“Worthy is the lamb who was killed 3
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and praise!”
6:5 Then 4 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 5 I looked, 6 and here came 7 a black horse! The 8 one who rode it 9 had a balance scale 10 in his hand.
6:9 Now 11 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 12 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.
6:12 Then 13 I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge 14 earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, 15 and the full moon became blood red; 16
12:11 But 20 they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony,
and they did not love their lives 21 so much that they were afraid to die.
14:1 Then 25 I looked, and here was 26 the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand, who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
“Great and astounding are your deeds,
Lord God, the All-Powerful! 30
Just 31 and true are your ways,
King over the nations! 32
19:9 Then 33 the angel 34 said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
21:9 Then 35 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, 36 saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!”
5:6 Then 42 I saw standing in the middle of the throne 43 and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. 44 He had 45 seven horns and seven eyes, which 46 are the seven 47 spirits of God 48 sent out into all the earth.
5:13 Then 52 I heard every creature – in heaven, on earth, under the earth, in the sea, and all that is in them – singing: 53
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power 54 forever and ever!”
7:9 After these things I looked, and here was 55 an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, 56 people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands.
1 tn The words “all of whom” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied to indicate the resumption of the phrase “the voice of many angels” at the beginning of the verse.
2 tn Grk “saying.”
3 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the third creature.
6 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
7 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
9 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
10 sn A balance scale would have been a rod held by a rope in the middle with pans attached to both ends for measuring.
11 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.
12 tn Or “murdered.” See the note on the word “butcher” in 6:4.
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
14 tn Or “powerful”; Grk “a great.”
15 tn Or “like hairy sackcloth” (L&N 8.13).
16 tn Grk “like blood,” understanding αἷμα (aima) as a blood-red color rather than actual blood (L&N 8.64).
17 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
18 tn It is difficult to say where this quotation ends. The translation ends it after “withstand it” at the end of v. 17, but it is possible that it should end here, after “Lamb” at the end of v. 16. If it ends after “Lamb,” v. 17 is a parenthetical explanation by the author.
19 sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
21 sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.
22 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.
24 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
26 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
27 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
28 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
29 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
30 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.”
31 tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.
32 tc Certain
33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
36 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.
37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
38 tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”
39 tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”
40 tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.
41 tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.
42 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
43 tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).
44 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.” The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. This phrase does not imply that the Lamb “appeared to have been killed” but in reality was not, because the wider context of the NT shows that in fact the Lamb, i.e., Jesus, was killed. See 13:3 for the only other occurrence of this phrase in the NT.
45 tn Grk “killed, having.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “he.”
46 sn The relative pronoun which is masculine, referring back to the eyes rather than to the horns.
47 tc There is good ms evidence for the inclusion of “seven” (ἑπτά, Jepta; Ì24 א 2053 2351 ÏK). There is equally good ms support for the omission of the term (A 1006 1611 ÏA pc). It may have been accidentally added due to its repeated presence in the immediately preceding phrases, or it may have been intentionally added to maintain the symmetry of the phrases or more likely to harmonize the phrase with 1:4; 3:1; 4:5. Or it may have been accidentally deleted by way of homoioteleuton (τὰ ἑπτά, ta Jepta). A decision is difficult in this instance. NA27 also does not find the problem easy to solve, placing the word in brackets to indicate doubts as to its authenticity.
48 sn See the note on the phrase the seven spirits of God in Rev 4:5.
49 tn Grk “fell down.” 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.”
50 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
51 sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.
52 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
53 tn Grk “saying.”
54 tn Or “dominion.”
55 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
56 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated before each of the following categories, since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
57 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.
58 tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.
59 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
60 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
61 tn Grk “he himself.”
62 tn The Greek word for “anger” here is θυμός (qumos), a wordplay on the “passion” (θυμός) of the personified city of Babylon in 14:8.
63 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”