2:8 “To 1 the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: 2
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 3 the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but 4 came to life:
6:5 Then 19 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 20 I looked, 21 and here came 22 a black horse! The 23 one who rode it 24 had a balance scale 25 in his hand.
17:1 Then 26 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. 27 “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment 28 of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
19:11 Then 29 I saw heaven opened and here came 30 a white horse! The 31 one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice 32 he judges and goes to war.
21:9 Then 40 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, 41 saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
3 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.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present between these two phrases.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”
7 sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of hearing the voice summon the first rider.
9 tc The reading “and I looked” (καὶ εἶδον, kai eidon) or some slight variation (e.g., ἶδον, idon) has excellent ms support ({א A C P 1611}) and its omission seems to come through the
10 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
11 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
12 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
sn The one who rode it. The identity of the first rider on the white horse has been discussed at great length by interpreters. Several answers are given: (1) A number understand the rider on the white horse to be Christ himself, identifying this horse and rider with the one mentioned in 19:11, where the identification is clear (cf. 19:13, 16). It must be noted, though, that there is little in common between the two riders beyond the white horse. The word for “crown” is different, the armament is different, and the context here is different (conquest vs. retribution), with three other horsemen bringing catastrophe following. (2) Others see the rider on the white horse representing a spirit of military conquest that dominates human history and leads to the catastrophes that follow. (3) Another possibility is that the white horse rider represents the Antichrist, who appears later in Rev 11:7; 13:17, and whose similarity to Christ explains the similarity with the rider in 19:11. This interpretation has been discussed at length by M. Rissi, “The Rider on the White Horse: A Study of Revelation 6:1-8,” Int 18 (1964): 407-18. This interpretation is the most probable one.
13 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
14 tn The participle νικῶν (nikwn) has been translated as substantival, the subject of the verb ἐξῆλθεν (exhlqen). Otherwise, as an adverbial participle of manner, it is somewhat redundant: “he rode out conquering and to conquer.”
15 tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
16 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
17 tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “it was given to him to take peace from the earth.”
18 tn BDAG 979 s.v. σφάζω states, “Of the killing of a person by violence…σφάζειν τινά butcher or murder someone (4 Km 10:7; Jer 52:10; Manetho: 609 fgm. 8, 76 Jac. [in Jos., C. Ap. 1, 76]; Demetr.[?]: 722 fgm. 7; Ar. 10, 9) 1J 3:12; Rv 6:4. Pass. (Hdt. 5, 5) 5:9; 6:9; 18:24.”
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the third creature.
21 tc The reading “and I looked” (καὶ εἶδον, kai eidon) or some slight variation (e.g., ἶδον, idon) has excellent ms support ({א A C P 1611}) and its omission seems to have come through the
22 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
23 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
24 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
25 sn A balance scale would have been a rod held by a rope in the middle with pans attached to both ends for measuring.
26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
27 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
28 tn Here one Greek term, κρίμα (krima), has been translated by the two English terms “condemnation” and “punishment.” See BDAG 567 s.v. 4.b, “mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself 2 Pt 2:3; Jd 4…τὸ κ. τῆς πόρνης the condemnation and punishment of the prostitute Rv 17:1.”
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
30 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
31 tn A new sentence was started in the translation at this point and καί (kai) was not translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
32 tn Or “in righteousness,” but since the context here involves the punishment of the wicked and the vindication of the saints, “justice” was preferred.
33 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
34 tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.
35 tn On the phrase “broad plain of the earth” BDAG 823 s.v. πλάτος states, “τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς Rv 20:9 comes fr. the OT (Da 12:2 LXX. Cp. Hab 1:6; Sir 1:3), but the sense is not clear: breadth = the broad plain of the earth is perh. meant to provide room for the countless enemies of God vs. 8, but the ‘going up’ is better suited to Satan (vs. 7) who has recently been freed, and who comes up again fr. the abyss (vs. 3).” The referent here thus appears to be a plain large enough to accommodate the numberless hoards that have drawn up for battle against the Lord Christ and his saints.
36 tn Or “surrounded.”
37 tn On the term παρεμβολή (parembolh) BDAG 775 s.v. states, “Mostly used as a military t.t.…so always in our lit.…1. a (fortified) camp…ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἁγίων Rv 20:9 is also to be understood fr. the OT use of the word.”
38 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
39 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
40 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
41 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.” See also v. 15.