Wahyu 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ¹  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ⁴  no one can shut, and shuts doors ⁵  no one can open:

Wahyu 4:8

4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings ⁶  and was full of eyes all around and inside. ⁷  They never rest day or night, saying: ⁸ 

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful, ⁹ 

Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

Wahyu 6:10

6:10 They ¹⁰  cried out with a loud voice, ¹¹  “How long, ¹²  Sovereign Master, ¹³  holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?”

Wahyu 6:1

The Seven Seals

6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, ¹⁴  “Come!” ¹⁵ 

1 Samuel 2:2

2:2 No one is holy ¹⁶  like the Lord!

There is no one other than you!

There is no rock ¹⁷  like our God!

Mazmur 22:3

22:3 You are holy;

you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. ¹⁸ 

Mazmur 99:5

99:5 Praise ¹⁹  the Lord our God!

Worship ²⁰  before his footstool!

He is holy!

Mazmur 99:9

99:9 Praise ²¹  the Lord our God!

Worship on his holy hill,

for the Lord our God is holy!

Mazmur 111:9

111:9 He delivered his people; ²² 

he ordained that his covenant be observed forever. ²³ 

His name is holy and awesome.

Yesaya 6:3

6:3 They called out to one another, “Holy, holy, holy ²⁴  is the Lord who commands armies! ²⁵  His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!”

Yesaya 57:15

57:15 For this is what the high and exalted one says,

the one who rules ²⁶  forever, whose name is holy:

“I dwell in an exalted and holy place,

but also with the discouraged and humiliated, ²⁷ 

in order to cheer up the humiliated

and to encourage the discouraged. ²⁸ 

Habakuk 1:12

Habakkuk Voices Some Concerns

1:12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times; ²⁹ 

my sovereign God, ³⁰  you are immortal. ³¹ 

Lord, you have made them ³²  your instrument of judgment. ³³ 

Protector, ³⁴  you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment. ³⁵ 

Habakuk 1:1

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1:1 The following is the message ³⁶  which God revealed to Habakkuk the prophet: ³⁷ 

Pengkhotbah 1:16

Futility of Secular Wisdom

1:16 I thought to myself, ³⁸ 

“I have become much wiser ³⁹  than any of my predecessors who ruled ⁴⁰  over Jerusalem; ⁴¹ 

I ⁴²  have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.” ⁴³ 

[3:7]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:7]  ² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:7]  ³ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:7]  sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.

[3:7]  ⁴ tn The word “door” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. Since the following verse does contain the word “door” (θύραν, quran), that word has been supplied as the direct object here.

[3:7]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

[4:8]  ⁶ tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.

[4:8]  ⁷ tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (eswqen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.

[4:8]  ⁸ tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”

[4:8]  ⁹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[4:8]  sn A quotation from (or an allusion to) Isa 6:3.

[6:10]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[6:10]  ¹¹ tn Grk “voice, saying”; the participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[6:10]  ¹² tn The expression ἕως πότε (ews pote) was translated “how long.” Cf. BDAG 423 s.v. ἕως 1.b.γ.

[6:10]  ¹³ tn The Greek term here is δεσπότης (despoths; see L&N 37.63).

[6:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “saying like a voice [or sound] of thunder.”

[6:1]  ¹⁵ tc The addition of “and see” (καὶ ἴδε or καὶ βλέπε [kai ide or kai blepe]) to “come” (ἔρχου, ercou) in 6:1, 3-5, 7 is a gloss directed to John, i.e., “come and look at the seals and the horsemen!” But the command ἔρχου is better interpreted as directed to each of the horsemen. The shorter reading also has the support of the better witnesses.

[2:2]  ¹⁶ sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.

[2:2]  ¹⁷ tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”

[22:3]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “[O] one who sits [on] the praises of Israel.” The verb “receiving” is supplied in the translation for clarity. The metaphorical language pictures the Lord as sitting enthroned as king in his temple, receiving the praises that his people Israel offer up to him.

[99:5]  ¹⁹ tn Or “exalt.”

[99:5]  ²⁰ tn Or “bow down.”

[99:9]  ²¹ tn Or “exalt.”

[111:9]  ²² tn Heb “redemption he sent for his people.”

[111:9]  ²³ tn Heb “he commanded forever his covenant.”

[6:3]  ²⁴ tn Some have seen a reference to the Trinity in the seraphs’ threefold declaration, “holy, holy, holy.” This proposal has no linguistic or contextual basis and should be dismissed as allegorical. Hebrew sometimes uses repetition for emphasis. (See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a; and GKC 431-32 §133.k.) By repeating the word “holy,” the seraphs emphasize the degree of the Lord’s holiness. For another example of threefold repetition for emphasis, see Ezek 21:27 (Heb. v. 32). (Perhaps Jer 22:29 provides another example.)

[6:3]  sn Or “The Lord who commands armies has absolute sovereign authority!” The basic sense of the word “holy” is “set apart from that which is commonplace, special, unique.” In this context the Lord’s holiness is first and foremost his transcendent sovereignty as the ruler of the world. He is “set apart” from the world over which he rules. Note the emphasis on the elevated position of his throne in v. 1 and his designation as “the king” in v. 5. At the same time his holiness encompasses his moral authority, which derives from his royal position. As king he has the right to dictate to his subjects how they are to live; indeed his very own character sets the standard for proper behavior. He is “set apart” from his subjects in a moral sense as well. He sets the standard; they fall short of it. Note that in v. 5 Isaiah laments that he is morally unworthy to be in the king’s presence.

[6:3]  ²⁵ tn Perhaps in this context, the title has a less militaristic connotation and pictures the Lord as the ruler of the heavenly assembly. See the note at 1:9.

[57:15]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the one who dwells forever.” שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) is sometimes translated “the one who lives forever,” and understood as a reference to God’s eternal existence. However, the immediately preceding and following descriptions (“high and exalted” and “holy”) emphasize his sovereign rule. In the next line, he declares, “I dwell in an exalted and holy [place],” which refers to the place from which he rules. Therefore it is more likely that שֹׁכֵן עַד (shokhen ’ad) means “I dwell [in my lofty palace] forever” and refers to God’s eternal kingship.

[57:15]  ²⁷ tn Heb “and also with the crushed and lowly of spirit.” This may refer to the repentant who have humbled themselves (see 66:2) or more generally to the exiles who have experienced discouragement and humiliation.

[57:15]  ²⁸ tn Heb “to restore the lowly of spirit and to restore the heart of the crushed.”

[1:12]  ²⁹ tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O Lord?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, of course.” The present translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question, rendering it as an affirmation. When used in a temporal sense the phrase מִקֶדֶם (miqedem) means “from antiquity, ancient times,” often referring to earlier periods in Israel’s history. See its use in Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10; Mic 5:2.

[1:12]  ³⁰ tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”

[1:12]  ³¹ tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.

[1:12]  ³² tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.

[1:12]  ³³ tn Heb “for judgment.”

[1:12]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).

[1:12]  ³⁵ tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”

[1:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “The burden” (so KJV, ASV). The Hebrew term מַשָּׂא (masa’), usually translated “oracle” (NAB, NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “utterance” (BDB 672 s.v. III מַשָּׂא), in prophetic literature is a technical term introducing a message from the Lord (see Zech 9:1; 12:1; Mal 1:1). Since it derives from a verb meaning “to carry,” its original nuance was that of a burdensome message, that is, one with ominous content.

[1:1]  ³⁷ tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] which Habakkuk the prophet saw.”

[1:16]  ³⁸ tn Heb “I spoke, I, with my heart.”

[1:16]  ³⁹ tn Heb “I, look, I have made great and increased wisdom.” The expression הִגְדַּלְתִּי וְהוֹסַפְתִּי (higdalti vÿhosafti) is a verbal hendiadys; it means that Qoheleth had become the wisest man in the history of Jerusalem.

[1:16]  ⁴⁰ tn The phrase “who ruled” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ⁴¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:16]  ⁴² tn Heb “my heart” (לִבִּי, libbi). The term “heart” is a metonymy of part for the whole (“my heart” = myself).

[1:16]  ⁴³ tn Heb “My heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”