Revelation 19:6–9

The Wedding Celebration of the Lamb

19:6 Then9 I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting:10

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God,11 the All-Powerful,12 reigns!

19:7 Let us rejoice13 and exult

and give him glory,

because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

19:8 She was permitted to be dressed in bright, clean, fine linen”14 (for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints).15

19:9 Then16 the angel17 said to me, “Write the following: Blessed are those who are invited to the banquet at the wedding celebration of the Lamb!” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

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9	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
10	tn Grk “like the voice of a large crowd … saying.” Because of the complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were.”
11	tc Several mss (א2 P 1611 2053 2344 pc 𝔐K lat) read “the Lord our God” (κύριος ὁ θεός ἡμῶν, kurios ho theos hēmōn). Other important mss (A 1006 1841 pc), however, omit the “our” (ἡμῶν). Further, certain mss (051 𝔐A) omit “Lord” (κύριος), while others (including א) change the order of the statement to “God our Lord” (ὁ θεός ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν). The expression “the Lord God, the All-Powerful” occurs in 6 other places in Revelation (1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22) and the pronoun “our” is never used. Scribes familiar with the expression in this book, and especially with the frequent κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ (kurios ho theos ho pantokratōr*; “the Lord God, the All-Powerful”) in the OT Prophets (LXX; cf. Jer 39:19; Hos 12:6; Amos 3:13; 4:13; 5:8, 14, 15, 16, 27; 9:5, 6, 15; Nah 3:5; Zech 10:3), would naturally omit the pronoun. Its presence may have arisen due to liturgical motivations or to conform to the expression “our God” in 19:1, 5, but this seems much less likely than an aversion to using the pronoun here and only here in the Greek Bible in the fuller title κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ.
12	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 … κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν ὁ π. Rv 19:6.”
13	tn This verb and the next two verbs are hortatory subjunctives (giving exhortations).
14	tn On the term translated “fine linen,” BDAG 185 s.v. βύσσινος states, “made of fine linen, subst. τὸ β. fine linen, linen garment … Rv 18:12 … 16; 19:8, 14.”
15	sn This phrase is treated as a parenthetical explanation by the author.
16	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
17	tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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