Wahyu 18:20--19:6
Konteks18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 1 against her on your behalf!) 2
18:21 Then 3 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 4
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 5
and it will never be found again!
18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you 6 again.
No 7 craftsman 8 who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill 9 will never be heard in you again.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations 10 were deceived by your magic spells! 11
18:24 The 12 blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, 13
along with the blood 14 of all those who had been killed on the earth.”
19:1 After these things I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
19:2 because his judgments are true and just. 15
For he has judged 16 the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality,
and has avenged the blood of his servants 17 poured out by her own hands!” 18
19:3 Then 19 a second time the crowd shouted, “Hallelujah!” The smoke rises from her forever and ever. 20 19:4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground 21 and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: “Amen! Hallelujah!”
19:5 Then 22 a voice came from the throne, saying:
“Praise our God
all you his servants,
and all you who fear Him,
both the small and the great!”
19:6 Then 23 I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: 24
“Hallelujah!
[18:20] 1 tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”
[18:20] 2 tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.
[18:20] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
[18:21] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[18:21] 4 tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.
[18:21] 5 sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.
[18:22] 6 tn The shift to a second person pronoun here corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:22] 7 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:22] 8 tn On this term BDAG 1001 s.v. τεχνίτης states, “craftsperson, artisan, designer…Of a silversmith Ac 19:24, 25 v.l., 38….Of a potter 2 Cl 8:2 (metaph., cp. Ath. 15:2). πᾶς τεχνίτης πάσης τέχνης Rv 18:22.”
[18:22] 9 tn This is a different Greek word (μύλος, mulos) from the one for the millstone in v. 21 (μύλινος, mulinos). See L&N 7.68.
[18:23] 10 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[18:23] 11 tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”
[18:24] 12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:24] 13 tn The shift in pronouns from second to third person corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:24] 14 tn Grk “and of all.” The phrase “along with the blood” has been repeated from the previous clause for stylistic reasons.
[19:2] 15 tn Compare the similar phrase in Rev 16:7.
[19:2] 16 tn Or “has punished.” See BDAG 568 s.v. κρίνω 5.b.α, describing the OT background which involves both the vindication of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty.
[19:2] 17 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
[19:2] 18 tn Grk “from her hand” (referring to her responsibility in causing the blood of God’s followers to be shed).
[19:3] 19 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:3] 20 tn Or “her smoke ascends forever and ever.”
[19:4] 21 tn Grk “creatures fell down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
[19:5] 22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:6] 23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[19:6] 24 tn Grk “like the voice of a large crowd…saying.” Because of the complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”
[19:6] 25 tc Several
[19:6] 26 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…κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ π. Rv 19:6.”
