Discovery BoxRevelation 1:5 
Context1:5 and from Jesus Christ – the faithful 1 witness, 2 the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free 3 from our sins at the cost of 4 his own blood
Revelation 3:1
Context3:1 “To 5 the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: 6
“This is the solemn pronouncement of 7 the one who holds 8 the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation 9 that you are alive, but 10 in reality 11 you are dead.
Revelation 11:18
Context11:18 The 12 nations 13 were enraged,
but 14 your wrath has come,
and the time has come for the dead to be judged,
and the time has come to give to your servants, 15
the prophets, their reward,
as well as to the saints
and to those who revere 16 your name, both small and great,
and the time has come 17 to destroy those who destroy 18 the earth.”
Revelation 14:13
Context14:13 Then 19 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
‘Blessed are the dead,
those who die in the Lord from this moment on!’”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “so they can rest from their hard work, 20 because their deeds will follow them.” 21
1 tn Or “Jesus Christ – the faithful one, the witness…” Some take ὁ πιστός (Jo pistos) as a second substantive in relation to ὁ μάρτυς (Jo martus). In the present translation, however, ὁ πιστός was taken as an adjective in attributive position to ὁ μάρτυς. The idea of martyrdom and faithfulness are intimately connected. See BDAG 820 s.v. πιστός 1.a.α: “ὁ μάρτυς μου ὁ πιστός μου Rv 2:13 (μάρτυς 3); in this ‘book of martyrs’ Christ is ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς (καὶ ὁ ἀληθινός) 1:5; 3:14; cp. 19:11 (the combination of ἀληθινός and πιστός in the last two passages is like 3 Macc 2:11). Cp. Rv 17:14.”
2 sn The Greek term translated witness can mean both “witness” and “martyr.”
3 tc The reading “set free” (λύσαντι, lusanti) has better ms support (Ì18 א A C 1611 2050 2329 2351 ÏA sy) than its rival, λούσαντι (lousanti, “washed”; found in P 1006 1841 1854 2053 2062 ÏK lat bo). Internally, it seems that the reading “washed” could have arisen in at least one of three ways: (1) as an error of hearing (both “released” and “washed” are pronounced similarly in Greek); (2) an error of sight (both “released” and “washed” look very similar – a difference of only one letter – which could have resulted in a simple error during the copying of a ms); (3) through scribal inability to appreciate that the Hebrew preposition ב can be used with a noun to indicate the price paid for something. Since the author of Revelation is influenced significantly by a Semitic form of Greek (e.g., 13:10), and since the Hebrew preposition “in” (ב) can indicate the price paid for something, and is often translated with the preposition “in” (ἐν, en) in the LXX, the author may have tried to communicate by the use of ἐν the idea of a price paid for something. That is, John was trying to say that Christ delivered us at the price of his own blood. This whole process, however, may have been lost on a later scribe, who being unfamiliar with Hebrew, found the expression “delivered in his blood” too difficult, and noticing the obvious similarities between λύσαντι and λούσαντι, assumed an error and then proceeded to change the text to “washed in his blood” – a thought more tolerable in his mind. Both readings, of course, are true to scripture; the current question is what the author wrote in this verse.
tn Or “and released us” (L&N 37.127).
4 tn The style here is somewhat Semitic, with the use of the ἐν (en) + the dative to mean “at the price of.” The addition of “own” in the English is stylistic and is an attempt to bring out the personal nature of the statement and the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ death – a frequent refrain in the Apocalypse.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
7 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.
sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
8 tn Grk “who has” (cf. 1:16).
9 tn Grk “a name.”
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
11 tn The prepositional phrase “in reality” is supplied in the translation to make explicit the idea that their being alive was only an illusion.
12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
13 tn Or “The Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
15 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
16 tn Grk “who fear.”
17 tn The words “the time has come” do not occur except at the beginning of the verse; the phrase has been repeated for emphasis and contrast. The Greek has one finite verb (“has come”) with a compound subject (“your wrath,” “the time”), followed by three infinitive clauses (“to be judged,” “to give,” “to destroy”). The rhetorical power of the repetition of the finite verb in English thus emulates the rhetorical power of its lone instance in Greek.
18 tn Or “who deprave.” There is a possible wordplay here on two meanings for διαφθείρω (diafqeirw), with the first meaning “destroy” and the second meaning either “to ruin” or “to make morally corrupt.” See L&N 20.40.
19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
20 tn Or “from their trouble” (L&N 22.7).
21 tn Grk “their deeds will follow with them.”
