6:5 Then 1 when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So 2 I looked, 3 and here came 4 a black horse! The 5 one who rode it 6 had a balance scale 7 in his hand.
6:9 Now 8 when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed 9 because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given.
6:12 Then 10 I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge 11 earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, 12 and the full moon became blood red; 13
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the third creature.
3 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
4 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
7 sn A balance scale would have been a rod held by a rope in the middle with pans attached to both ends for measuring.
8 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.
9 tn Or “murdered.” See the note on the word “butcher” in 6:4.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
11 tn Or “powerful”; Grk “a great.”
12 tn Or “like hairy sackcloth” (L&N 8.13).
13 tn Grk “like blood,” understanding αἷμα (aima) as a blood-red color rather than actual blood (L&N 8.64).
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
15 tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12…simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”
16 tn Grk “having,” but v. 3 makes it clear that the angel’s purpose is to seal others with the seal he carries.
17 tn Or “signet” (L&N 6.54).
18 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.
19 tn The word “permission” is implied; Grk “to whom it was given to them to damage the earth.”
20 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of new but related material.
22 tn Grk “who were sealed.”
23 tn Normally, “every,” but since 144,000 is the total number, “all” is clearer here.
24 tn Grk “the sons of Israel,” normally an idiom for the Israelites as an ethnic entity (L&N 11.58). However, many scholars understand the expression in this context to refer to Christians rather than ethnic Israelites.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
26 tn The dative indirect object (αὐταῖς, autais) was converted into the subject (“they”) as this more closely approximates English usage. The following ἵ῞να (Jina) is taken as substantival, introducing a direct object clause. In this case, because it is reported speech, the ἵνα is similar to the declarative ὅτι (Joti).
27 tn Grk “men”; but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here of both men and women.
28 tn The article τῶν (twn) has been translated as a possessive pronoun here (ExSyn 215).
29 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
30 tn The words “just then” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.