SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:10
No tengas ningn temor de las cosas que has de padecer. He aquí, el diablo ha de enviar algunos de vosotros a la crcel, para que seis probados, y tendris tribulacin de diez días. S fiel hasta la muerte, y yo te dar la corona de la vida.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 2:10
Verse 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer] This may be addressed particularly to Polycarp, if he was at that time the bishop of this Church. He had much to suffer; and was at last burnt alive at Smyrna, about the year of our Lord 166. We have a very ancient account of his martyrdom, which has been translated by Cave, and is worthy of the reader's perusal. That account states that the Jews were particularly active in this martyrdom, and brought the fagots, &c., by which he was consumed. Such persons must indeed have been of the synagogue of Satan. Ten days] As the days in this book are what is commonly called prophetic days, each answering to a year, the ten years of tribulation may denote ten years of persecution; and this was precisely the duration of the persecution under Diocletian, during which all the Asiatic Churches were grievously afflicted. Others understand the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture. Gen. xxxi. 7, xl1: Thou hast changed my wages TEN TIMES; i.e. thou hast frequently changed my wages Num. xiv. 22: Those men have tempted me now these TEN TIMES; i.e. they have frequently and grievously tempted and sinned against me. Neh. iv. 12: The Jews that dwelt by them came and said unto us TEN TIMES, i.e. they were frequently coming and informing us, that our adversaries intended to attack us, Job xix. 3; These TEN TIMES have ye reproached me; i.e. ye have loaded me with continual reproaches. Dan. i. 20: In all matters of wisdom, he found them TEN TIMES better than all the magicians; i.e. the king frequently consulted Daniel and his companions, and found them more abundantly informed and wise than all his counsellors.
Some think the shortness of the affliction is here intended, and that the ten days are to be understood as in Terence, Heaut., Act v., scen. 1, ver. 36, Decem dierum vis mi est familia. "I have enjoyed my family but a short time." Be thou faithful unto death] Be firm, hold fast the faith, confess Christ to the last, and at all hazards, and thou shalt have a crown of life - thou shalt be crowned with life, have an eternal happy existence, though thou suffer a temporal death. It is said of Polycarp that when brought before the judge, and commanded to abjure and blaspheme Christ, he firmly answered, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me wrong, how then can I blaspheme my king who hath saved me?" He was then adjudged to the flames, and suffered cheerfully for Christ his Lord and Master.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer , etc.] God's people undergo sufferings of various sorts, as the Christians of those times did, scourgings, imprisonment, confiscation of goods, and death itself in various shapes; and these are certain, they shall suffer them; they are all known beforehand to Christ, and he sometimes gives his people previous notice of them, nor should they indulge a slavish fear about them. It is reported of Polycarp, bishop of this church at Smyrna, in a letter written by the church itself that three days before he suffered, he dreamed his pillow, on which he laid his head, was on fire; upon which, awaking, he said to those that were by him, that he should be burnt for Christ; and when he came to suffer, as he was led along, a voice was heard by the bystanders, Polycarp, be strong, and play the man. Behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison ; which has been the lot of many of the saints, and was of some, even of the faithful ministers of the word in this interval; in which Satan had an hand, instigating their enemies to prevent and stop the progress of the Gospel, and deter others both from preaching and professing it: the end was in the permission of it, that ye may be tried ; that their graces might be tried, their faith, love, zeal, courage, faithfulness, and constancy. Suffering times are trying times, whether men are real Christians or not; whether they have the true grace of God or not; and whether the principles they hold are right and true, and are worth, and will bear suffering for: and ye shall have tribulation ten days : meaning it may be the ten persecutions under the Roman emperors; the first was under Nero, in the year 64 or 66; the second was under Domitian, about the year 93; the third was under Trojan, in the year 104; the fourth was under Hadrian, in the year 125; the fifth was under Marcus Antoninus, in the year 151; the sixth was under Septimius Severus, in the year 197; the seventh was under Maximinus, in the years 235, 236, 237; the eighth was under Decius, in the year 250; the ninth was under Valerianus, in the year 257; and the tenth was under Dioclesian, in the year 303. Austin reckons the ten persecutions thus: the first by Nero, the second by Domitian, the third by Trojan, the fourth by Antoninus, the fifth by Severus, the sixth by Maximus, the seventh by Decius, the eighth by Valerianus, the ninth by Aurelianus, the tenth by Dioclesian and Maximianus. Others, inasmuch as Nero's persecution was before this vision, reckon the ten persecutions thus:
Domitian, Trojan, M. Antoninus, Verus and Lucius, Severus, Maximinus, Decius, Valerianus, Aurelianus, Dioclesianus, Licinius: the Dioclesian persecution lasted ten years almost throughout: and some think that this last persecution, which held ten years, is here particularly meant, and not without some good reason; since it is usual in prophetic writings, and in this book of the Revelation, to put days for years; so that these ten days may be the ten years the last persecution held, and at which time the period of this church state ended, and that of Pergamos took place. Be thou faithful unto death : which is an address to the ministers in this interval, to be faithful in preaching the pure and unmixed Gospel of Christ; in a constant administration of the ordinances, as they were delivered; in watching over the souls of men under their care, reproving, exhorting, etc. with all longsuffering; continuing in the discharge of duty, though in continual danger of death, and though it issued in it. And also to the churches and the members of them, to continue believing in Christ, professing his name, striving for his Gospel, attending on his ordinances, and following him whithersoever he went; though this should expose them to sufferings, even unto death, which it became them cheerfully to undergo: and to which they are encouraged by what follows, and I will give thee a crown of life ; which may refer not only to eternal life, which is so called, ( James 1:12); because of the glory of that state, and its everlasting continuance, and is in the possession and gift of Christ; but to the deliverance of the Christians from persecution, by Constantine; who coming to the imperial crown, that became not only a crown of glory to him, but of life to the church, and was as life from the dead unto the saints: to dead men is promised a crown of life, in allusion to the Gentiles, who crowned their dead f63 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 8-11 - Our Lord Jesus is the First, for by him were all things made; he wa before all things, with God, and is God himself. He is the Last, for he will be the Judge of all. As this First and Last, who was dead and i alive, is the believer's Brother and Friend, he must be rich in the deepest poverty, honourable amidst the lowest abasement, and happ under the heaviest tribulation, like the church of Smyrna. Many who ar rich as to this world, are poor as to the next; and some who are poor outwardly, are inwardly rich; rich in faith, in good works, rich i privileges, rich in gifts, rich in hope. Where there is spiritual plenty, outward poverty may be well borne; and when God's people ar made poor as to this life, for the sake of Christ and a goo conscience, he makes all up to them in spiritual riches. Christ arm against coming troubles. Fear none of these things; not only forbi slavish fear, but subdue it, furnishing the soul with strength an courage. It should be to try them, not to destroy them. Observe, the sureness of the reward; "I will give thee:" they shall have the rewar from Christ's own hand. Also, how suitable it is; "a crown of life: the life worn out in his service, or laid down in his cause, shall be rewarded with a much better life, which shall be eternal. The secon death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world.
Greek Textus Receptus
μηδεν 3367 φοβου 5399 5737 α 3739 μελλεις 3195 5719 πασχειν 3958 5721 ιδου 2400 5628 μελλει 3195 5719 βαλειν 906 5629 εξ 1537 υμων 5216 ο 3588 διαβολος 1228 εις 1519 φυλακην 5438 ινα 2443 πειρασθητε 3985 5686 και 2532 εξετε 2192 5692 θλιψιν 2347 ημερων 2250 δεκα 1176 γινου 1096 5737 πιστος 4103 αχρι 891 θανατου 2288 και 2532 δωσω 1325 5692 σοι 4671 τον 3588 στεφανον 4735 της 3588 ζωης 2222
Vincent's NT Word Studies
10. Fear not (uhden fobou). Lit., fear nothing. For the verb, see on Luke i. 50.
Behold (idou dh). The particle dh for certain, which is not rendered, gives a quality of assurance to the prediction.
The Devil (diabolov). See on Matt. iv. 1. The persecution of the Christians is thus traced to the direct agency of Satan, and not to the offended passions or prejudices of men. Trench observes: "There is nothing more remarkable in the records which have come down to us of the early persecutions, than the sense which the confessors and martyrs and those who afterwards narrate their sufferings and their triumphs entertain and utter, that these great fights of affliction through which they were called to pass, were the immediate work of the Devil."
Shall cast (mellei balein). Rev., rightly, is about to cast.
Prison (fulakhn). See on Acts v. 21.
May be tried (peirasqhte). Tempted. See on 1 Pet. i. 7.
Tribulation ten days (qliyin hmerwn deka). Lit., a tribulation of ten days.
Be thou (ginon). The exact force of the word cannot be given by a corresponding word in English. Lit., "become thou." There is to be a succession of trials demanding an increase in the power and a variety in the direction of faith. With reference to these trials, faithfulness is to be not only existent but becoming, developing with new strength and into new applications.
Unto death (acri qanatou). Not faithful until the time of death, but faithful up to a measure which will endure death for Christ's sake. "It is an intensive, not an extensive term."
A crown (ton stefanon). Rev., rightly, "the crown." See on 1 Pet. v. 4; Jas. i. 12. Crown is used with a variety of words: crown of righteousness (2 Tim. iv. 8); glory (1 Pet. v. 4); beauty Isa. lxii. 3, Sept., A.V., glory); pride (Isa. xxviii. 1); rejoicing (1 Thess. ii. 19). Of life (thv zwhv). The full phrase is the crown of the life: i.e., the crown which consists in life eternal. The image is not taken from the Greek games, although Smyrna contained a temple of Olympian Jupiter, and Olympian games were celebrated there. It is the diadem of royalty rather than the garland of victory, though more commonly used in the latter sense. It is not likely that John would use an image from the games, since there was the most violent prejudice against them on the part of Jewish Christians; a prejudice which, on occasions of their celebration, provoked the special ferocity of the pagans against what they regarded as the unpatriotic and unsocial character of Christ's disciples. It was at the demand of the people assembled in the stadium that Polycarp was given up to death. Moreover, it is doubtful whether any symbol in Apoc. is taken from heathenism. The imagery is Jewish.
