bear, endure…κακούς Rv 2:2.…bear patiently, put up with: weaknesses of the weak Ro 15:1; cf. IPol 1:2; evil Rv 2:3.”
3 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the participle was broken off from the previous sentence and translated as an indicative verb beginning a new sentence here in the translation.
4 sn See Num 22-24; 31:16.
5 tn That is, a cause for sinning. An alternate translation is “who instructed Balak to cause the people of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols…”
6 tn Grk “sons,” but the expression υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ (Juioi Israhl) is an idiom for the people of Israel as an ethnic entity (see L&N 11.58).
7 tn Due to the actual events in the OT (Num 22-24; 31:16), πορνεῦσαι (porneusai) is taken to mean “sexual immorality.” BDAG 854 s.v. πορνεύω 1 states, “engage in illicit sex, to fornicate, to whore…W. φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα ‘eat meat offered to idols’ Rv 2:14, 20.”
8 sn That is, the teaching of Jezebel (v. 20).
9 tn Grk “deep things.” For the translation “deep secrets” see L&N 28.76; cf. NAB, NIV, CEV.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
11 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
12 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.
sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
13 tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).
14 tn Grk “a name.”
15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
16 tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.
17 tn Grk “behold” (L&N 91.13).
18 sn See the note on synagogue in 2:9.
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast between what these people claimed and what they were.
20 tn The verb here is ποιέω (poiew), but in this context it has virtually the same meaning as δίδωμι (didwmi) used at the beginning of the verse. Stylistic variation like this is typical of Johannine literature.
21 tn The verb here is προσκυνήσουσιν (proskunhsousin), normally used to refer to worship.
22 tn Or “and know,” “and recognize.”
23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
24 tn BDAG 1086 s.v. χοῖνιξ states, “a dry measure, oft. used for grain, approximately equivalent to one quart or one liter, quart. A χ.of grain was a daily ration for one pers.…Rv 6:6ab.”
25 tn Grk “a quart of wheat for a denarius.” A denarius was one day’s pay for an average worker. The words “will cost” are used to indicate the genitive of price or value; otherwise the English reader could understand the phrase to mean “a quart of wheat to be given as a day’s pay.”
26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
27 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the instructions given by the voice.
28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
29 tn The words “the scroll” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
30 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
31 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
32 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
34 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
35 tn Grk “who fear.”
36 tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.
37 tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.
38 tn The word “But” is not in the Greek text, but the contrast is clearly implied. This is a case of asyndeton (lack of a connective).
39 tn Grk “and is filled,” a continuation of the previous sentence. Because English tends to use shorter sentences (especially when exclamations are involved), a new sentence was started here in the translation.
40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.
41 tn Or “desert.”
42 tn The word “God” is supplied based on the previous statements made concerning “the place prepared for the woman” in 12:6.
43 tc The reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou) is lacking in the important uncial C. Its inclusion, however, is supported by {Ì47 א A and the rest of the ms tradition}. There is apparently no reason for the scribe of C to intentionally omit the phrase, and the fact that the word “time” (καιρὸν καὶ καιρούς, kairon kai kairou") appears twice before may indicate a scribal oversight.
sn The parallel statement in Rev 12:6 suggests that the phrase a time, times, and half a time equals 1,260 days (three and a half years of 360 days each).
44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.
45 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
46 tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
47 tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
48 tn Grk “earth, telling.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek.
sn He told followed by an infinitive (“to make an image…”) is sufficiently ambiguous in Greek that it could be taken as “he ordered” (so NIV) or “he persuaded” (so REB).
49 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.
50 tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” 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.”
51 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
52 tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”
53 tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.
54 tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.
55 tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).
56 tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”
57 tn Grk “who has a share.”
58 tn The shift from the singular pronoun (“the one”) to the plural (“them”) in the passage reflects the Greek text: The singular participle ὁ ἔχων (Jo ecwn) is followed by the plural pronoun τούτων (toutwn). In the interests of English style, this is obscured in most modern translations except the NASB.
59 tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”
60 tn Grk “idolaters.”
61 tn Grk “their share.”
62 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
63 tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”