20:4 Then 37 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 38 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 39 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 40 came to life 41 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the fourth creature.
2 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
3 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
4 tn A sickly pallor, when referring to persons, or the green color of plants. BDAG 1085 s.v. χλωρός 2 states, “pale, greenish gray…as the color of a pers. in sickness contrasted with appearance in health…so the horse ridden by Death…ἵππος χλωρός Rv 6:8.” Because the color of the horse is symbolic, “pale green” is used in the translation. Cf. NIV, NCV “pale”; NASB “ashen.”
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 tn Grk “And Hades was following with him.” The Greek expression μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ (met’ autou, “with him”) is Semitic and indicates close proximity. The translation “followed right behind” reflects this.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn Grk “with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
11 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
12 tn Grk “having.”
13 sn A golden censer was a bowl in which incense was burned. The imagery suggests the OT role of the priest.
14 tn The verb “to station” was used to translate ἑστάθη (Jestaqh) because it connotes the idea of purposeful arrangement in English, which seems to be the idea in the Greek.
15 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.
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the horses and riders, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
17 tn Grk “and those seated on them.”
18 tn Grk “the vision”; the Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
19 tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
20 tn On this term BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑακίνθινος states, “hyacinth-colored, i.e. dark blue (dark red?) w. πύρινος Rv 9:17.”
21 tn On this term BDAG 446 s.v. θειώδης states, “sulphurous Rv 9:17.”
22 sn The colors of the riders’ breastplates parallel the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur in v. 18.
23 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
24 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
26 tn Grk “Send out.”
27 tn The aorist θέρισον (qerison) has been translated ingressively.
28 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
29 tn Grk “who had authority over.” This appears to be the angel who tended the fire on the altar.
30 tn Grk “to the one having the sharp sickle”; the referent (the angel in v. 17) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 tn Grk “Send.”
32 tn On this term BDAG 1018 s.v. τρυγάω states: “‘gather in’ ripe fruit, esp. harvest (grapes) w. acc. of the fruit (POslo. 21, 13 [71 ad]; Jos., Ant. 4, 227) Lk 6:44; Rv 14:18 (in imagery, as in the foll. places)…W. acc. of that which bears the fruit gather the fruit of the vine…or the vineyard (s. ἄμπελος a) Rv 14:19.”
33 tn On this term BDAG 181 s.v. βότρυς states, “bunch of grapes Rv 14:18…The word is also found in the Phrygian Papias of Hierapolis, in a passage in which he speaks of the enormous size of the grapes in the new aeon (in the Lat. transl. in Irenaeus 5, 33, 2f.): dena millia botruum Papias (1:2). On this see Stephan. Byz. s.v. Εὐκαρπία: Metrophanes says that in the district of Εὐκαρπία in Phrygia Minor the grapes were said to be so large that one bunch of them caused a wagon to break down in the middle.”
34 tn The genitive τῆς γῆς (ths ghs), taken symbolically, could be considered a genitive of apposition.
35 tn Or perhaps, “its bunches of grapes” (a different Greek word from the previous clause). L&N 3.38 states, “the fruit of grapevines (see 3.27) – ‘grape, bunch of grapes.’ τρύγησον τοὺς βότρυας τῆς ἀμπέλου τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἤκμασαν αἱ σταφυλαὶ αὐτῆς ‘cut the grapes from the vineyard of the earth because its grapes are ripe’ Re 14:18. Some scholars have contended that βότρυς means primarily a bunch of grapes, while σταφυλή designates individual grapes. In Re 14:18 this difference might seem plausible, but there is scarcely any evidence for such a distinction, since both words may signify grapes as well as bunches of grapes.”
36 tn On the use of ἥκμασαν (hkmasan) BDAG 36 s.v. ἀκμάζω states, “to bloom…of grapes…Rv 14:18.”
37 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
38 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
39 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
40 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
41 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”