Revelation 4:3-5

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Revelation 4:3 tn Grk “jasper stone.”sn Jasper was a semiprecious gemstone, probably green in color (L&N 2.30).
2. Revelation 4:3 sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).
3. Revelation 4:3 tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”
4. Revelation 4:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5. Revelation 4:4 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.
6. Revelation 4:4 sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.
7. Revelation 4:5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
8. Revelation 4:5 tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”
9. Revelation 4:5 sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.