Revelation 8-9 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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859 860 8618.3 And another different messenger / angel came and stood beside the altar, holding a862 863 864 865golden incense-bowl; and many incenses was given to him, so that he will add to the858(...continued)but does not take warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his ownhead...’” (Ezekiel 33:2-4, and the entire chapter.)It is this last usage that is most fitting for our understanding of the blowing of the trumpetsin Revelation 8 and 9 and 11:15-18. Their sound is a warning to all who hear of thecoming of destruction that is about to be inflicted on the earth’s inhabitants as the great day ofYHWH and the Little Lamb comes upon the wicked oppressive Roman Empire.859Aune comments on verses 3-5 that they “appear to be inserted between verses 2and 6...This brief episode...functions as a kind of throne-room scene...inserted into its presentsetting as is the scene in 15:2-4 that introduces the seven bowl plagues. When the angel [ /messenger] is described as casting fiery coals on the earth, followed by thunder, voices, lightning,and an earthquake (verse 5), he simply anticipates in a very general way the divinejudgments that are unleashed upon the earth in 8:7-9:21 and 11:15-18.” (P. 511)860John uses the preposition ð, epi, literally “upon,” but which, when used with thegenitive, sometimes means “by” or “beside.”861The genitive phrase ôï èõóéáóôçñßïõ, tou thusiasteriou, literally “(upon orbeside) the altar,” is changed to the accusative to. qusiasth,rion, to thusiasterion, byAlexandrinus, Minuscules 1006, 1611, 1841, 1854, 2053, 2329 and the Majority Text (A).This is a matter of a grammatical correction by later copyists, who thought the accusativemore appropriate than the genitive. However, it does not change the meaning of Revelation.Swete comments how "The celestial messenger / angel takes the place of the priest,and offers the incense." (P. 108) It seems obvious that the altar intended is an "altar ofincense," rather than an "altar of burnt offering," although in John's visions these two altarsseem to be combined as one–at least no distinction is made between them. Aune translatesby “the altar of incense.” (P. 481)He comments that “Revelation 8:3-5 and 9:13 are the only passages in Jewish apocalypticliterature known to me in which either the incense offering or the golden altar ofincense is mentioned.” (P. 511)862Or, perhaps, "golden incense," indicating the precious nature of prayers to God–theyare like “gold.” Elsewhere, the noun ëéâáíùôüí, libanoton means simply "incense"; but407(continued...)
866 867 868prayers of all the set-apart-people, upon the golden altar--the one in the presence of the862(...continued)because of the adjective “golden” used to modify it here, it is assumed that an unusualmeaning has been given to the word by John, golden "incense-bowl," or golden "censer."863Aune translate by “a large quantity of incense” (p. 481).864Even though the subject of the verb is a plural noun, qumia,mata polla, thumiamatardpolla, “many incenses,” the verb is 3 person singular, aorist passive, evdo,qh, edothe, “wasgiven.”865The future verb äþóåé, dosei, literally “he will give,” is read by Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus,Ephraemi Rescriptus, Minuscule 1611, and some other Greek manuscripts. It is changedto the aorist subjunctive dw,sh, dose, “he might give,” by the Majority Text. It is changed to thepresent subjunctive dw|/, do, “he may be giving,” by Minuscules 1006, 1841, 2053 and a fewother Greek manuscripts. The variant readings do not change the meaning of Revelation, butare examples of later copyists enhancing the original text by improving on its grammar–a subjunctiveverb is more appropriate than the future–but this very fact indicates the originality ofthe future verb.Aune translates by “to offer as a complement to...” (P. 481)866The dative plural phrase ôáò ðñïóåõ÷áò, tais proseuchais, “to the prayers,” ischanged to an accusative phrase ta.j proseuca,j, tas proseuchas, “the prayers” (as directobject of the verb), by Minuscule 94, the Majority Text (A), the Old Latin manuscript gig andTyconius (who died after 390 A.D.). It is changed to the genitive plural tw/n proseucw/n, tonproseuchon, perhaps “with the prayers,” by Minuscule 1611. The variant cases reflect varyingunderstandings of the meaning of Revelation–i.e., was the incense added “to the prayers,”or were the prayers themselves given, or was the incense given along with the prayers? Thevariant readings do not change the meaning of Revelation, but show varying ways in which itcan be understood.867Not just the prayers of the martyrs who have died in their courageous witness (seeRevelation 6:9-11), but the prayers of all God's people (this is Aune’s translation, p. 481), Hisearthly "kingdom of priests," ascend to heaven's throne. Aune comments that “If the coals offire from the heavenly altar symbolize the series of judgments that are about to be inflicted onthe people of the earth, then the prayers of the saints must be construed as prayers for divinevengeance upon those who have persecuted them, such as the prayer for vengeance utteredby the souls of the martyrs under the heavenly altar.” (Pp. 494-95)The poet has said, "More things are wrought through prayer than this world dreams of."John says the same thing in the highly symbolic language of his vision. The prayers of allGod's people are heard in heaven; and there, those prayers are taken seriously; "goldenincense" is added to them--they are increased and multiplied, and brought before the throne ofthe universe, before God and the Little Lamb--and they play an important role in the future ofthe universe!(continued...)408
Page 2 and 3: 8.10 Êá ôñßôïò ããåëï
Page 4 and 5: 9.18 ð ôí ôñéí ðëçãí ô
Page 6 and 7: 853(...continued)Jerusalem temple c
Page 10 and 11: 869 870Throne. 8.4 And the smoke of
Page 12 and 13: 877 878 879and lightnings, and an e
Page 14 and 15: 881(...continued)John's vision may
Page 16 and 17: 889 890burned up, and the third par
Page 18 and 19: 895(...continued)At least we may be
Page 20 and 21: 899 900having innermost-beings; and
Page 22 and 23: 902 903waters. 8.11 And the name of
Page 24 and 25: 8.12 And the fourth messenger / ang
Page 26 and 27: 909(...continued)and national ruler
Page 28 and 29: 913 914 915 916great voice, “Woe,
Page 30 and 31: 917(...continued)the east; and the
Page 32 and 33: 919(...continued)The futurists, “
Page 34 and 35: 924 925 926And it opened the pit of
Page 36 and 37: 930 9319.3 And out of the smoke cam
Page 38 and 39: 932The dative feminine plural prono
Page 40 and 41: 941 942was given to them that they
Page 42 and 43: 948 9499.7 And the likenesses of th
Page 44 and 45: 953like faces of people. 9.8 And th
Page 46 and 47: 960 961 962 963[for] five months. 9
Page 48 and 49: things! 972968 969 970 9719.12 The
Page 50 and 51: 979 980messenger / angel, the one h
Page 52 and 53: 985 986 987the people. 9.16 And the
Page 54 and 55: 988(...continued)out totally disrup
Page 56 and 57: 994the heads of the horses [were] l
Page 58 and 59:
1004 1005 1006the authority of the
Page 60 and 61:
1011(...continued)"turning around,"
Page 62 and 63:
1017 1018 1019and the stone ones, a
Page 64 and 65:
1023(...continued)Compare the state
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Revelation 8-9 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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