Revelation 6:1

The Seven Seals

6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, ¹  “Come!” ² 

Revelation 9:14-15

9:14 saying to the sixth angel, the one holding ³  the trumpet, “Set free ⁴  the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!” 9:15 Then ⁵  the four angels who had been prepared for this ⁶  hour, day, ⁷  month, and year were set free to kill ⁸  a third of humanity.

Revelation 11:16

11:16 Then ⁹  the twenty-four elders who are seated on their thrones before God threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ¹⁰  and worshiped God

Revelation 15:7

15:7 Then ¹¹  one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath ¹²  of God who lives forever and ever,

Revelation 18:13

18:13 cinnamon, spice, ¹³  incense, perfumed ointment, ¹⁴  frankincense, ¹⁵  wine, olive oil and costly flour, ¹⁶  wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, ¹⁷  slaves and human lives. ¹⁸ 

Revelation 21:17

21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ¹⁹  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ²⁰ 

Revelation 5:8

5:8 and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground ²¹  before the Lamb. Each ²²  of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints). ²³ 

Revelation 14:3

14:3 and they were singing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No ²⁴  one was able to learn the song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth.

---

¹ tn Grk “saying like a voice [or sound] of thunder.”

² tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, ercou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.

³ tn Grk “having.”

⁴ tn On λῦσον (luson) BDAG 606-7 s.v. λύω 2 states, “set free, loose, untie – a. lit. a pers., animal, or thing that is bound or tied…Angels that are bound Rv 9:14f.”

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

⁶ tn The Greek article τήν (thn) has been translated with demonstrative force here.

⁷ tn The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term “month” since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

⁸ tn Grk “so that they might kill,” but the English infinitive is an equivalent construction to indicate purpose here.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹⁰ tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” 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.”

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹² tn Or “anger.”

¹³ tn On the term ἄμωμον (amwmon) L&N 5.23 states, “a generic term for any kind of spice, though often a specific reference to amomum, an Indian type of spice – ‘spice, amomum.’ κιννάμωμον καὶ ἄμωμον καὶ θυμιάματα ‘cinnamon and spice and incense’ Re 18:13. In most translations ἄμωμον is interpreted as spice in general.”

¹⁴ tn Or “myrrh,” a strong aromatic ointment often used to prepare a body for burial (L&N 6.205).

¹⁵ tn The Greek term λίβανος (libano") refers to the aromatic resin of a certain type of tree (L&N 6.212).

¹⁶ tn On σεμίδαλις (semidali") L&N 5.10 states, “a fine grade of wheat flour – ‘fine flour.’ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον ‘wine and oil and fine flour and wheat’ Re 18:13. In some languages ‘fine flour’ may be best expressed as ‘expensive flour.’ Such a rendering fits well the context of Re 18:13.”

¹⁷ tn Or “and wagons.” On the term ῥέδη (rJedh) see L&N 6.53: “a four-wheeled carriage or wagon used for travel or the transportation of loads – ‘carriage, wagon.’ The term ῥέδη occurs only in Re 18:13 in a list of products bought and sold by merchants.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “and bodies and souls of men.” This could be understood (1) as a hendiadys (two things mentioned = one thing meant), referring only to slave trade; (2) it could be referring to two somewhat different concepts: slavery (bodies) and the cheapness of human life – some of the items earlier in the list of merchandise were to be obtained only at great cost of human life; or (3) a somewhat related idea, that the trade is in not just physical bodies (slavery) but human souls (people whose lives are destroyed through this trade).

¹⁹ tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).

²⁰ tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anqrwpou, {o estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.

²¹ 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.”

²² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

²³ sn This interpretive comment by the author forms a parenthesis in the narrative.

²⁴ tn Grk “elders, and no one.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text, but because of the length and complexity of the sentence a new sentence was started here in the translation.