14:1 Then 7 I looked, and here was 8 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.
20:4 Then 15 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 16 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 17 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 18 came to life 19 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of new but related material.
2 tn Grk “who were sealed.”
3 tn Normally, “every,” but since 144,000 is the total number, “all” is clearer here.
4 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.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn Grk “seven thousand names of men.”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
8 tn The phrase “and here was” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
9 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.
10 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
12 tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.
13 tn Grk “who has a share.”
14 tn The shift from the singular pronoun (“the one”) to the plural (“them”) in the passage reflects the Greek text: The singular participle ὁ ἔχων (Jo ecwn) is followed by the plural pronoun τούτων (toutwn). In the interests of English style, this is obscured in most modern translations except the NASB.
15 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
16 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.”
17 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.
18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
19 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.”