Revelation 20:3-5
New English Translation
3 The angel[a] then[b] threw him into the abyss and locked[c] and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)
4 Then[d] I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.[e] I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These[f] had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They[g] came to life[h] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)[i] This is the first resurrection.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 20:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 20:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 20:3 tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.
- Revelation 20:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
- Revelation 20:4 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
- Revelation 20:4 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
- Revelation 20:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 20:4 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezēsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”
- Revelation 20:5 sn This statement appears to be a parenthetical comment by the author.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.