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Text -- Revelation 5:4 (NET)

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Context
5:4 So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
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Word/Phrase Notes
Robertson , Vincent , Wesley , JFB , Clarke , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes

Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Barclay , Constable , College

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Rev 5:4 - -- I wept much ( egō eklaion polu ). Imperfect active of klaiō , picturesque, descriptive, I kept on weeping much; natural tense in these vivid visi...

I wept much ( egō eklaion polu ).

Imperfect active of klaiō , picturesque, descriptive, I kept on weeping much; natural tense in these vivid visions (Rev 1:12; Rev 2:14; Rev 5:4, Rev 5:14; Rev 6:8, Rev 6:9; Rev 10:10; Rev 19:14; Rev 21:15). Perhaps weeping aloud.

Robertson: Rev 5:4 - -- Was found ( heurethē ). First aorist passive indicative of heuriskō .

Was found ( heurethē ).

First aorist passive indicative of heuriskō .

Robertson: Rev 5:4 - -- Worthy ( axios ). Predicative nominative after heurethē .

Worthy ( axios ).

Predicative nominative after heurethē .

Vincent: Rev 5:4 - -- I wept ( ἔκλαιον ) Audible weeping. See on Luk 6:21.

I wept ( ἔκλαιον )

Audible weeping. See on Luk 6:21.

Wesley: Rev 5:4 - -- A weeping which sprung from greatness of mind. The tenderness of heart which he always had appeared more clearly now he was out of his own power. The ...

A weeping which sprung from greatness of mind. The tenderness of heart which he always had appeared more clearly now he was out of his own power. The Revelation was not written without tears; neither without tears will it be understood. How far are they from the temper of St. John who inquire after anything rather than the contents of this book! yea, who applaud their own clemency if they excuse those that do inquire into them!

JFB: Rev 5:4 - -- Inserted in English Version Greek text without good authority. One oldest manuscript, ORIGEN, CYPRIAN, and HILARY omit the clause. "To read" would be ...

Inserted in English Version Greek text without good authority. One oldest manuscript, ORIGEN, CYPRIAN, and HILARY omit the clause. "To read" would be awkward standing between "to open the book" and "to look thereon." John having been promised a revelation of "things which must be hereafter," weeps now at his earnest desire being apparently frustrated. He is a pattern to us to imitate, as an eager and teachable learner of the Apocalypse.

Clarke: Rev 5:4 - -- I wept much - Because the world and the Church were likely to be deprived of the knowledge of the contents of the book.

I wept much - Because the world and the Church were likely to be deprived of the knowledge of the contents of the book.

TSK: Rev 5:4 - -- because : Rev 4:1; Dan 12:8, Dan 12:9

because : Rev 4:1; Dan 12:8, Dan 12:9

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Rev 5:4 - -- And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - Greek, as in Rev 5:3, no one. It would seem as if there was a pause to see if there were...

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - Greek, as in Rev 5:3, no one. It would seem as if there was a pause to see if there were any response to the proclamation of the angel. There being none, John gave way to his deep emotions in a flood of tears. The tears of the apostle here may be regarded as an illustration of two things which are occurring constantly in the minds of people:

(1) The strong desire to penetrate the future; to lift the mysterious veil which shrouds what is to come; to find some way to pierce the dark wall which seems to stand up before us, and which shuts from our view what is to be hereafter. There have been no more earnest efforts made by people than those which have been made to read the scaled volume which contains the record of what is yet to come. By dreams, and omens, and auguries, and astrology, and the flight of birds, and necromancy, people have sought anxiously to ascertain what is to be hereafter. Compare, for an expression of that intense desire, Foster’ s Life and Correspondence, vol. i. p. 111, and vol. ii. pp. 237, 238.

(2) The weeping of the apostle may be regarded as an instance of the deep grief which people often experience when all efforts to penetrate the future fail, and they feel that after all they are left completely in the dark. Often is the soul overpowered with grief, and often are the eyes filled with sadness at the reflection that there is an absolute limit to the human powers; that all that man can arrive at by his own efforts is uncertain conjecture, and that there is no way possible by which he can make nature speak out and disclose what is to come. Nowhere does man find himself more fettered and limited in his powers than here; nowhere does he feel that there is such an intense disproportion between his desires and his attainments. In nothing do we feel that we are more absolutely in need of divine help than in our attempts to unveil the future; and were it not for revelation man might weep in despair.

Poole: Rev 5:4 - -- As it is the nature of man to desire to know secret and hidden things, especially such as we apprehend of concernment to ourselves, or those whom we...

As it is the nature of man to desire to know secret and hidden things, especially such as we apprehend of concernment to ourselves, or those whom we love, or are interested in it; and to be troubled, if we know they may be known, and are at a loss for due means whereby to come to the knowledge of them.

Gill: Rev 5:4 - -- And I wept much,.... Not so much on his own account, because he feared his curiosity would not be gratified, and that strong desire answered, which we...

And I wept much,.... Not so much on his own account, because he feared his curiosity would not be gratified, and that strong desire answered, which were raised in him upon sight of the book, and increased by the angel's proclamation; but for the sake of the church of God, whose representative he was, and to whom the knowledge of this book, and the things contained in it, he judged must be very useful and profitable. The Ethiopic version reads, "and many wept"; many of those that were about the throne, as well as John:

because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,

neither to look thereon; because there was no creature in heaven, earth, or under it, that were of dignity and authority, as well as of ability, to open the book by unsealing it; and read and deliver out the prophecies in it upon the taking off of every seal; and so not to look into it, and foresee and foretell what was hereafter to come to pass, in the church and world: the phrase of being worthy to look on it seems to be Jewish; of the book of the generation of Adam, Gen 5:1, the Jews say e that

"it descended to the first man, and by it he knew the wisdom which is above; and this book came to the sons of God, the wise men of the age, מאן דזכי לאשגחא ביה, "whoever is worthy to look in it", knows by it the wisdom which is from above.''

The whole verse is left out in the Alexandrian copy; and the phrase, "to read", is neither in the Vulgate Latin, nor in any of the Oriental versions.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Rev 5:4 Grk “much.”

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Rev 5:1-14 - --1 The book sealed with seven seals,9 which only the Lamb that was slain is worthy to open.12 Therefore the elders praise him, and confess that he rede...

MHCC: Rev 5:1-7 - --The apostle saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, a roll of parchments in the form usual in those times, and sealed with seven seals. This ...

Matthew Henry: Rev 5:1-5 - -- Hitherto the apostle had seen only the great God, the governor of all things, now, I. He is favoured with a sight of the model and methods of his go...

Barclay: Rev 5:2-4 - --As John looked at God with the roll in his hand, there came a challenge from a strong angel. A strong angel appears again in Rev 10:1and Rev 18:21. ...

Constable: Rev 4:1--22:6 - --III. THE REVELATION OF THE FUTURE 4:1--22:5 John recorded the rest of this book to reveal those aspects of the f...

Constable: Rev 4:1--5:14 - --A. Introduction to the judgments of the Tribulation chs. 4-5 Chapters 4 and 5 prepared John, and they pr...

Constable: Rev 5:1-14 - --2. The Lamb on the throne ch. 5 John next recorded the revelation of the sealed scroll and its r...

Constable: Rev 5:2-5 - --The opener of the scroll 5:2-5 5:2 The identity of the strong angel is probably unknowable. His loud voice indicated his authority and the importance ...

College: Rev 5:1-14 - --REVELATION 5 5. The Scroll with Seven Seals (5:1) 1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides an...

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Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Revelation (Book Introduction) THE REVELATION OF JOHN ABOUT a.d. 95 By Way of Introduction Difficulty in the Problem Perhaps no single book in the New Testament presents so ...

JFB: Revelation (Book Introduction) AUTHENTICITY.--The author calls himself John (Rev 1:1, Rev 1:4, Rev 1:9; Rev 2:8). JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 308] (A.D. 139-161) quotes ...

JFB: Revelation (Outline) TITLE: SOURCE AND OBJECT OF THIS REVELATION: BLESSING ON THE READER AND KEEPER OF IT, AS THE TIME IS NEAR: INSCRIPTION TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES: APOSTOL...

TSK: Revelation (Book Introduction) The obscurity of this prophecy, which has been urged against its genuineness, necessarily results from the highly figurative and symbolical language i...

TSK: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Rev 5:1, The book sealed with seven seals, Rev 5:9, which only the Lamb that was slain is worthy to open; Rev 5:12, Therefore the elders ...

Poole: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 5

MHCC: Revelation (Book Introduction) The Book of the Revelation of St. John consists of two principal divisions. 1. Relates to " the things which are," that is, the then present state of...

MHCC: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) (Rev 5:1-7) A book sealed with seven seals, which could be opened by none but Christ, who took the book to open it. (Rev 5:8-14) Upon which all honou...

Matthew Henry: Revelation (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Revelation of St. John the Divine It ought to be no prejudice to the credit and authority of this b...

Matthew Henry: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) In the foregoing chapter the prophetical scene was opened, in the sight and hearing of the apostle, and he had a sight of God the Creator and ruler...

Barclay: Revelation (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION OF JOHN The Strange Book When a student of the New Testament embarks upon the study of the Revelation he feels him...

Barclay: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) The Roll In The Hand Of God (Rev_5:1) God's Book Of Destiny (Rev_5:2-4) The Lion Of Judah And The Root Of David (Rev_5:5) The Lamb (Rev_5:6) Musi...

Constable: Revelation (Book Introduction) Introduction Historical background The opening verses of the book state that "John" wr...

Constable: Revelation (Outline) Outline I. The preparation of the prophet ch. 1 A. The prologue of the book 1:1-8 ...

Constable: Revelation Revelation Bibliography Abbott-Smith, George. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & ...

Haydock: Revelation (Book Introduction) THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN, THE APOSTLE. INTRODUCTION. Though some in the first ages [centuries] doubted whether this book was canonical, and ...

Gill: Revelation (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION That this book was written by the Apostle and Evangelist John, is clear not only from the express mention of his name, a...

Gill: Revelation 5 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 5 This chapter contains the vision of the sealed book, and the opening of it by Christ, which occasions universal joy am...

College: Revelation (Book Introduction) PREFACE This commentary on the Revelation of John has been prepared for general readers of the Bible who desire to deepen their understanding of God'...

College: Revelation (Outline) OUTLINE I. PROLOGUE - 1:1-20 A. Introduction to the Prophecy - 1:1-3 B. Sender - 1:4a C. Recipients - 1:4b D. Prescript - 1:4c-5a E. ...

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