Revelation 14:14–16

14:14 Then44 I looked, and a white cloud appeared,45 and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man!46 He had47 a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 14:15 Then48 another angel came out of the temple, shouting in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use49 your sickle and start to reap,50 because the time to reap has come, since the earth’s harvest is ripe!” 14:16 So51 the one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

44	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
45	tn Grk “and behold, a white cloud.”
46	tn This phrase constitutes an allusion to Dan 7:13. Concerning υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huios tou anthrōpou), BDAG 1026 s.v. υἱός 2.d.γ says: “ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου lit. ‘the son of the man’ … ‘the human being, the human one, the man’ … On Israelite thought contemporary w. Jesus and alleged knowledge of a heavenly being looked upon as a ‘Son of Man’ or ‘Man’, who exercises Messianic functions such as judging the world (metaph., pictorial passages in En 46–48; 4 Esdr 13:3, 15f) … Outside the gospels: Ac 7:56 … Rv 1:13; 14:14 (both after Da 7:13 …).” The term “son” here in this expression is anarthrous and as such lacks specificity. Some commentators and translations take the expression as an allusion to Daniel 7:13 and not to “the son of man” found in gospel traditions (e.g., Mark 8:31; 9:12; cf. D. E. Aune, Revelation [WBC], 2:800–801; cf. also NIV). Other commentators and versions, however, take the phrase “son of man” as definite, involving allusions to Dan 7:13 and “the son of man” gospel traditions (see G. K. Beale, Revelation [NIGTC], 771–72; NRSV).
47	tn Grk “like a son of man, having.” In the Greek text this is a continuation of the previous sentence.
48	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
49	tn Grk “Send out.”
50	tn The aorist θέρισον (therison) has been translated ingressively.
51	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s directions.