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Colossians 1:18
New English Translation
Colossians 1:18
New English Translation
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn[a] from the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.[b]
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:18 tn See the note on the term “firstborn” in 1:15. Here the reference to Jesus as the “firstborn from the dead” seems to be arguing for a chronological priority, i.e., Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.
- Colossians 1:18 tn Grk “in order that he may become in all things, himself, first.”
Revelation 1:8
New English Translation
Revelation 1:8
New English Translation
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”[a] says the Lord God—the one who is, and who was, and who is still to come—the All-Powerful![b]
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- Revelation 1:8 tc The shorter reading “Omega” (ὦ, ō) has superior ms evidence (א1 A C 1611) to the longer reading which includes “the beginning and the end” (ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος or ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος, archē kai telos or hē archē kai to telos), found in א*,2 1854 2050 2329 2351 MA lat bo. There is little reason why a scribe would have deleted the words, but their clarifying value and the fact that they harmonize with 21:6 indicate that they are a secondary addition to the text.
- Revelation 1:8 tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π.…Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”
Revelation 21:6
New English Translation
Revelation 21:6
New English Translation
6 He also said to me, “It is done![a] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water[b] free of charge[c] from the spring of the water of life.
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- Revelation 21:6 tn Or “It has happened.”
- Revelation 21:6 tn The word “water” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
- Revelation 21:6 tn Or “as a free gift” (see L&N 57.85).
Revelation 3:14
New English Translation
Revelation 3:14
New English Translation
To the Church in Laodicea
14 “To[a] the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following:[b]
“This is the solemn pronouncement of[c] the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator[d] of God’s creation:
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- Revelation 3:14 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 3:14 tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.
- Revelation 3:14 tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.sn The expression This is the solemn pronouncement of reflects an OT idiom. See the note on this phrase in 2:1.
- Revelation 3:14 tn Or “the beginning of God’s creation”; or “the ruler of God’s creation.” From a linguistic standpoint all three meanings for ἀρχή (archē) are possible. The term is well attested in both LXX (Gen 40:13, 21; 41:13) and intertestamental Jewish literature (2 Macc 4:10, 50) as meaning “ruler, authority” (BDAG 138 s.v. 6). Some have connected this passage to Paul’s statements in Col 1:15, 18 which describe Christ as ἀρχή and πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos; e.g., see R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 124) but the term ἀρχή has been understood as either “beginning” or “ruler” in that passage as well. The most compelling connection is to be found in the prologue to John’s Gospel (1:2-4) where the λόγος (logos) is said to be “in the beginning (ἀρχή) with God,” a temporal reference connected with creation, and then v. 3 states that “all things were made through him.” The connection with the original creation suggests the meaning “originator” for ἀρχή here. BDAG 138 s.v. 3 gives the meaning “the first cause” for the word in Rev 3:14, a term that is too philosophical for the general reader, so the translation “originator” was used instead. BDAG also notes, “but the mng. beginning = ‘first created’ is linguistically probable (s. above 1b and Job 40:19; also CBurney, Christ as the ᾿Αρχή of Creation: JTS 27, 1926, 160-77).” Such a meaning is unlikely here, however, since the connections described above are much more probable.
New English Translation (NET)
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