Revelation 2:20

2:20 But I have this against you: You tolerate that ¹  woman ²  Jezebel, ³  who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives ⁴  my servants ⁵  to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. ⁶ 

Revelation 12:1

The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon

12:1 Then ⁷  a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and with the moon under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars. ⁸ 

Revelation 12:5

12:5 So ⁹  the woman gave birth to a son, a male child, ¹⁰  who is going to rule ¹¹  over all the nations ¹²  with an iron rod. ¹³  Her ¹⁴  child was suddenly caught up to God and to his throne,

Revelation 17:3-4

17:3 So ¹⁵  he carried me away in the Spirit ¹⁶  to a wilderness, ¹⁷  and there ¹⁸  I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 Now ¹⁹  the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, ²⁰  and adorned with gold, ²¹  precious stones, and pearls. She held ²²  in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. ²³ 

Revelation 17:6-7

17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. ²⁴  I ²⁵  was greatly astounded ²⁶  when I saw her. 17:7 But ²⁷  the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret ²⁸  for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

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¹ tn The Greek article has been translated here with demonstrative force.

² tc The ms evidence for γυναῖκα (gunaika, “woman”) alone includes {א C P 1611 2053 pc lat}. The ms evidence for the addition of “your” (σου, sou) includes A 1006 2351 Ï^K pc sy. With the pronoun, the text reads “your wife, Jezebel” instead of “that woman, Jezebel.” In Revelation, A C are the most important mss, along with א Ì⁴⁷ (which only reads in portions of chapters 9-17) 1006 1611 2053; in this instance, the external evidence slightly favors the shorter reading. But internally, it gains strength. The longer reading implies the idea that the angel in 2:18 is the bishop or leader of the church in Thyatira. The pronoun “your” (σου) is used four times in vv. 19-20 and may have been the cause for the scribe copying it again. Further, once the monarchical episcopate was in vogue (beginning in the 2nd century) scribes might have been prone to add “your” here.

³ sn Jezebel was the name of King Ahab’s idolatrous and wicked queen in 1 Kgs 16:31; 18:1-5; 19:1-3; 21:5-24. It is probable that the individual named here was analogous to her prototype in idolatry and immoral behavior, since those are the items singled out for mention.

⁴ tn Grk “teaches and deceives” (διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ, didaskei kai plana), a construction in which the first verb appears to specify the means by which the second is accomplished: “by her teaching, deceives…”

⁵ tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

⁶ sn To commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Note the conclusions of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:29, which specifically prohibits Gentile Christians from engaging in these activities.

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

⁸ sn Sun…moon…stars. This imagery is frequently identified with the nation Israel because of Joseph’s dream in Gen 37.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the anticipated birth.

¹⁰ tn On this term BDAG 135 s.v. ἄρσην states: “male…The neut. ἄρσεν Rv 12:5, difft. vs. 13, comes fr. Is 66:7 and is in apposition to υἱόν. On the juxtaposition s. FBoll, ZNW 15, 1914, 253; BOlsson, Glotta 23, ’34, 112.”

¹¹ tn Grk “shepherd.”

¹² tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

¹³ tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rJabdo") can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”

sn An allusion to Ps 2:9 (see also Rev 2:27; 19:15).

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.

¹⁶ 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).

¹⁷ tn Or “desert.”

¹⁸ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the detailed description of the woman, which is somewhat parenthetical in nature.

²⁰ tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.

²¹ tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).

²² tn Grk “pearls, having in her hand.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

²³ tc Several mss (including 1611 1854 2053 Ï^K pc) read “sexual immorality on/of the earth” (πορνείας τῆς γῆς, porneia" th" gh") instead of “her sexual immorality.” Other mss (א sy^h** [co]) read “her sexual immorality and the earth’s” (πορνείας αὐτῆς καὶ τῆς γῆς, porneia" aujth" kai th" gh"). The translation is a rendering of πορνείας αὐτῆς, found in {A 1006 2344 al}. It seems that the first reading “sexuality immorality on/of the earth” was a scribal mistake in which letters may have been confused (auths would have been read as thsghs), or was perhaps influenced by the presence of “of the world” (τῆς γῆς) at the end of v. 5. The original wording seems to be “her sexual immorality”; codex א has conflated the two readings.

²⁴ tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.

²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

²⁶ tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).

²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

²⁸ tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.