Then I saw thrones: although the text does not specify it, these thrones are in heaven, not on earth.
Seated on them: this translates the third person plural active “they sat on them,” the equivalent in the Greek of an impersonal passive. Another way to state this is “The ones sitting on them.”
Those to whom judgment was committed: “those to whom God had given the right to rule.” Often in the Bible the verb “to judge” and the noun “judgment” mean “to rule” and “rule.” As the end of the verse makes clear, they were given the right to rule with Christ for a thousand years. They are not appointed judges but rulers, kings (see Matt 19.28; Luke 22.30).
Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded: this begins a lengthy description of the martyrs (see 6.9 “the souls of those who had been slain”). The Greek verb translated beheaded (appearing only here in the New Testament) indicates that an ax was used in their execution. For souls see 6.9. This clause may also be rendered as “Also I saw the souls of those people whom others had beheaded (or, cut their heads off).”
It should be clear that the souls of those who had been beheaded, that is, the martyrs, are precisely the ones who were sitting on the thrones. The Greek text says (quite literally) “I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and power to rule was given them, and the souls … hands.” The clause beginning “and the souls” is in apposition to the unnamed subject of the verb “they sat.” Neither Revised Standard Version nor Good News Translation is satisfactory, since neither one clearly shows the connection between the two parts of the passage. A more satisfactory rendering, then, of the first part of this verse is “Then I saw thrones (or, kings’ chairs), and the ones seated on them were those whom God had given the right to rule. They were the souls of those people….”
For their testimony to Jesus: see comments, 1.2, 9; 12.17; 19.10.
For the word of God: see comments at 1.2, 9; 6.9.
Had not worshiped the beast or its image: see 13.12, 15; 14.9.
Had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands: see 13.16; 14.9.
They came to life: they came back to life at the same time that the Devil was thrown into the abyss. Other ways of rendering this are “They returned to life,” “They received life again,” or even “God caused them to live again.”
Reigned with Christ: “they ruled as kings with Christ.” The Greek text here has the definite article with “Christ,” so that it probably should be translated as the title “the Messiah” and not as a proper noun. The name “Christ” appears in Revelation as part of the name “Jesus Christ” in 1.1, 2, 5; it appears with the Greek definite article here and in verse 6; and, following “God,” it appears with the definite article and the possessive “his” (“his Messiah”) in 11.15; 12.10. Both here and in verse 6 it is recommended that it be translated as the title, “the Christ,” “the Messiah,” or “God’s Chosen Savior,” and not as a proper noun.
An alternative translation model for these verses is:
• And then I saw some thrones, on which sat those who had been beheaded because they had proclaimed the message of Jesus and the word of God. These people had not worshiped the beast or its statue, and they had not received the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their hands. They came back to life and sat on the thrones. God gave them the right to rule, and they reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .