Matthijs Den Dulk, «The Promises to the Conquerors in the Book of Revelation», Vol. 87 (2006) 516-522
This article suggests that the promises to the “conquerors” at the close of each
letter to the Asian churches in chapters 2 and 3 of the Apocalypse are based on
subsequent events in salvation-history. The first promise (to the conquerors in
Ephesus) refers to the creation story, the last promise (to the Laodicean
conquerors) refers to the ministry and exaltation of Jesus. The promises to the
other churches fit within this salvation-historical line from creation to the ministry
of the Messiah, which is taken up again at the end of the book in the
eschatological and climactic promise of Rev 21,7.
518 Matthijs den Dulk
3. The Promise to Pergamum: From Genesis to Exodus
Compared to the other churches, the promise to the conquerors at
Pergamum is rather long: “to everyone who conquers I will give some of the
hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written
a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it†(2,17). The
meaning of the manna is relatively straightforward (9); it refers to the pot of
manna stored up in the ark (Exod 16,32-34). That it was “hiddenâ€
(kekrummevnou) can refer either to its usually invisible position in the ark or to
the tradition that it was hidden along with the other sacred vessels shortly
before the destruction of the temple (cf. 2 Macc 2,4-8; 2 Bar 6,5-9) (10). The
white stone with the unknown new name written on it has presented
interpreters with far more difficulties. Many interpretations have been
suggested, none really satisfactorily (11). One of these interpretations proposes
that Rev 2,17 refers to the stones on the ephod of the high priest (12). Each of
the two stones on the ephod had six of the twelve tribes’ names inscribed on it
(Exod 28,9-10; 28-29). This view is usually rejected by commentators with the
argument that the stones mentioned in Exod 28,9-10 are not white (13). Indeed,
the MT describes the stones as µhv, which can now, on the basis of Akkadian
evidence be identified as red coloured (14). However, early translations show
that the rendering of µhv has long been uncertain. The LXX translates the
eleven occurrences of the word with seven different Greek terms, the most
frequent of which are smavragdo" (3x); savrdion (2x) and bhruvllion (2x). In
Exod 28,9 smavragdo" is used, but a little further on (in vs. 20) we have
bhruvllion. Interestingly, Tg. Onq. and Tg. Ps.-J. also translate µhv (in Exod
28,9) with alrwb, beryl (15). Beryl is a white, colourless stone. It is described as
well-known, white and valuable in Cyranides 1.2.6. That the targums (and
sometimes the LXX as well) translate the difficult word in the same way
makes it conceivable that John understood µhv as beryl, and hence thought that
the stones with the names of the tribes on them were white. This additional
evidence strengthens the case that the reference in Rev 2,17 is indeed to Exod
28,9-10. It would, in any event, fit the context very well; the first part of the
promise refers to the manna kept in the holy of holies and the second part to
the stones on the ephod which was kept in the same place (16). If, as we shall
(9) So S. SMALLEY, The Revelation to John (Leicester 2005) 70.
(10) Another possibility is that John thought of the manna as hidden from the beginning
of creation, in a way similar to, e.g., the Palestinian targumim on Exodus 16,4 (on which
see B.J. MALINA, The Palestinian Manna Tradition [AGJU 7; Leiden 1968] 101).
(11) Cf. D.E. AUNE, Revelation 1–5 (WBC; Dallas 1997) 109: “The precise meaning of
this ‘white stone’ remains uncertainâ€. An extensive discussion can be found in HEMER,
Letters, 94-104.
(12) Advocated by, e.g., I.T. BECKWITH, The Apocalypse of John (New York 1919) 462-
463.
(13) So R.H. CHARLES, Revelation (Edinburgh 1920) I, 66. Similarly L. MORRIS, The
Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids 1987) 68. Cf R.H. MOUNCE, The Book of Revelation
(NICNT; Grand Rapids 1998) 83.
(14) Cf. “I µhvâ€, HALOT.
(15) At least one modern translation (the French Traduction œcuménique de la Bible,
1988) does the same. Tg. Neof. avoids the problem and simply translates as atbf hynba
(“precious stonesâ€).
(16) Cf. 2 Bar 6,7.