Revelation 20:4

πεπελεκισμένων. A has πεπολεμημένων.

καὶ οἵτινες. א has εἴ τινες οὖν. An[757][758], εἴ τινες. Aug. et si qui, Cyp[759] et quicumque.

[757] Andreas’ Augsburg MS. 12th century.
[758] Andreas’ Augsburg MS. 12th century.
[759] St Cyprian as quoted by Haussleiter.

4. θρόνους Cf. Daniel 7:9, θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν καὶ παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο. 26 κριτήριον ἐκάθισε. They who sat upon the thrones are identified by Daniel 7:22 as “the Saints of the Most High”—saints plainly in the modern sense as distinguished from angels.

κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς. In itself this might mean “their cause was judged,” but as τὸ κρἱμα Daniel 7:22 seems to be parallel to ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία καὶ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη τῶν βασιλέων τῶν ὑποκάτω παντὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ib. 27 probably κρίμα in both places means “the right of judging,” as is most likely assumed 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

καὶ τὰς ψυχάς. The Seer beholds the fulfilment of the promise in Daniel to the saints of the ancient law, and sharing their glory he sees all martyrs and all confessors of the latter days.

τῶν πεπελεκισμένων. Lit. “struck with an axe,” the old Roman mode of execution by sentence of the supreme magistrate. Capital punishment of citizens had been virtually abolished for the last years of the Republic: and when the emperors assumed the right of executing men for treason, it was done as though by military law (cf. St Mark 6:27) by a soldier, with a sword. But the old constitutional punishment was inflicted on provincials down to the fall of the Republic (Cic. Phil. XIII. xvi. 33); and it is not impossible that it was revived when it was desired that a citizen should be executed in due form of law.

οἵτινες … αὐτῶν. Revelation 13:12; Revelation 13:15-16. The promise extends to all who pass undefiled through the perils of the last time, whether they die a natural death, or “are alive and remain” to the coming of the Lord. οἵτινες probably also marks that their faithfulness is the reason that they share the glory of ancient saints and of earlier martyrs.

ἐβασίλευσαν μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. 2 Timothy 2:12. This “reign” was foretold in Revelation 5:10. “The nations” of the world continue to exist as usual (Revelation 20:3), so it is no doubt over them that the saints and martyrs reign.