Revelation 21:16-18

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Revelation 21:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.
2. Revelation 21:16 tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”
3. Revelation 21:16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4. Revelation 21:16 tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.
5. Revelation 21:16 tn Or “2,200 kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).
6. Revelation 21:17 tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).
7. Revelation 21:17 tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anthrōpou, ho estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.
8. Revelation 21:18 tn Grk “and its wall”; the referent of the pronoun (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
9. Revelation 21:18 tn The phrase ἡ ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους (hē endōmēsis tou teichous) is difficult to translate precisely. BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνδώμησις states, “primary mng. ‘interior structure’; in our lit. prob.=construction, hence material τοῦ τείχους Rv 21:18.” The phrase could then be translated, “the foundation of the city wall was jasper” or “the material used for the wall of the city was jasper.” The latter alternative has been used in the translation because the text goes on to discuss the foundation in 21:19 (using the term θεμέλιος [themelios]), which is somewhat redundant if the foundation is mentioned here.
10. Revelation 21:18 tn Or “transparent crystal.” See L&N 6.222, which notes the emphasis is on transparency here. The same Greek word, καθαρός (katharos), means both “pure” (referring to the gold) and “transparent” (referring to the glass).