Hello,
Since I'm going to take my time on this post, I thought I would post something that I just read and comment on it(I'll be doing this as a Iread through it).
You posted:
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And that is with “made us” – ettoihsaj hmaj – vs. “madest them” – ettoihsaj autouj – of the Andreas group of mss and the 046 group, respectively. Before comparing the merits of these two groups, let me mention that, as Moorman notes, “There is no previous mention as to who ‘them’ would be; ‘us’ refers to the 24 elders representing the church before the throne.” He says the same regarding the “they reign” we looked at previously.
(Alan Kurschner’s remark, “…since the four living creatures are clearly celestial beings, it is absurd to argue that they have been redeemed” – hoping to obviate the “us” in the song – assumes the four beasts, besides falling down before the Lamb together with the elders, had also joined in singing the song the 24 elders sang; will one assume they were playing the harps also? I don’t think so.)
Moorman is right, there is no prior group “they” could refer to. It is us – they sang – who have been redeemed! The 046 reading – and the 046 readings throughout Revelation – are not to be accounted genuine. One thing I like about the margin notes in the NKJV is it gives the variants and their text-types, so I can see the situation with regard to other versions.
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I would like to point out that when keeping in context with the verse, "them" refers to "men" who have been redeemed.
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8When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
10"You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."
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Since the elders are "holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" they are representing the men(those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, men and women). It follows that the "men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation" are "them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth" since this is how the context would flow. Isn't saying that we have no idea who "them" are, being a bit, irrational?
(This isn't an attack, just something I saw. You're a brother in Christ.
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