Once more they cried may be also rendered as “Once more the huge crowd of people cried.”

The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever: in 18.9, 18 we read of the smoke of the fire that destroys Babylon. Here the heavenly crowd celebrates the fact that the fire that consumes Babylon will never stop burning. See similar language in Isa 34.10.

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 .

Many languages have different forms for the singular and the plural second person pronouns and corresponding verb forms. In this letter the formal addressee is “the angel of the church,” singular, whereas the actual addressees are the members of the various churches, plural. Translators must decide whether or not they can follow the Greek of these letters and use the second person singular. In some languages (such as Spanish, Portuguese, French) the second person plural is normally used. In languages that have the same form for the singular and the plural (such as English), it may be well, after the address “to the angel of the church…,” to start the letter itself with something like “I know what you Christians in Ephesus have done….”

I know can be variously translated as “I am aware of” or “It has come to my attention.”

Your works: here and elsewhere (2.19; 3.1, 8, 15) works are not just specific deeds but the manner of life, the behavior of these people: “I know the life that you have lived” (Barclay), which is more inclusive than “I know what you have done” (An American Translation, Phillips, Good News Translation). Some, like Biblia Dios Habla Hoy and Bible en français courant, say “all that you have done.” The rest of the verse and verse 3 cite specific matters included in this opening general statement.

Your toil: here toil means their persistent and painful struggles to maintain their Christian profession. Bible en français courant has “the pain you have taken.” The general “how hard you have worked” (Good News Translation, Phillips) may not be specific enough; the terms used should not imply working hard for a living. Consequently something like “I know how hard you have worked as Christians (or, as believers in Jesus Christ),” “I know that you have had a difficult time in following Christ as you should,” or “… in doing your Christian duties.”

For patient endurance see 1.9. As elsewhere in this book (2.3, 19; 3.10; 14.12) this is the endurance of suffering and persecution that Christians were experiencing, and were to experience in the future.

Notice that in Greek the possessive pronoun your comes only after patient endurance, so that toil and patient endurance are governed by the one pronoun and may be taken to refer not to two separate matters but to two aspects of the one characteristic being praised: “I know how patient you have been as you have worked hard at your Christian duties.” Most translations, however, take it for granted that two distinct qualities are being praised: the first one is taken up in the rest of verse 2 and the second one in verse 3. Some ancient manuscripts and early versions have the possessive your after toil also.

And how you cannot bear evil men: Good News Translation begins a new sentence here, repeating “I know that”; New Revised Standard Version does the same. “To bear” means to tolerate, to put up with. Cannot bear is expressed idiomatically in certain languages as “don’t have a big heart towards” or “have a small heart towards.” It means that one opposes the people indicated.

These evil men include all kinds of people, men and women alike, whom the (true) believers in Ephesus could not tolerate, and of whom the “false apostles” are a specific example. It is not possible to identify them with certainty. Most commentators take them to be the same as the Nicolaitans in verse 6 (see also 2.14, 20-24) and identify them as teachers, in or out of the churches, who were spreading false doctrines. Most languages are quite rich in words and expressions for “bad” people, and no particular caution is needed except to make sure that the term used refers to bad moral or spiritual qualities, not to shameful physical characteristics or disgraceful social behavior.

But have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not: the verb “to test” means to apply certain procedures in order to determine the truth or falsity of a claim. The kind of test to be applied varies according to the situation. In the case of the people who claimed to be apostles, the test probably involved noticing their behavior and their teachings, and perhaps seeking information about them from other churches. Another way of translating tested those who … is “tried to find out the genuineness (or, validity) of those who….” Here apostles is not used in the restricted sense of the twelve apostles of Jesus, but in the broader sense of people sent to be traveling Christian teachers, like Paul and Barnabas, who were genuine apostles (and see also the false apostles on whom Paul pours such scorn in 2 Cor 11.5, 13; 12.11). In some languages apostles in this context may be translated as “Christ’s messengers.”

And found them to be false: as a result of such tests, the people at Ephesus had decided that the claims of these people to be authentic apostles were lies. New American Bible, Revised has a good translation, “and discovered that they are impostors” (so also An American Translation). One may also say “and found that they were not what they said they were,” or even “and found that they were lying.”

It is recommended that, unlike Revised Standard Version, this verse be divided up into two or three complete sentences, like New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, and other modern translations.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• I know how you have lived your life. I know how very hard you have worked as Christians and how you have put up with difficulties. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people. You have tried to find out the genuineness of those people who say that they are Christ’s messengers (or, apostles), and you have found that they are lying.

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 .

I know your works: see the comments at 2.2.

Behold: see 1.7.

The Greek text, as punctuated in the United Bible Societies’ (UBS) Greek New Testament, sets off within dashes the clause “Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut” (New Revised Standard Version; American Standard Version [American Standard Version] and New American Bible, Revised use parentheses), because the sense of the sentence is I know your works … that you have but little power…. In order to make this connection, Revised Standard Version and others repeat “I know” (so Revised English Bible, Translator’s New Testament, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version); Good News Translation, on the other hand, restructures the sentence, placing the statement about “the door” at the end (also Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), inasmuch as the open door comes as a result of the people’s faithfulness. Translators will decide which model is better for their languages.

I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut: the door is a figure for an opportunity for service or for preaching the gospel (see 1 Cor 16.9; 2 Cor 2.12; Col 4.3), and many see that as its meaning here. But here it can indicate free entrance into the Messianic kingdom, which no one will be able to block. Again the translator is to avoid the temptation to make the meaning of the figure explicit, unless it is likely to be misunderstood. In that case one may say “a door of opportunity.”

Instead of the literal “I have set an open door in front of you,” it may be better to say “I have opened a door in front of you” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant); Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “I have opened a door for you.” The word in Greek translated open is not an adjective as such but the perfect passive participle of the verb “to open”: “an opened door,” “a door that has been opened and remains open” (opened either by God or by the glorified Christ).

I know that you have but little power: here the little power the Christians at Philadelphia have is their influence in the community. The church is small, and few members, if any, have any prestige in their hometown. (In 2.26 Revised Standard Version “power” translates a different Greek word.) So one may render this clause as “I know that you do not have much prestige,” or idiomatically as “… do not have much face.”

And yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name: Revised Standard Version has translated the initial Greek kai and yet (also New International Version, New American Bible, Revised, Bible en français courant), which agrees with the context. This should be included in the translation. Despite their lack of power the Christians in Philadelphia have been faithful to Christ. The verbal phrase have kept my word means “have followed my teaching,” “have obeyed my commands.” Phillips translates “have been faithful to my message,” and Barclay “have been obedient to my instructions.”

And have not denied my name: see the similar “did not deny my faith” in 2.13; for my name see 2.3. This means “you have not disowned me,” “you have not renounced your faith in me,” “you have not said that you do not believe in me,” or “you have not said, ‘I don’t believe in Jesus (Christ),’ ” that is, “you have not apostatized.” For the same verb “deny” see Matt 10.33; Luke 12.9; 2 Peter 2.1; Jude 4.

Alternative translation models for this verse are:

• I know the life you live. I know that you have only a little prestige. You have obeyed (or, followed) my commands and have not said that you do not know me. Look, I have opened a door in front of you which no one is able to shut.

Or:

• I know the things that you do. I know that you do not have much face. You have followed my teaching and have never said, “I don’t know Jesus.” I have opened a door in front of you which no one is able to shut.

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 .

Then I looked, and I heard: it is not necessary to suppose that in saying “I looked” John means that he actually saw all the countless millions of angels. This marks the first appearance of these participants in the drama.

John describes the precise order: first the innermost throne, then the four living creatures, then the twenty-four elders, and now the millions of angels. The word around is better translated by New Jerusalem Bible “gathered around”; Good News Translation and Translator’s New Testament “They stood around” is too specific. A verb like “surrounded” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised) or “encircled” (New International Version) is better.

Numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands: the Greek word translated “myriad” means ten thousand. The whole expression means “millions and millions of them” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), “countless thousands” (New American Bible, Revised “they were countless in number”); or else “too many to count” (see a similar expression in 9.16).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Again I looked, and I heard the voices of countless numbers of angels standing around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders.

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 .

The Lamb opened the seventh seal: the Greek text says simply “He opened,” but it is recommended that Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation be imitated and the subject be made specific. This is the last seal, and so the scroll can now be opened and its message be revealed. This, however, does not happen.

For Lamb see 5.6.

For seal see 5.1.

There was silence in heaven for about half an hour: this period of silence not only emphasizes the importance of what is to follow; it may also serve to make it possible for the prayers of the people of God to be heard. All the heavenly singers (for example, those mentioned in 4.8-9; 5.9-14; 7.10-12) are quiet as the prayers of God’s people ascend to heaven. There was silence in heaven may also be rendered as “there was no sound in heaven,” “all over heaven, it was completely quiet,” or “all over heaven, no one made a sound.” In certain languages an ideophone meaning “complete silence” will be helpful here. Some languages will not have specific vocabulary for “minutes,” “hours,” and so on. In such cases a translator may say, for example, “for a short period of time.” The length of time does not have any particular significance here.

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 .

A little scroll: this differs from the scroll in 5.1; this one is small and is not sealed, but lies open, that is, unrolled, in the angel’s hand (see Ezek 2.10). A Greek diminutive form for “scroll” is used, hence little scroll. Its contents can be seen. If a translation must specify which hand of the angel is meant, probably the right hand should be chosen. So another way of expressing this clause is “He held a small unrolled scroll (or, paper document) in his hand.”

His right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land: this indicates that the angel is gigantic. It is pointless to try to identify the sea as the Mediterranean. The picture is meant to show that the message is for the inhabitants of the whole earth. So it is possible to say “He put his right foot down upon (or, on the surface of) the oceans, and his left foot on the dry land.”

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 .