Revelation 7:13–17

7:13 Then18 one of the elders asked19 me, “These dressed in long white robes—who are they and where have they come from?” 7:14 So20 I said to him, “My lord, you know the answer.”21 Then22 he said to me, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation. They23 have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb! 7:15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and they serve24 him day and night in his temple, and the one seated on the throne will shelter them.25 7:16 They will never go hungry or be thirsty again, and the sun will not beat down on them, nor any burning heat,26 7:17 because the Lamb in the middle of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”27

18	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
19	tn Grk “spoke” or “declared to,” but in the context “asked” reads more naturally in English.
20	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the previous question.
21	tn Though the expression “the answer” is not in the Greek text, it is clearly implied. Direct objects in Greek were frequently omitted when clear from the context.
22	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
23	tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
24	tn Or “worship.” The word here is λατρεύω (latreuō).
25	tn Grk “will spread his tent over them,” normally an idiom for taking up residence with someone, but when combined with the preposition ἐπί (epi, “over”) the idea is one of extending protection or shelter (BDAG 929 s.v. σκηνόω).
26	tn An allusion to Isa 49:10. The phrase “burning heat” is one word in Greek (καῦμα, kauma) that refers to a burning, intensely-felt heat. See BDAG 536 s.v.
27	sn An allusion to Isa 25:8.