J.B. Phillips: "and we shall reign on the earth.”
Weymouth NT: "And they reign over the earth."
Grant Osborne (Baker Exegetical Commentary): 5:10. βασιλεύσουσιν: There are three readings for “they shall reign” here. The first plural βασιλεύσομεν is based on inferior readings (2432 idem et al.) and is unlikely. The other two have nearly equal manuscript support. The future βασιλεύσουσιν is supported by א P 1 94 1828 1854 et al., and the present βασιλεύουσιν is supported by A 046 1006 1611 et al. It is a difficult decision, because the present would probably be futuristic, “they are going to reign”; hence, it would have nearly identical force to the future. Due to the superiority of A and the others in 5:9, I tentatively side with the futuristic present here. Moreover, it is the most difficult reading, that is, a present force does not make sense, and so later scribes changed it to a future tense to make the future reign of the believers more evident.
Robert Mounce: Textual evidence is rather evenly divided between “they reign” (ASV) and “they will reign” (NIV), although the latter is favored both by the Nestle text (27th ed.) and the UBS text (3rd ed.). It seems unlikely that John is here referring to a present spiritual reign of believers.³⁶ The hymn of praise is not a cryptic reference to Christians as the true kings in spite of the apparent rule of the Caesars. The promise is that the church is to share in the eschatological reign of Christ and all that it will involve (2:26–27; 20:4; 22:5).
Mounce, Footnote 36: Even if βασιλεύουσιν is read instead of βασιλεύσουσιν, the reference is probably future, the verb serving as a futuristic present and imparting a tone of assurance (Moulton, Grammar, 3rd ed., 1.120). Krodel prefers the reading βασιλεύουσιν and concludes, “In short, the present tense, ‘they reign,’ also includes the future” (167).
Jon Morales: Christ, Shepherd of the Nations The Nations as Narrative Character and Audience in John's Apocalypse:
Craig Koester (Anchor Bible Commentary):
https://www.academia.edu/15023852/The_%CE%B2%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%B5%CE%AF%CF%82_and_the_Future_Reign_of_Those_in_His_%CE%B2%CE%B1%CF%83%CE%B9%CE%BB%CE%AD%CE%AF%E1%BE%B3_A_Text-Critical_Evaluation_of_Revelation_1_6_and_5_10
ReplyDeleteInteresting paper on Rev. 5:10. I don't have time to critique his work, but one thing he might change is the title of his paper. Secondly, I believe invalid inferences are being drawn from John's use of the aorist. It's highly unlikely he was saying that Christians now rule as kings. Compare Rev. 6:9-11; 20:4-6.
ReplyDeleteBurleson is referring to the "king" with the use of a plural Greek noun basileis). Furthermore, basileia in the nominative form does not have an iota subscript.
ReplyDeletehttp://bibletranslation.ws/trans/revwgrk.pdf
ReplyDeleteSee page 6 and page 25
NET Bible, Rev. 5:10: tc The textual problem here between the present tense βασιλεύουσιν (basileuousin, “they are reigning”; so A 1006 1611 ÏK pc) and the future βασιλεύσουσιν (basileusousin, “they will reign”; so א 1854 2053 ÏA pc lat co) is a difficult one. Both readings have excellent support. On the one hand, the present tense seems to be the harder reading in this context. On the other hand, codex A elsewhere mistakes the future for the present (20:6). Further, the lunar sigma in uncial script could have been overlooked by some scribes, resulting in the present tense. All things considered, there is a slight preference for the future.
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