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September 30, 2022

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Lamentations 3:19-26

ז (Zayin)

¹⁹Remember^[a] my impoverished and homeless condition,^[b]
which is a bitter poison.^[c]
²⁰I^[d] continually think about^[e] this,
and I^[f] am depressed.^[g]
²¹But this I call^[h] to mind;^[i]
therefore I have hope:

ח (Khet)

²²The Lord’s loyal kindness^[j] never ceases;^[k]
his compassions^[l] never end.
²³They are fresh^[m] every morning;
your faithfulness is abundant!^[n]
²⁴“My portion is the Lord,” I have said to myself,^[o]
so I will put my hope in him.

ט (Tet)

²⁵The Lord is good to those who trust in^[p] him,
to the one^[q] who seeks him.
²⁶It is good to wait patiently^[r]
for deliverance from the Lord.^[s]

Footnotes

Lamentations 3:19 tc The LXX records ἐμνήσθην (emnēsthēn, “I remembered”), which may reflect a first person singular form זָכַרְתִּי (zakharti), whereas the MT preserves the form זְכָר (z^ekhor), which may be Qal imperative second person masculine singular (“Remember!”) or infinitive construct (“To remember…”). A second person masculine singular imperative would most likely address God. In the next verse נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is the subject of זְכָר (z^ekhor). If נַפְשִׁי (nafshi) is also the subject here, one would expect a second person feminine singular imperative זִכְרִי (zikhri), a form that stands in the middle of the MT’s זְכָר (z^ekhor) and the presumed זָכַרְתִּי (zakharti) read by the LXX. English versions are split between the options: “To recall” (NJPS), “Remember!” (RSV, NRSV, NASB), “Remembering” (KJV, NKJV), and “I remember” (NIV). tn The basic meaning of זָכַר (zakhar) is “to remember, call to mind” (HALOT 270 s.v. I זכר). Although it is often used in reference to recollection of past events, it can also describe consideration of present situations: “to consider, think about” something present (BDB 270 s.v. 5).
Lamentations 3:19 tn The two nouns עָנְיִי וּמְרוּדִי (ʿonyi um^erudi, lit., “my poverty and my homelessness”) form a nominal hendiadys in which one noun functions adjectivally and the other retains its full nominal sense: “my impoverished homelessness” or “homeless poor” (GKC 397-98 §124.e). The use of a nearly identical phrase in Lam 1:7 and Isa 58:7 (see GKC 226 §83.c) suggests this was a Hebrew idiom. Jerusalem’s inhabitants were impoverished and homeless.
Lamentations 3:19 tn The two nouns joined by ו (vav), לַעֲנָה וָרֹאשׁ (laʿana varoʾsh, “wormwood and poison”) form a nominal hendiadys. The first retains its full verbal sense and the second functions adjectivally: “bitter poison.”
Lamentations 3:20 tc The MT reads נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”); however, the Masoretic scribes preserve an alternate textual tradition, marked by the Tiqqune Sopherim (“corrections by the scribes”), of נַפְשֶׁךָ (nafshekha, “your soul”).tn Heb “my soul.” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is used as a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= I). The verb תִּזְכּוֹר (tizkor) is Qal imperfect third person feminine singular, and the subject is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”), though the term does not appear until the end of the verse, functioning as the subject of both verbs. Due to the synecdoche, the line is translated as though the verb were first person common singular.
Lamentations 3:20 tn The infinitive absolute followed by an imperfect of the same root is an emphatic rhetorical statement: זָכוֹר תִּזְכּוֹר (zakhor tizkor, “continually think”). Although the basic meaning of זָכַר (zakhar) is “to remember, call to mind” (HALOT 270 I זכר), here it refers to consideration of a present situation: “to consider, think about” something present (BDB 270 s.v. זָכַר 5). The referent of the third person feminine singular form of תִּזְכּוֹר (tizkor) is the feminine singular noun נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”).
Lamentations 3:20 tc The MT reads נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”); however, the Masoretic scribes preserve an alternate textual tradition, included in some lists of the Tiqqune Sopherim (“corrections by the scribes”), of נַפְשֶׁךָ (nafshekha, “your soul”).tn Heb “my soul…” or “your soul…” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is used as a synecdoche of part (= my soul) for the whole person (= I). Likewise, נַפְשֶׁךָ (nafshekha, “your soul”) is also a synecdoche of part (= your soul) for the whole person (= you).
Lamentations 3:20 tc The MT preserves the Kethib וְתָשִׁיחַ (v^etashiakh), while the Qere reads וְתָשׁוֹחַ (v^etashoakh). In theory the Kethib could be a Qal or Hiphil of a root שִׁיח (shikh, “melt away, despair”) or the Hiphil of a root שׁוּח (shukh, “to sink down, collapse”), while the Qere is a Qal of a root שׁוּח (shukh) or of שָׁחַח (shakhakh, “stoop down, be bent over”). None of these are common roots, and one or more may be byforms of each other. The conjectured meaning for שׁוּחַ (shuakh) in BDB 1005 s.v שׁוּחַ is that of שָׁחַח (shakhakh). HALOT 1438-39 s.v. שׁוח reads the root as שָׁחַח (shakhakh). The various options yield similar meanings.tn Heb “and my soul sinks down within me.” The verb II שׁוּחַ (shuakh, “to sink down”) is used here in a figurative sense, meaning “to be depressed.”
Lamentations 3:21 tn Heb “I cause to return.”
Lamentations 3:21 tn Heb “to my heart.” The noun לֵבָב (levav, “heart”) has a broad range of meanings, including its use as a metonymy of association, standing for thoughts and thinking (= “mind”) (e.g., Deut 32:46; 1 Chr 29:18; Job 17:11; Ps 73:7; Isa 10:7; Hag 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18; Zech 7:10; 8:17).
Lamentations 3:22 tn It is difficult to capture the nuances of the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (khesed). When used of the Lord it is often connected to his covenant loyalty. This is the only occasion when the plural form of חֶסֶד (khesed) precedes the plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim, “mercy, compassion”). The plural forms, as with this one, tend to be in late texts. The plural may indicate several concrete expressions of God’s kindnesses or may indicate the abstract concept of his kindness.
Lamentations 3:22 tc The MT reads תָמְנוּ (tam^enu) as, “we are [not] cut off,” Qal perfect first person common plural from תָּמַם (tamam, “be finished”): “[Because of] the kindnesses of the Lord, indeed we are not cut off.” However, the ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Aramaic Targum) and many medieval Hebrew mss preserve the alternate reading תָּמּוּ (tammu), a third person common plural form of the same root and stem: “The kindnesses of the Lord indeed never cease.” The external evidence favors the alternate reading. The internal evidence supports this as well, as the parallel B-line suggests, “his compassions never come to an end.” Several English versions follow the MT: “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (KJV, NKJV), “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed” (NIV). Other English versions follow the alternate textual tradition: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (RSV, NRSV), “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease” (NASB), “The kindness of the Lord has not ended” (NJPS) and “The Lord’s unfailing love still continues” (TEV).
Lamentations 3:22 tn The plural form of רַחֲמִים (rakhamim) may denote the abstract concept of mercy, several concrete expressions of mercy, or the plural of intensity: “great compassion.” See IBHS 122 §7.4.3a.
Lamentations 3:23 tn Heb “they are new.”
Lamentations 3:23 tn The adjective רַב (rav) has a broad range of meanings: (1) quantitative: “much, numerous, many (with plurals), abundant, enough, exceedingly” and (2) less often in a qualitative sense: “great” (a) of space and location, (b) “strong” as opposed to “weak” and (c) “major.” The traditional translation, “great is thy faithfulness,” should be understood in a quantitative sense: “your faithfulness is abundant” [or, “plentiful”]. NJPS correctly translates, “Ample is your grace!”
Lamentations 3:24 tn Heb “My soul said…” The term נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”) is a synecdoche of a part (= my soul) for the whole person (= I).
Lamentations 3:25 tn Heb “wait for him”
Lamentations 3:25 tn Heb “to the soul…” The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is a synecdoche of a part (= “the soul who seeks him”) for the whole person (= “the person who seeks him”).
Lamentations 3:26 tn Heb “waiting and silently.” The two main words (plus two conjunctions) וְיָחִיל וְדוּמָם (v^eyakhil v^edumam, “waiting and silently”) form a hendiadys where the first functions verbally and the second adverbially: “to wait silently.” The adverb דוּמָם (dumam, “silently”) also functions as a metonymy of association, standing for patience or rest (HALOT 217 s.v.). This metonymical nuance is captured well in less literal English versions: “wait in patience” (TEV) and “wait patiently” (CEV, NJPS). The more literal English versions do not express the metonymy as well: “quietly wait” (KJV, NKJV, ASV), “waits silently” (NASB), and “wait quietly” (RSV, NRSV, NIV).
Lamentations 3:26 tn Heb “deliverance of the Lord.” In the genitive-construct, the genitive יהוה (YHWH, “the Lord”) denotes source; that is, he is the source of the deliverance: “deliverance from the Lord.”

Jeremiah 52:12-30

¹²On the tenth^[a] day of the fifth month,^[b] in the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard^[c] who served^[d] the king of Babylon, arrived in Jerusalem. ¹³He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. ¹⁴The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. ¹⁵Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took into exile some of the poor,^[e] the rest of the people who remained in the city, those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the craftsmen. ¹⁶But he^[f] left behind some of the poor^[g] and gave them fields and vineyards.

¹⁷The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the temple of the Lord, as well as the movable stands and the large bronze basin called “The Sea.”^[h] They took all the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁸They also took the pots, shovels,^[i] trimming shears,^[j] basins, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests.^[k] ¹⁹The captain of the royal guard took the gold and silver bowls, censers,^[l] basins, pots, lampstands, pans, and vessels.^[m] ²⁰The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple (including the two pillars, the large bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands^[n]) was too heavy to be weighed. ²¹Each of the pillars was about 27 feet^[o] high, about 18 feet^[p] in circumference, three inches^[q] thick, and hollow. ²²The bronze top of one pillar was about 7½ feet^[r] high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate-shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its pomegranate-shaped ornaments was like it. ²³There were 96 pomegranate-shaped ornaments on the sides; in all there were 100 pomegranate-shaped ornaments over the latticework that went around it.

²⁴The captain of the royal guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest who was second in rank, and the three doorkeepers.^[s] ²⁵From the city he took an official who was in charge of the soldiers, seven of the king’s advisers who were discovered in the city, an official army secretary who drafted citizens^[t] for military service, and sixty citizens who were discovered in the middle of the city. ²⁶Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²⁷The king of Babylon ordered them to be executed^[u] at Riblah in the territory of Hamath.

So Judah was taken into exile away from its land. ²⁸Here is the official record of the number of people^[v] Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: In the seventh year,^[w] 3,023 Jews; ²⁹in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year,^[x] 832 people from Jerusalem; ³⁰in Nebuchadnezzar’s twenty-third year,^[y] Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all, 4,600 people went into exile.

Footnotes

Jeremiah 52:12 tn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:8 has “seventh.”
Jeremiah 52:12 sn The tenth day of the month would have been August 17, 586 b.c. in modern reckoning.
Jeremiah 52:12 tn For the meaning of this phrase see BDB 371 s.v. טַבָּח 2 and compare the usage in Gen 39:1.
Jeremiah 52:12 tn Heb “stood before.”
Jeremiah 52:15 tn Heb “poor of the people.”
Jeremiah 52:16 tn Heb “Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard.” However, the subject is clear from the preceding, and modern English style would normally avoid repeating the proper name and title.
Jeremiah 52:16 tn Heb “poor of the land.”
Jeremiah 52:17 sn For discussion of the items listed here, see the study notes at Jer 27:19.
Jeremiah 52:18 sn These shovels were used to clean the altar.
Jeremiah 52:18 sn These trimming shears were used to trim the wicks of the lamps.
Jeremiah 52:18 tn Heb “with which they served (or “fulfilled their duty”).”
Jeremiah 52:19 sn The censers held the embers used for the incense offerings.
Jeremiah 52:19 sn These vessels were used for drink offerings.
Jeremiah 52:20 tc The translation follows the LXX (Greek version), which reflects the description in 1 Kgs 7:25-26. The Hebrew text reads, “the twelve bronze bulls under the movable stands.” הַיָּם (hayyam, “The Sea”) has been accidentally omitted by homoioarcton; note that the following form, הַמְּכֹנוֹת (hamm^ekhonot, “the movable stands”), also begins with the article.
Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “18 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “12 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
Jeremiah 52:21 tn Heb “four fingers.”
Jeremiah 52:22 tn Heb “5 cubits.” A “cubit” was a unit of measure, approximately equivalent to a foot and a half.
Jeremiah 52:24 sn See the note at Jer 35:4.
Jeremiah 52:25 tn Heb “men, from the people of the land” (also later in this verse).
Jeremiah 52:27 tn Heb “struck them down and killed them.”
Jeremiah 52:28 tn Heb “these are the people.”
Jeremiah 52:28 sn This would be 597 b.c.
Jeremiah 52:29 sn This would be 586 b.c.
Jeremiah 52:30 sn This would be 581 b.c.

Revelation 2:12-29

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“To^[a] the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following:^[b]

“This is the solemn pronouncement of^[c] the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:^[d] ¹³‘I know^[e] where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet^[f] you continue to cling^[g] to my name and you have not denied your^[h] faith in me,^[i] even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,^[j] who was killed in your city^[k] where Satan lives. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam,^[l] who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block^[m] before the people^[n] of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.^[o] ¹⁵In the same way, there are also some among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans.^[p] ¹⁶Therefore,^[q] repent! If not, I will come against you quickly and make war against those people^[r] with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers,^[s] I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white^[t] stone,^[u] and on that stone will be written a new name that no one can understand^[v] except the one who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“To^[w] the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following:^[x]

“This is the solemn pronouncement of^[y] the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame^[z] and whose feet are like polished bronze:^[aa] ¹⁹‘I know your deeds: your love, faith,^[ab] service, and steadfast endurance.^[ac] In fact,^[ad] your more recent deeds are greater than your earlier ones. ²⁰But I have this against you: You tolerate that^[ae] woman^[af] Jezebel,^[ag] who calls herself a prophetess, and by her teaching deceives^[ah] my servants^[ai] to commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.^[aj] ²¹I^[ak] have given her time to repent, but^[al] she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality. ²²Look! I am throwing her onto a bed of violent illness,^[am] and those who commit adultery with her into terrible suffering,^[an] unless they repent of her deeds. ²³Furthermore, I will strike her followers^[ao] with a deadly disease,^[ap] and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay^[aq] each one of you^[ar] what your deeds deserve.^[as] ²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, all who do not hold to this teaching^[at] (who have not learned the so-called “deep secrets^[au] of Satan”), to you I say: I do not put any additional burden on you. ²⁵However, hold on to what you have until I come. ²⁶And to the one who conquers^[av] and who continues in^[aw] my deeds until the end, I will give him authority over the nations^[ax]—

²⁷he^[ay] will rule^[az] them with an iron rod^[ba]
and like clay jars he will break them to pieces,^[bb]

²⁸just as I have received the right to rule^[bc] from my Father—and I will give him the morning star.^[bd] ²⁹The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Footnotes

Revelation 2:12 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 2:12 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
Revelation 2:12 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
Revelation 2:12 sn On the sharp double-edged sword see 1:16.
Revelation 2:13 tc The shorter reading adopted here has superior ms support (א A C P 2053 al latt co), while the inclusion of “your works and” (τὰ ἔργα σου καί, ta erga sou kai) before “where you reside” is supported by the Byzantine witnesses and is evidently a secondary attempt to harmonize the passage with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8, 15.
Revelation 2:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast between their location and their faithful behavior.
Revelation 2:13 tn The present indicative verb κρατεῖς (krateis) has been translated as a progressive present.
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “the faith”; here the Greek article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “the faith of me” (τὴν πίστιν μου, tēn pistin mou) with the genitive “of me” (μου) functioning objectively.
Revelation 2:13 tn Or “martyr.” The Greek word μάρτυς can mean either “witness” or “martyr.”
Revelation 2:13 tn Grk “killed among you.” The term “city” does not occur in the Greek text of course, but the expression παρ᾿ ὑμῖν, ὅπου ὁ σατανᾶς κατοικεῖ (par’ humin, hopou ho satanas katoikei) seems to indicate that this is what is meant. See G. B. Caird, Revelation (HNTC), 36-38.
Revelation 2:14 sn See Num 22-24; 31:16.
Revelation 2:14 tn That is, a cause for sinning. An alternate translation is “who instructed Balak to cause the people of Israel to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols…”
Revelation 2:14 tn Grk “sons,” but the expression υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ (huioi Israēl) is an idiom for the people of Israel as an ethnic entity (see L&N 11.58).
Revelation 2:14 tn Due to the actual events in the OT (Num 22-24; 31:16), πορνεῦσαι (porneusai) is taken to mean “sexual immorality.” BDAG 854 s.v. πορνεύω 1 states, “engage in illicit sex, to fornicate, to whore…W. φαγεῖν εἰδωλόθυτα ‘eat meat offered to idols’ Rv 2:14, 20.”
Revelation 2:15 tn The term ὁμοίως (homoiōs, “likewise”) is left untranslated because it is quite redundant.sn See the note on the term Nicolaitans in 2:6.
Revelation 2:16 tc The “therefore” (οὖν, oun) is not found in א 2053 2329 2351 M^A or the Latin mss. It is, however, included in impressive witnesses such as A C 046 1006 1611 sy^p,h co. Though the conjunction looks at first glance like a scribal clarification, its omission may be explained on the basis of its similarity to the last three letters of the verb “repent” (μετανόησον, metanoēson; since οὖν is a postpositive conjunction in Greek, the final three letters of the verb [-σον, -son] would have been immediately followed by ουν). A scribe could have simply passed over the conjunction in his copy when he saw the last three letters of the imperative verb. A decision is difficult, however, because of the motivation to add to the text and the quality of witnesses that lack the conjunction.
Revelation 2:16 tn Grk “with them”; the referent (those people who follow the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.” The pendent dative is allowed to stand in the English translation because it is characteristic of the author’s style in Revelation.
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “bright.” The Greek term λευκός (leukos) can refer either to the color white (traditional here) or to an object that is bright or shining, either from itself or from an outside source of illumination (L&N 14.50; 79.27).
Revelation 2:17 tn On the interpretation of the stone, L&N 2.27 states, “A number of different suggestions have been made as to the reference of ψῆφος in this context. Some scholars believe that the white ψῆφος indicates a vote of acquittal in court. Others contend that it is simply a magical amulet; still others, a token of Roman hospitality; and finally, some have suggested that it may represent a ticket to the gladiatorial games, that is to say, to martyrdom. The context, however, suggests clearly that this is something to be prized and a type of reward for those who have ‘won the victory.’”
Revelation 2:17 tn Or “know”; for the meaning “understand” see L&N 32.4.
Revelation 2:18 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 2:18 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
Revelation 2:18 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
Revelation 2:18 tn Grk “a flame of fire.” The Greek term πυρός (puros) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
Revelation 2:18 tn The precise meaning of the term translated “polished bronze” (χαλκολιβάνῳ, chalkolibanō), which appears no where else in Greek literature outside of the book of Revelation (see 1:15), is uncertain. Without question it is some sort of metal. BDAG 1076 s.v. χαλκολίβανον suggests “fine brass/bronze.” L&N 2.57 takes the word to refer to particularly valuable or fine bronze, but notes that the emphasis here and in Rev 1:15 is more on the lustrous quality of the metal.
Revelation 2:19 tn Grk “and faith.” Here and before the following term καί (kai) has not been translated because English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the next to last and last terms in a list.
Revelation 2:19 tn Or “perseverance.”
Revelation 2:19 tn The phrase “In fact” is supplied in the translation to bring out the ascensive quality of the clause. It would also be possible to supply here an understood repetition of the phrase “I know” from the beginning of the verse (so NRSV). Grk “and your last deeds [that are] greater than the first.”
Revelation 2:20 tn The Greek article has been translated here with demonstrative force.
Revelation 2:20 tc The ms evidence for γυναῖκα (gunaika, “woman”) alone includes א C P 1611 2053 lat. The ms evidence for the addition of “your” (σου, sou) includes A 1006 2351 M^K pc sy. With the pronoun, the text reads “your wife, Jezebel” instead of “that woman, Jezebel.” In Revelation, A C are the most important mss, along with א P⁴⁷ (which only reads in portions of chapters 9-17) 1006 1611 2053; in this instance, the external evidence slightly favors the shorter reading. But internally, it gains strength. The longer reading implies the idea that the angel in 2:18 is the bishop or leader of the church in Thyatira. The pronoun “your” (σου) is used four times in vv. 19-20 and may have been the cause for the scribe copying it again. Further, once the monarchical episcopate was in vogue (beginning in the 2nd century) scribes might have been prone to add “your” here.
Revelation 2:20 sn Jezebel was the name of King Ahab’s idolatrous and wicked queen in 1 Kgs 16:31; 18:1-5; 19:1-3; 21:5-24. It is probable that the individual named here was analogous to her prototype in idolatry and immoral behavior, since those are the items singled out for mention.
Revelation 2:20 tn Grk “teaches and deceives” (διδάσκει καὶ πλανᾷ, didaskei kai plana), a construction in which the first verb appears to specify the means by which the second is accomplished: “by her teaching, deceives…”
Revelation 2:20 tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.
Revelation 2:20 sn To commit sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Note the conclusions of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:29, which specifically prohibits Gentile Christians from engaging in these activities.
Revelation 2:21 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and contemporary English style.
Revelation 2:21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to bring out the contrast present in this woman’s obstinate refusal to repent.
Revelation 2:22 tn Grk “onto a bed,” in this context an idiom for severe illness (L&N 23.152).
Revelation 2:22 tn Or “into great distress.” The suffering here is not specified as physical or emotional, and could involve persecution.
Revelation 2:23 tn Grk “her children,” but in this context a reference to this woman’s followers or disciples is more likely meant.
Revelation 2:23 tn Grk “I will kill with death.” θάνατος (thanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
Revelation 2:23 tn Grk “I will give.” The sense of δίδωμι (didōmi) in this context is more “repay” than “give.”
Revelation 2:23 sn This pronoun and the following one are plural in the Greek text.
Revelation 2:23 tn Grk “each one of you according to your works.”
Revelation 2:24 sn That is, the teaching of Jezebel (v. 20).
Revelation 2:24 tn Grk “deep things.” For the translation “deep secrets” see L&N 28.76; cf. NAB, NIV, CEV.
Revelation 2:26 tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”
Revelation 2:26 tn Grk “keeps.” In a context that speaks of “holding on to what you have,” the idea here is one of continued faithful behavior (BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 3 has “ὁ τηρῶν τὰ ἔργα μου the one who takes my deeds to heart Rv 2:26”).
Revelation 2:26 tn Or “over the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
Revelation 2:27 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
Revelation 2:27 tn Grk “will shepherd.”
Revelation 2:27 tn Or “scepter.” The Greek term ῥάβδος (rhabdos) can mean either “rod” or “scepter.”
Revelation 2:27 sn A quotation from Ps 2:9 (with the line introducing the quotation containing a partial allusion to Ps 2:8). See also Rev 12:5; 19:15.
Revelation 2:28 tn What has been received is not specified in the Greek text, but must be supplied from the context. In the light of the two immediately preceding verses about rulership or dominion, it seems that the implied direct object of εἴληφα (eilēpha) is “the right to rule” (i.e., ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν ποιμάνειν, echein exousian poimanein), although many modern translations supply the word “authority” here (so NAB, NRSV, NLT).
Revelation 2:28 tn On this expression BDAG 892 s.v. πρωϊνός states, “early, belonging to the morning ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρ. the morning star, Venus Rv 2:28; 22:16.”

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To the Church in Pergamum

To the Church in Thyatira

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