Yehezkiel 31:6

31:6 All the birds of the sky nested in its boughs;

under its branches all the beasts of the field gave birth,

in its shade all the great ¹  nations lived.

Kejadian 49:10

49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, ² 

until he comes to whom it belongs; ³ 

the nations will obey him. ⁴ 

Mazmur 22:27-30

22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! ⁵ 

Let all the nations ⁶  worship you! ⁷ 

22:28 For the Lord is king ⁸ 

and rules over the nations.

22:29 All of the thriving people ⁹  of the earth will join the celebration and worship; ¹⁰ 

all those who are descending into the grave ¹¹  will bow before him,

including those who cannot preserve their lives. ¹² 

22:30 A whole generation ¹³  will serve him;

they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. ¹⁴ 

Mazmur 72:8-11

72:8 May he rule ¹⁵  from sea to sea, ¹⁶ 

and from the Euphrates River ¹⁷  to the ends of the earth!

72:9 Before him the coastlands ¹⁸  will bow down,

and his enemies will lick the dust. ¹⁹ 

72:10 The kings of Tarshish ²⁰  and the coastlands will offer gifts;

the kings of Sheba ²¹  and Seba ²²  will bring tribute.

72:11 All kings will bow down to him;

all nations will serve him.

Yesaya 2:2

2:2 In the future ²³ 

the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure ²⁴ 

as the most important of mountains,

and will be the most prominent of hills. ²⁵ 

All the nations will stream to it,

Yesaya 11:6-10

11:6 A wolf will reside ²⁶  with a lamb,

and a leopard will lie down with a young goat;

an ox and a young lion will graze together, ²⁷ 

as a small child leads them along.

11:7 A cow and a bear will graze together,

their young will lie down together. ²⁸ 

A lion, like an ox, will eat straw.

11:8 A baby ²⁹  will play

over the hole of a snake; ³⁰ 

over the nest ³¹  of a serpent

an infant ³²  will put his hand. ³³ 

11:9 They will no longer injure or destroy

on my entire royal mountain. ³⁴ 

For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty,

just as the waters completely cover the sea. ³⁵ 

Israel is Reclaimed and Reunited

11:10 At that time ³⁶  a root from Jesse ³⁷  will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance, ³⁸  and his residence will be majestic.

Yesaya 49:18

49:18 Look all around you! ³⁹ 

All of them gather to you.

As surely as I live,” says the Lord,

“you will certainly wear all of them like jewelry;

you will put them on as if you were a bride.

Yesaya 60:4-12

60:4 Look all around you! ⁴⁰ 

They all gather and come to you –

your sons come from far away

and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

60:5 Then you will look and smile, ⁴¹ 

you will be excited and your heart will swell with pride. ⁴² 

For the riches of distant lands ⁴³  will belong to you

and the wealth of nations will come to you.

60:6 Camel caravans will cover your roads, ⁴⁴ 

young camels from Midian and Ephah.

All the merchants of Sheba ⁴⁵  will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing praises to the Lord. ⁴⁶ 

60:7 All the sheep of Kedar will be gathered to you;

the rams of Nebaioth will be available to you as sacrifices. ⁴⁷ 

They will go up on my altar acceptably, ⁴⁸ 

and I will bestow honor on my majestic temple.

60:8 Who are these who float along ⁴⁹  like a cloud,

who fly like doves to their shelters? ⁵⁰ 

60:9 Indeed, the coastlands ⁵¹  look eagerly for me,

the large ships ⁵²  are in the lead,

bringing your sons from far away,

along with their silver and gold,

to honor the Lord your God, ⁵³ 

the Holy One of Israel, ⁵⁴  for he has bestowed honor on you.

60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls;

their kings will serve you.

Even though I struck you down in my anger,

I will restore my favor and have compassion on you. ⁵⁵ 

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁵⁶ 

60:12 Indeed, ⁵⁷  nations or kingdoms that do not serve you will perish;

such nations will be totally destroyed. ⁵⁸ 

Daniel 4:10-14

4:10 Here are the visions of my mind ⁵⁹  while I was on my bed.

While I was watching,

there was a tree in the middle of the land. ⁶⁰ 

It was enormously tall. ⁶¹ 

4:11 The tree grew large and strong.

Its top reached far into the sky;

it could be seen ⁶²  from the borders of all the land. ⁶³ 

4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;

on it there was food enough for all.

Under it the wild animals ⁶⁴  used to seek shade,

and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.

All creatures ⁶⁵  used to feed themselves from it.

4:13 While I was watching in my mind’s visions ⁶⁶  on my bed,

a holy sentinel ⁶⁷  came down from heaven.

4:14 He called out loudly ⁶⁸  as follows: ⁶⁹ 

‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches!

Strip off its foliage

and scatter its fruit!

Let the animals flee from under it

and the birds from its branches!

Daniel 4:21-23

4:21 whose foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful, and from which there was food available for all, under whose branches wild animals ⁷⁰  used to live, and in whose branches birds of the sky used to nest – 4:22 it is you, ⁷¹  O king! For you have become great and strong. Your greatness is such that it reaches to heaven, and your authority to the ends of the earth. 4:23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’ –

Hosea 14:7

14:7 People will reside again ⁷²  in his shade;

they will plant and harvest grain in abundance. ⁷³ 

They will blossom like a vine,

and his fame will be like the wine from Lebanon.

Matius 13:32

13:32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, ⁷⁴  so that the wild birds ⁷⁵  come and nest in its branches.” ⁷⁶ 

Matius 13:47-48

13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away.

Lukas 14:21-23

14:21 So ⁷⁷  the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious ⁷⁸  and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly ⁷⁹  to the streets and alleys of the city, ⁸⁰  and bring in the poor, ⁸¹  the crippled, ⁸²  the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then ⁸³  the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ ⁸⁴  14:23 So ⁸⁵  the master said to his ⁸⁶  slave, ‘Go out to the highways ⁸⁷  and country roads ⁸⁸  and urge ⁸⁹  people ⁹⁰  to come in, so that my house will be filled. ⁹¹ 

Kisah Para Rasul 10:11-12

10:11 He ⁹²  saw heaven ⁹³  opened ⁹⁴  and an object something like a large sheet ⁹⁵  descending, ⁹⁶  being let down to earth ⁹⁷  by its four corners. 10:12 In it ⁹⁸  were all kinds of four-footed animals and reptiles ⁹⁹  of the earth and wild birds. ¹⁰⁰ 

Galatia 3:28

3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave ¹⁰¹  nor free, there is neither male nor female ¹⁰²  – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

Kolose 3:11

3:11 Here there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave ¹⁰³  or free, but Christ is all and in all.

Wahyu 11:15

The Seventh Trumpet

11:15 Then ¹⁰⁴  the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying:

“The kingdom of the world

has become the kingdom of our Lord

and of his Christ, ¹⁰⁵ 

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

[31:6]  ¹ tn Or “many.”

[49:10]  ² tn Or perhaps “from his descendants,” taking the expression “from between his feet” as a euphemism referring to the genitals. In this case the phrase refers by metonymy to those who come forth from his genitals, i.e., his descendants.

[49:10]  ³ tn The Hebrew form שִׁילֹה (shiloh) is a major interpretive problem. There are at least four major options (with many variations and less likely alternatives): (1) Some prefer to leave the text as it is, reading “Shiloh” and understanding it as the place where the ark rested for a while in the time of the Judges. (2) By repointing the text others arrive at the translation “until the [or “his”] ruler comes,” a reference to a Davidic ruler or the Messiah. (3) Another possibility that does not require emendation of the consonantal text, but only repointing, is “until tribute is brought to him” (so NEB, JPS, NRSV), which has the advantage of providing good parallelism with the following line, “the nations will obey him.” (4) The interpretation followed in the present translation, “to whom it [belongs]” (so RSV, NIV, REB), is based on the ancient versions. Again, this would refer to the Davidic dynasty or, ultimately, to the Messiah.

[49:10]  ⁴ tn “and to him [will be] the obedience of the nations.” For discussion of this verse see J. Blenkinsopp, “The Oracle of Judah and the Messianic Entry,” JBL 80 (1961): 55-64; and E. M. Good, “The ‘Blessing’ on Judah,” JBL 82 (1963): 427-32.

[22:27]  ⁵ tn Heb “may all the ends of the earth remember and turn to the Lord.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 27 are understood as jussives (cf. NEB). Another option (cf. NIV, NRSV) is to take the forms as imperfects and translate, “all the people of the earth will acknowledge and turn…and worship.” See vv. 29-32.

[22:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “families of the nations.”

[22:27]  ⁷ tn Heb “before you.”

[22:28]  ⁸ tn Heb “for to the Lord [is] dominion.”

[22:29]  ⁹ tn Heb “fat [ones].” This apparently refers to those who are healthy and robust, i.e., thriving. In light of the parallelism, some prefer to emend the form to יְשֵׁנֵי (yÿsheney, “those who sleep [in the earth]”; cf. NAB, NRSV), but דִּשְׁנֵי (dishney, “fat [ones]”) seems to form a merism with “all who descend into the grave” in the following line. The psalmist envisions all people, whether healthy or dying, joining in worship of the Lord.

[22:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “eat and worship.” The verb forms (a perfect followed by a prefixed form with vav [ו] consecutive) are normally used in narrative to relate completed actions. Here the psalmist uses the forms rhetorically as he envisions a time when the Lord will receive universal worship. The mood is one of wishful thinking and anticipation; this is not prophecy in the strict sense.

[22:29]  ¹¹ tn Heb “all of the ones going down [into] the dust.” This group stands in contrast to those mentioned in the previous line. Together the two form a merism encompassing all human beings – the healthy, the dying, and everyone in between.

[22:29]  ¹² tn Heb “and his life he does not revive.”

[22:30]  ¹³ tn Heb “offspring.”

[22:30]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “it will be told concerning the Lord to the generation.” The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[72:8]  ¹⁵ tn The prefixed verbal form is a (shortened) jussive form, indicating this is a prayer of blessing.

[72:8]  ¹⁶ sn From sea to sea. This may mean from the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east. See Amos 8:12. The language of this and the following line also appears in Zech 9:10.

[72:8]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the river,” a reference to the Euphrates.

[72:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “islands.” The term here refers metonymically to those people who dwell in these regions.

[72:9]  ¹⁹ sn As they bow down before him, it will appear that his enemies are licking the dust.

[72:10]  ²⁰ sn Tarshish was a distant western port, the precise location of which is uncertain.

[72:10]  ²¹ sn Sheba was located in Arabia.

[72:10]  ²² sn Seba was located in Africa.

[2:2]  ²³ tn Heb “in the end of the days.” This phrase may refer generally to the future, or more technically to the final period of history. See BDB 31 s.v. ַאחֲרִית. The verse begins with a verb that functions as a “discourse particle” and is not translated. In numerous places throughout the OT, the “to be” verb with a prefixed conjunction (וְהָיָה [vÿhayah] and וַיְהִי [vayÿhi]) occurs in this fashion to introduce a circumstantial clause and does not require translation.

[2:2]  ²⁴ tn Or “be established” (KJV, NIV, NRSV).

[2:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “as the chief of the mountains, and will be lifted up above the hills.” The image of Mount Zion being elevated above other mountains and hills pictures the prominence it will attain in the future.

[11:6]  ²⁶ tn The verb גּוּר (gur) normally refers to living as a dependent, resident alien in another society.

[11:6]  ²⁷ tc The Hebrew text reads, “and an ox, and a young lion, and a fatling together.” Since the preceding lines refer to two animals and include a verb, many emend וּמְרִיא (umÿri’, “and the fatling”) to an otherwise unattested verb יִמְרְאוּ (yimrÿ’u, “they will graze”); cf. NAB, TEV, CEV. One of the Qumran copies of Isaiah confirms this suggestion (1QIsa^a). The present translation assumes this change.

[11:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and a cow and a bear will graze – together – they will lie down, their young.” This is a case of pivot pattern; יַחְדָּו (yakhddav, “together”) goes with both the preceding and following statements.

[11:8]  ²⁹ tn Heb “one sucking,” i.e., still being nursed by his mother.

[11:8]  ³⁰ tn Or perhaps, “cobra” (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NCV); KJV, ASV, NRSV “asp.”

[11:8]  ³¹ tc The Hebrew text has the otherwise unattested מְאוּרַת (mÿ’urat, “place of light”), i.e., opening of a hole. Some prefer to emend to מְעָרַת (mÿ’arat, “cave, den”).

[11:8]  ³² tn Heb “one who is weaned” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV).

[11:8]  ³³ sn The transformation of the animal kingdom depicted here typifies what will occur in human society under the just rule of the ideal king (see vv. 3-5). The categories “predator-prey” (i.e., oppressor-oppressed) will no longer exist.

[11:9]  ³⁴ tn Heb “in all my holy mountain.” In the most basic sense the Lord’s “holy mountain” is the mountain from which he rules over his kingdom (see Ezek 28:14, 16). More specifically it probably refers to Mount Zion/Jerusalem or to the entire land of Israel (see Pss 2:6; 15:1; 43:3; Isa 56:7; 57:13; Ezek 20:40; Ob 16; Zeph 3:11). If the Lord’s universal kingdom is in view in this context (see the note on “earth” at v. 4), then the phrase would probably be metonymic here, standing for God’s worldwide dominion (see the next line).

[11:9]  ³⁵ tn Heb “for the earth will be full of knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The translation assumes that a universal kingdom is depicted here, but אֶרֶץ (’erets) could be translated “land” (see the note at v. 4). “Knowledge of the Lord” refers here to a recognition of the Lord’s sovereignty which results in a willingness to submit to his authority. See the note at v. 2.

[11:10]  ³⁶ tn Or “in that day” (KJV). The verb that introduces this verse serves as a discourse particle and is untranslated; see note on “in the future” in 2:2.

[11:10]  ³⁷ sn See the note at v. 1.

[11:10]  ³⁸ tn Heb “ a root from Jesse, which stands for a signal flag of the nations, of him nations will inquire” [or “seek”].

[49:18]  ³⁹ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see.”

[60:4]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “Lift up around your eyes and see!”

[60:5]  ⁴¹ tn Or “shine,” or “be radiant” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[60:5]  ⁴² tn Heb “and it will tremble and be wide, your heart.”

[60:5]  ⁴³ tn Heb “the wealth of the sea,” i.e., wealth that is transported from distant lands via the sea.

[60:6]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “an abundance of camels will cover you.”

[60:6]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “all of them, from Sheba.”

[60:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “and they will announce the praises of the Lord.”

[60:7]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “will serve you,” i.e., be available as sacrifices (see the next line). Another option is to understood these “rams” as symbolic of leaders who will be subject to the people of Zion. See v. 10.

[60:7]  ⁴⁸ tc Heb “they will go up on acceptance [on] my altar.” Some have suggested that the preposition עַל (’al) is dittographic (note the preceding יַעֲלוּ [ya’alu]). Consequently, the form should be emended to לְרָצוֹן (lÿratson, “acceptably”; see BDB 953 s.v. רָצוֹן). However, the Qumran scroll 1QIsa^a has both לרצון followed by the preposition על, which would argue against deleted the preposition. As the above translation seeks to demonstrate, the preposition עַל (’al) indicates a norm (“in accordance with acceptance” or “acceptably”; IBHS 218 §11.2.13e, n. 111) and the “altar” functions as an objective accusative with a verb of motion (cf. Gen 49:4; Lev 2:2; Num 13:17; J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah [NICOT], 2:534, n. 14).

[60:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “fly” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB, NIV “fly along.”

[60:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “to their windows,” i.e., to the openings in their coops. See HALOT 83 s.v. אֲרֻבָּה.

[60:9]  ⁵¹ tn Or “islands” (NIV); CEV “distant islands”; TEV “distant lands.”

[60:9]  ⁵² tn Heb “the ships of Tarshish.” See the note at 2:16.

[60:9]  ⁵³ tn Heb “to the name of the Lord your God.”

[60:9]  ⁵⁴ sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.

[60:10]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “in my favor I will have compassion on you.”

[60:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

[60:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “For” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); TEV “But.”

[60:12]  ⁵⁸ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[4:10]  ⁵⁹ tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.

[4:10]  ⁶⁰ tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.

[4:10]  ⁶¹ tn Aram “its height was great.”

[4:11]  ⁶² tn Aram “its sight.” So also v. 17.

[4:11]  ⁶³ tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”

[4:12]  ⁶⁴ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[4:12]  ⁶⁵ tn Aram “all flesh.”

[4:13]  ⁶⁶ tn Aram “the visions of my head.”

[4:13]  ⁶⁷ tn Aram “a watcher and a holy one.” The expression is a hendiadys; so also in v. 23. This “watcher” is apparently an angel. The Greek OT (LXX) in fact has ἄγγελος (angelo", “angel”) here. Theodotion simply transliterates the Aramaic word (’ir). The term is sometimes rendered “sentinel” (NAB) or “messenger” (NIV, NLT).

[4:14]  ⁶⁸ tn Aram “in strength.”

[4:14]  ⁶⁹ tn Aram “and thus he was saying.”

[4:21]  ⁷⁰ tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).

[4:22]  ⁷¹ sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.

[14:7]  ⁷² tn Hosea uses the similar-sounding terms יָשֻׁבוּ יֹשְׁבֵי (yashuvu yoshve, “the dwellers will return”) to create a wordplay between the roots שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”) and יָשַׁב (yashav, “to dwell; to reside”).

[14:7]  ⁷³ tn Heb “they will cause the grain to live” or “they will revive the grain.” Some English versions treat this as a comparison: “they shall revive as the corn” (KJV); “will flourish like the grain” (NIV).

[13:32]  ⁷⁴ sn This is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically a mustard plant is not a tree. This could refer to one of two types of mustard plant popular in Palestine and would be either ten or twenty-five ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.

[13:32]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[13:32]  ⁷⁶ sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.

[14:21]  ⁷⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the preceding responses.

[14:21]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “being furious, said.” The participle ὀργισθείς (orgisqei") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[14:21]  ⁷⁹ sn It was necessary to go out quickly because the banquet was already prepared. All the food would spoil if not eaten immediately.

[14:21]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “town.”

[14:21]  ⁸¹ sn The poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Note how the list matches v. 13, illustrating that point. Note also how the party goes on; it is not postponed until a later date. Instead new guests are invited.

[14:21]  ⁸² tn Grk “and the crippled.” Normally crippled as a result of being maimed or mutilated (L&N 23.177). Καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following category (Grk “and the blind and the lame”) since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[14:22]  ⁸³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the order of events within the parable.

[14:22]  ⁸⁴ sn And still there is room. This comment suggests the celebration was quite a big one, picturing the openness of God’s grace.

[14:23]  ⁸⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the master’s response to the slave’s report.

[14:23]  ⁸⁶ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[14:23]  ⁸⁷ sn Go out to the highways and country roads. This suggests the inclusion of people outside the town, even beyond the needy (poor, crippled, blind, and lame) in the town, and so is an allusion to the inclusion of the Gentiles.

[14:23]  ⁸⁸ tn The Greek word φραγμός (fragmo") refers to a fence, wall, or hedge surrounding a vineyard (BDAG 1064 s.v. 1). “Highways” and “country roads” probably refer not to separate places, but to the situation outside the town where the rural roads run right alongside the hedges or fences surrounding the fields (cf. J. A. Fitzmyer, Luke [AB], 1057).

[14:23]  ⁸⁹ tn Traditionally “force” or “compel,” but according to BDAG 60 s.v. ἀναγκάζω 2 this is a weakened nuance: “strongly urge/invite.” The meaning in this context is more like “persuade.”

[14:23]  ⁹⁰ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[14:23]  ⁹¹ sn So that my house will be filled. God will bless many people.

[10:11]  ⁹² tn Grk “And he.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[10:11]  ⁹³ tn Or “the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[10:11]  ⁹⁴ tn On the heavens “opening,” see Matt 3:16; Luke 3:21; Rev 19:11 (cf. BDAG 84 s.v. ἀνοίγω 2). This is the language of a vision or a revelatory act of God.

[10:11]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “a large linen cloth” (the term was used for the sail of a ship; BDAG 693 s.v. ὀθόνη).

[10:11]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “coming down.”

[10:11]  ⁹⁷ tn Or “to the ground.”

[10:12]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “in which.” The relative pronoun was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style.

[10:12]  ⁹⁹ tn Or “snakes.” Grk “creeping things.” According to L&N 4.51, in most biblical contexts the term (due to the influence of Hebrew classifications such as Gen 1:25-26, 30) included small four-footed animals like rats, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders, and lizards. In this context, however, where “creeping things” are contrasted with “four-footed animals,” the English word “reptiles,” which primarily but not exclusively designates snakes, is probably more appropriate. See also Gen 6:20, as well as the law making such creatures unclean food in Lev 11:2-47.

[10:12]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).

[3:28]  ¹⁰¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 1:10.

[3:28]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “male and female.”

[3:11]  ¹⁰³ tn See the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.

[11:15]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[11:15]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”