Wahyu 3:14-17

To the Church in Laodicea

3:14 “To ¹  the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator ⁴  of God’s creation: 3:15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. ⁵  I wish you were either cold or hot! 3:16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going ⁶  to vomit ⁷  you out of my mouth! 3:17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, ⁸  and need nothing,” but ⁹  do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, ¹⁰  poor, blind, and naked,

Yeremia 2:2-5

2:2 “Go and declare in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem: ¹¹  ‘This is what the Lord says: “I have fond memories of you, ¹²  how devoted you were to me in your early years. ¹³  I remember how you loved me like a new bride; you followed me through the wilderness, through a land that had never been planted. 2:3 Israel was set apart to the Lord; they were like the first fruits of a harvest to him. ¹⁴  All who tried to devour them were punished; disaster came upon them,” says the Lord.’”

The Lord Reminds Them of the Unfaithfulness of Their Ancestors

2:4 Now listen to what the Lord has to say, you descendants ¹⁵  of Jacob,

all you family groups from the nation ¹⁶  of Israel.

2:5 This is what the Lord says:

“What fault could your ancestors ¹⁷  have possibly found in me

that they strayed so far from me? ¹⁸ 

They paid allegiance to ¹⁹  worthless idols, and so became worthless to me. ²⁰ 

Matius 24:12-13

24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. 24:13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved. ²¹ 

Filipi 1:9

1:9 And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight

Filipi 3:13-16

3:13 Brothers and sisters, ²²  I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: ²³  Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, ²⁴  I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God ²⁵  in Christ Jesus. 3:15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. ²⁶  If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways. ²⁷  3:16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard ²⁸  that we have already attained. ²⁹ 

Filipi 3:1

True and False Righteousness

3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, ³⁰  rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Filipi 4:9-10

4:9 And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Appreciation for Support

4:10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) ³¹ 

Filipi 4:2

4:2 I appeal to Euodia and to Syntyche to agree in the Lord.

Filipi 1:3

Prayer for the Church

1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. ³² 

Ibrani 6:10-11

6:10 For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name, in having served and continuing to serve the saints. 6:11 But we passionately want each of you to demonstrate the same eagerness for the fulfillment of your hope until the end,

[3:14]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:14]  ² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:14]  ³ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:14]  sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Or “the beginning of God’s creation”; or “the ruler of God’s creation.” From a linguistic standpoint all three meanings for ἀρχή (arch) are possible. The term is well attested in both LXX (Gen 40:13, 21; 41:13) and intertestamental Jewish literature (2 Macc 4:10, 50) as meaning “ruler, authority” (BDAG 138 s.v. 6). Some have connected this passage to Paul’s statements in Col 1:15, 18 which describe Christ as ἀρχή and πρωτότοκος (prwtotoko"; e.g., see R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 124) but the term ἀρχή has been understood as either “beginning” or “ruler” in that passage as well. The most compelling connection is to be found in the prologue to John’s Gospel (1:2-4) where the λόγος (logos) is said to be “in the beginning (ἀρχή) with God,” a temporal reference connected with creation, and then v. 3 states that “all things were made through him.” The connection with the original creation suggests the meaning “originator” for ἀρχή here. BDAG 138 s.v. 3 gives the meaning “the first cause” for the word in Rev 3:14, a term that is too philosophical for the general reader, so the translation “originator” was used instead. BDAG also notes, “but the mng. beginning = ‘first created’ is linguistically probable (s. above 1b and Job 40:19; also CBurney, Christ as the ᾿Αρχή of Creation: JTS 27, 1926, 160-77).” Such a meaning is unlikely here, however, since the connections described above are much more probable.

[3:15]  ⁵ sn Laodicea was near two other towns, each of which had a unique water source. To the north was Hierapolis which had a natural hot spring, often used for medicinal purposes. To the east was Colossae which had cold, pure waters. In contrast to these towns, Laodicea had no permanent supply of good water. Efforts to pipe water to the city from nearby springs were successful, but it would arrive lukewarm. The metaphor in the text is not meant to relate spiritual fervor to temperature. This would mean that Laodicea would be commended for being spiritually cold, but it is unlikely that Jesus would commend this. Instead, the metaphor condemns Laodicea for not providing spiritual healing (being hot) or spiritual refreshment (being cold) to those around them. It is a condemnation of their lack of works and lack of witness.

[3:16]  ⁶ tn Or “I intend.”

[3:16]  ⁷ tn This is the literal meaning of the Greek verb ἐμέω (emew). It is usually translated with a much weaker term like “spit out” due to the unpleasant connotations of the English verb “vomit,” as noted by L&N 23.44. The situation confronting the Laodicean church is a dire one, however, and such a term is necessary if the modern reader is to understand the gravity of the situation.

[3:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “and have become rich.” The semantic domains of the two terms for wealth here, πλούσιος (plousios, adjective) and πλουτέω (ploutew, verb) overlap considerably, but are given slightly different English translations for stylistic reasons.

[3:17]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:17]  ¹⁰ tn All the terms in this series are preceded by καί (kai) in the Greek text, but contemporary English generally uses connectives only between the last two items in such a series.

[2:2]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:2]  ¹² tn Heb “I remember to/for you.”

[2:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “the loyal love of your youth.”

[2:2]  sn The Hebrew word translated “how devoted you were” (חֶסֶד, khesed) refers metaphorically to the devotion of a new bride to her husband. In typical Hebraic fashion, contemporary Israel is identified with early Israel after she first entered into covenant with (= married) the Lord. The reference to her earlier devotion is not absolute but relative. Compared to her unfaithfulness in worshiping other gods after she got into the land, the murmuring and complaining in the wilderness are ignored.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ sn Heb “the first fruits of his harvest.” Many commentators see the figure here as having theological significance for the calling of the Gentiles. It is likely, however, that in this context the metaphor – here rendered as a simile – is intended to bring out the special relationship and inviolability that Israel had with God. As the first fruits were the special possession of the Lord, to be eaten only by the priests and off limits to the common people, so Israel was God’s special possession and was not to be “eaten” by the nations.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “house.”

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “house.”

[2:5]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “fathers.”

[2:5]  ¹⁸ tn Or “I did not wrong your ancestors in any way. Yet they went far astray from me.” Both translations are an attempt to render the rhetorical question which demands a negative answer.

[2:5]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “They went/followed after.” This idiom is found most often in Deuteronomy or covenant contexts. It refers to loyalty to God and to his covenant or his commandments (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:8; 2 Chr 34:31) with the metaphor of a path or way underlying it (e.g., Deut 11:28; 28:14). To “follow other gods” was to abandon this way and this loyalty (i.e., to “abandon” or “forget” God, Judg 2:12; Hos 2:13) and to follow the customs or religious traditions of the pagan nations (e.g., 2 Kgs 17:15). The classic text on “following” God or another god is 1 Kgs 18:18, 21 where Elijah taunts the people with “halting between two opinions” whether the Lord was the true God or Baal was. The idiom is often found followed by “to serve and to worship” or “they served and worshiped” such and such a god or entity (see, e.g., Jer 8:2; 11:10; 13:10; 16:11; 25:6; 35:15).

[2:5]  ²⁰ tn The words “to me” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context: Heb “they followed after the worthless thing/things and became worthless.” There is an obvious wordplay on the verb “became worthless” and the noun “worthless thing,” which is probably to be understood collectively and to refer to idols as it does in Jer 8:19; 10:8; 14:22; Jonah 2:8.

[24:13]  ²¹ sn But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works. He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.

[3:13]  ²² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[3:13]  ²³ tn Grk “But this one thing (I do).”

[3:14]  ²⁴ tn Grk “according to the goal.”

[3:14]  ²⁵ tn Grk “prize, namely, the heavenly calling of God.”

[3:15]  ²⁶ tn Grk “those of us who are ‘perfect’ should think this,” or possibly “those of us who are mature should think this.”

[3:15]  sn The adjective perfect comes from the same root as the verb perfected in v. 12; Paul may well be employing a wordplay to draw in his opponents. Thus, perfect would then be in quotation marks and Paul would then argue that no one – neither they nor he – is in fact perfect. The thrust of vv. 1-16 is that human credentials can produce nothing that is pleasing to God (vv. 1-8). Instead of relying on such, Paul urges his readers to trust God for their righteousness (v. 9) rather than their own efforts, and at the same time to press on for the prize that awaits them (vv. 12-14). He argues further that perfection is unattainable in this life (v. 15), yet the level of maturity that one has reached should not for this reason be abandoned (v. 16).

[3:15]  ²⁷ tn Grk “reveal this to you.” The referent of the pronoun “this” is the fact that the person is thinking differently than Paul does. This has been specified in the translation with the phrase “the error of your ways”; Paul is stating that God will make it known to these believers when they are not in agreement with Paul.

[3:16]  ²⁸ tc Although κανόνι (kanoni, “standard, rule”) is found in most witnesses, though in various locations in this verse (א² D² Ψ 075 Ï), it is almost surely a motivated reading, for it clarifies the cryptic τῷ αὐτῷ (tw autw, “the same”). Both the fact that the word floats, and that there are other variants which accomplish greater clarity by other means, strongly suggests the secondary nature of any of the longer readings here. Further, the shortest text has excellent and early support in Ì^16,46 א* A B I^vid 6 33 1739 co, rendering it decidedly the preferred reading. The translation adds “standard” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.

[3:16]  ²⁹ tn Grk “Nevertheless, to what we have attained, to the same hold fast.”

[3:1]  ³⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:10]  ³¹ tn Grk “for you were even concerned, but you lacked opportunity.”

[1:3]  ³² tn This could also be translated “for your every remembrance of me.” See discussion below.