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and has appointed[a] us as a kingdom,[b] as priests[c] serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever![d] Amen.

(Look! He is returning with the clouds,[e]
and every eye will see him,
even[f] those who pierced him,[g]
and all the tribes[h] on the earth will mourn because[i] of him.
This will certainly come to pass![j] Amen.)[k]

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”[l] says the Lord God—the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come—the All-Powerful![m]

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 1:6 tn The verb ποιέω (poieō) can indicate appointment or assignment rather than simply “make” or “do.” See Mark 3:14 (L&N 37.106).
  2. Revelation 1:6 tn See BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a for the idea of “he made us a kingdom,” which was translated as “he appointed us (to be or function) as a kingdom” (see the note on the word “appointed” earlier in the verse).
  3. Revelation 1:6 tn Grk “a kingdom, priests.” The term ἱερεῖς (hiereis) is either in apposition to βασιλείαν (basileian) or as a second complement to the object “us” (ἡμᾶς, hēmas). The translation retains this ambiguity.
  4. Revelation 1:6 tc Both the longer reading τῶν αἰώνων (tōn aiōnōn, “to the ages of the ages” or, more idiomatically, “for ever and ever”; found in א C M) and the shorter (“for ever”; found in P18 A P 2050 bo) have good ms support. The author uses the longer expression (εἰς [τοὺς] αἰῶνας [τῶν] αἰώνων, eis [tous] aiōnas [tōn] aiōnōn) in every other instance of αἰών in Revelation, twelve passages in all (1:18; 4:9, 10; 5:13; 7:12; 10:6; 11:15; 14:11; 15:7; 19:3; 20:10; 22:5). Thus, on the one hand, the style of the author is consistent, while on the other hand, the scribes may have been familiar with such a stylistic feature, causing them to add the words here. The issues are more complex than can be presented here; the longer reading, however, is probably authentic (the shorter reading arising from accidental omission of the genitive phrase due to similarity with the preceding words).
  5. Revelation 1:7 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13.
  6. Revelation 1:7 tn Here καί (kai) was translated as ascensive.
  7. Revelation 1:7 sn An allusion to Zech 12:10.
  8. Revelation 1:7 tn In this context, tribes (φυλαί, phulai) could also be translated as “nations” or “peoples” (L&N 11.56).
  9. Revelation 1:7 tn The conjunction ἐπί (epi) is most likely causal here. The people who crucified him are those of every tribe on the earth and they will mourn because he comes as judge.
  10. Revelation 1:7 tn Grk “Yes, Amen.” The expression “This will certainly come to pass” is an attempt to capture the force of the juxtaposition of the Greek ναί (nai) and the Hebrew ἀμήν (amēn). See L&N 69.1.
  11. Revelation 1:7 sn These lines are placed in parentheses because they form an aside to the main argument.
  12. Revelation 1:8 tc The shorter reading “Omega” (, ō) has superior ms evidence (א1 A C 1611) to the longer reading which includes “the beginning and the end” (ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος or ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος, archē kai telos or hē archē kai to telos), found in א*,2 1854 2050 2329 2351 MA lat bo. There is little reason why a scribe would have deleted the words, but their clarifying value and the fact that they harmonize with 21:6 indicate that they are a secondary addition to the text.
  13. Revelation 1:8 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…() κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

and has made us to be a kingdom and priests(A) to serve his God and Father(B)—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.(C)

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”[a](D)
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;(E)
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn(F) because of him.”[b]
So shall it be! Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”(G) says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come,(H) the Almighty.”(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Revelation 1:7 Daniel 7:13
  2. Revelation 1:7 Zech. 12:10