Revelation 2
Four of the seven letters stand in this chapter — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira. All four share one frame: write to the angel, ‘thus says’, ‘I know’, praise or charge, command, ‘let him hear’, and a promise to the one who overcomes. Each opening title is drawn from the vision of chapter 1 except Thyatira's ‘the Son of God’. Ephesus is praised for works and labour and endurance but left its first love — one word, ‘bear’, carries both not bearing evil people and bearing up for the name. Smyrna receives no charge, and its poverty turns over into riches inside one verse; ten days of affliction, the crown of life and the second death enter here, while singular and plural ‘you’ mix in one verse and both names, ‘Satan’ and ‘the slanderer’, stand in one letter. Pergamum is where Satan's throne is and where Antipas was killed — the only person named in this book, and his name stands in the nominative against the dative before it. Balaam and Balak stand together, and ‘to throw a stumbling block’ sounds near to Balak. The one who overcomes receives hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it that no one knows but the one who receives it. Thyatira has the longest letter and the smallest city — love, faith, service and endurance are bound under the article, and ‘your last works are more than the first’ stands against Ephesus's ‘you left the first love’. Jezebel calls herself a prophetess, and that participle breaks case again; the one who searches kidneys and hearts says he will kill with death — both turns of the Psalms and of Hebrew. The letter, written to one angel, turns to the rest; and where Psalm 2:9 has ‘break’ in Hebrew, the base text has the shepherd's verb. The morning star is given here as a reward and returns to Christ himself at 22:16.
Why this rendering
Rev.2.7 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας — Τάδε λέγει opens all seven letters, the phrase of Agabus at Acts 21:11 · each letter opens with a title drawn from the vision of chapter 1 — here the seven stars of 1:16 and the midst of the lampstands of 1:13 · all seven share one frame: write to the angel → thus says → ‘I know’ → praise or charge → command → ‘let him hear’ → a promise to the one who overcomes · οἶδα ‘I know’ opens six of the seven · in v.2 κακούς are people and so are ψευδεῖς · βαστάζω comes twice, in vv.2 and 3, once of not being able to bear evil people and once of bearing up for the name — one word for both not enduring and enduring · κοπιάω ‘grow weary’ in v.3 is one root with κόπος ‘labour’ in v.2 · ⸀πέπτωκας is perfect, so the fall stands · Νικολαϊτῶν stands only twice, both in this book, and who they are the text does not say · v.7 doubles the person — a dative followed by a further pronoun (a solecism).
Rendering options · 3
Basis It is the prophetic opening formula, as at Acts 21:11.
Basis One verb carries both the not-enduring and the enduring.
Basis The text does not say; ‘the sect of Nicolaus’ would add a group it does not give.
Lost in translation
Τάδε λέγει (v.1) — the phrase of Acts 21:11. Both use the same rendering.
βαστάζω twice (vv.2 · 3) — one word for both. English keeps ‘bear’ in both.
κόπος and κοπιάω (vv.2 · 3) — one root. English splits ‘labour’ from ‘grow weary’.
The perfect πέπτωκας (v.5) — the fall stands. Both render a perfect.
One frame for the seven letters — the same opening and closing. Both repeat the same wording.
The doubled person (v.7) — a dative followed by a pronoun. Neither locale carries the doubling.
Why this rendering
Rev.2.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὃς ἐγένετο νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν — it takes up the words of 1:18 but turns ζάω into an aorist, where there it was the present participle ‘the living one’ · the letter to Smyrna has no charge — only Smyrna and Philadelphia of the seven · ‘poverty — but you are rich’ turns over inside one verse · in συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ, συναγωγή is the word this edition settled as ‘synagogue’, kept apart from ἐκκλησία ‘assembly’ · ⸀μηδέν is accusative, ‘nothing’, the object of the fear · ὁ διάβολος ‘the slanderer’ stands beside ‘Satan’ of v.9 — the text keeps both names in one letter · singular ‘you’ and plural ‘you’ mix inside v.10 — the letter is to the angel, but it is ‘some of you’ who are thrown into prison · ‘ten days’ is a rare small number in this book · the genitive ‘of life’ after στέφανος ‘crown’ is left unclosed · ‘the second death’ enters at v.11 and returns at 20:6, 14 and 21:8.
Rendering options · 3
Basis 1:18 has the present participle; matching them would hide the change.
Basis Matt 4:23 settled συναγωγή; ‘gathering’ would blur it with ‘assembly’.
Basis The text mixes singular and plural inside one verse.
Lost in translation
The aorist ἔζησεν (v.8) — against the present participle of 1:18. Both render the change.
‘Poverty — rich’ (v.9) — turning over in one verse. Both show it with dashes.
συναγωγή against ἐκκλησία (vv.9 · 11) — both in one letter. Both keep them apart.
Singular and plural (v.10) — mixed in one verse. English has one ‘you’ for both.
‘Satan’ and ‘the slanderer’ (vv.9 · 10) — two names in one letter. Both keep them apart.
‘The crown of life’ (v.10) — the genitive left open. Both leave it unfilled.
Why this rendering
Rev.2.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὅπου ὁ θρόνος τοῦ Σατανᾶ — there is no copula · ‘Satan’ comes twice in v.13, and the verse opens and closes with him · Ἀντιπᾶς stands in the nominative where the phrase before it is dative (a solecism), and the base text leaves the break as it is · Antipas is the only person named in this book, and the name is once in the New Testament · μάρτυς ‘witness’ is the word set on Christ at 1:5, here set on a man · Βαλαάμ and Βαλάκ stand together, and Βαλάκ is once in the New Testament — Jude 11 and 2 Pet 2:15 name only Balaam · βαλεῖν σκάνδαλον ‘to throw a stumbling block’ sounds near to Βαλάκ · vv.14 and 20 name the same two faults — eating what is sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality — with only the order turned · v.17 gives two things — hidden manna and a white stone; ψῆφος was a ‘vote’ at Acts 26:10 and is a stone here · no one knows the new name but the one who receives it — what the name is the text does not say.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The base text leaves the nominative as it stands.
Basis At Acts 26:10 it is a vote; here it is a stone.
Basis The text says no one knows it but the one who receives it.
Lost in translation
The nominative Ἀντιπᾶς (v.13) — against the dative before it. Neither locale carries the break.
μάρτυς (v.13) — the word set on Christ at 1:5. Both use the same word.
Βαλάκ and βαλεῖν (v.14) — near in sound. Neither locale carries it.
No copula in v.13. Both must supply one.
ψῆφος (v.17) — a different place from the ‘vote’ of Acts 26:10. Both render by place.
‘A new name’ (v.17) — what it is is not said. Both leave it unfilled.
Why this rendering
Rev.2.23 Observation
Syntactic observation
Τάδε λέγει ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ — ‘the Son of God’ is the only title among the seven not drawn from the vision of chapter 1 · the longest letter goes to the smallest city · the four of v.19 are bound by the article (love, faith, service, endurance), pairing with the three of v.2 — works, labour, endurance · ‘your last works are more than the first’ stands directly against Ephesus, which ‘left the first love’ · after ⸀τὴν γυναῖκα, ἡ λέγουσα is nominative, breaking again (a solecism) · Ἰεζάβελ is once in the New Testament, and whether it is a name or a byname the text does not say · προφῆτις ‘prophetess’ stands only here and of Anna at Luke 2:36 · πλανάω is active, so ‘deceive’, by the rule of Matt 24:4 · κλίνη in v.22 is a ‘bed’, and whether sickbed or banquet couch the text does not say · ‘kill with death’ is a Hebrew turn · νεφρός ‘kidney’ is once in the New Testament, paired with καρδία ‘heart’ — the phrase of the Psalms · in v.23 ‘each of you’ turns plural.
Rendering options · 3
Basis It is the one title of the seven not drawn from the vision.
Basis The text does not say; ‘sickbed’ would close one reading.
Basis ‘Minds and hearts’ would lose the body words of the Psalms.
Lost in translation
The nominative ἡ λέγουσα (v.20) — against the accusative before it. Neither locale carries the break.
Four under the article (v.19) — love, faith, service, endurance as one. Neither locale marks the binding.
‘Kill with death’ (v.23) — a Hebrew turn. Neither locale unfolds it.
νεφρός (v.23) — a body word. Both keep a body word.
προφῆτις (v.20) — only here and Luke 2:36. Both use the same rendering.
‘Last works more than the first’ (v.19) — against Ephesus’s ‘first love’. Both use the same word.
Why this rendering
Rev.2.29 Observation
Syntactic observation
ὑμῖν δὲ λέγω τοῖς λοιποῖς — the letter, written to one angel, turns here to many — the plural ‘you’ runs through vv.24-25 · ‘as they say’ hangs on τὰ βαθέα τοῦ Σατανᾶ ‘the deep things of Satan’ — who says it the text does not say, and whether ‘deep things’ is their word or this word’s is left open · βάρος ‘weight’ is the word of Acts 15:28 — ‘no further burden’ is the turn of the Jerusalem decision · v.26 opens with two nominative participles and v.27 takes them up with a dative pronoun (a solecism) · v.27 quotes Psalm 2:9, where the Hebrew has ‘break’ and the base text has ‘shepherd’ (ποιμαίνω) — the reading of the Greek translation of the scrolls · in ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ‘an iron staff’, ῥάβδος is the staff of Matt 10:10 · κεραμικός ‘of the potter’ is once in the New Testament · ⸀συντρίβεται is present passive, ‘are broken’ · the morning star of v.28 returns to Christ himself at 22:16 · v.29 is the first of the seven to put ‘let him hear’ after the promise — the last three do the same.
Rendering options · 3
Basis The letter turns from one angel to many.
Basis The Hebrew has ‘break’; the base text has the shepherd’s verb.
Basis The text does not say.
Lost in translation
From singular to plural (v.24) — turning from the angel to the rest. English has one ‘you’ for both.
ποιμαίνω (v.27) — against the Hebrew ‘break’. Both render the shepherd’s verb.
Two nominative participles (v.26) — against the dative that follows. Neither locale carries the break.
βάρος (v.24) — the word of Acts 15:28. Both use the same word.
‘The morning star’ (v.28) — returning to Christ at 22:16. Both use the same word.
The place of ‘let him hear’ (v.29) — moved after the promise. Neither locale reorders it.