Isaiah 26:1-2

Judah Will Celebrate

26:1 At that time ¹  this song will be sung in the land of Judah:

“We have a strong city!

The Lord’s ²  deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure. ³ 

26:2 Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter –

one that remains trustworthy.

Isaiah 54:12

54:12 I will make your pinnacles out of gems, ⁴ 

your gates out of beryl, ⁵ 

and your outer wall ⁶  out of beautiful ⁷  stones.

Isaiah 60:11

60:11 Your gates will remain open at all times;

they will not be shut during the day or at night,

so that the wealth of nations may be delivered,

with their kings leading the way. ⁸ 

Revelation 21:12-13

21:12 It has ⁹  a massive, high wall ¹⁰  with twelve gates, ¹¹  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ¹²  are written on the gates. ¹³  21:13 There are ¹⁴  three gates on the east side, three gates on the north side, three gates on the south side and three gates on the west side. ¹⁵ 

Revelation 21:21

21:21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The ¹⁶  main street ¹⁷  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

Revelation 21:25

21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ¹⁸  (and ¹⁹  there will be no night there). ²⁰ 

¹ tn Heb “In that day” (so KJV).

² tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Heb “deliverance he makes walls and a rampart.”

⁴ tn Perhaps, “rubies” (so ASV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

⁵ tn On the meaning of אֶקְדָּח (’eqdakh), which occurs only here, see HALOT 82 s.v.

⁶ tn Heb “border” (so ASV); NASB “your entire wall.”

⁷ tn Heb “delightful”; KJV “pleasant.”

⁸ tn Or “led in procession.” The participle is passive.

⁹ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

¹⁰ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

¹¹ tn On this term BDAG 897 s.v. πυλών 1 states, “gate, esp. of the large, impressive gateways at the entrance of temples and palaces…of the entrances of the heavenly Jerusalem…οἱ πυλῶνες αὐτῆς οὐ μὴ κλεισθῶσιν its entrances shall never be shut Rv 21:25; cp. vss. 12ab, 13abcd, 15, 21ab; 22:14.”

¹² tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

¹³ tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn The words “There are” have been supplied to make a complete English sentence. This is a continuation of the previous sentence, a lengthy and complicated one in Greek.

¹⁵ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁷ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

¹⁸ tn On the translation “during the day” see BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a, “But also, as in Thu. et al., of time within which someth. occurs, ἡμέρας during the day Rv 21:25.”

¹⁹ tn The Greek connective γάρ (gar) most often expresses some sort of causal connection. However, in this context there is no causal force to the second phrase; γάρ simply expresses continuation or connection. Because of this it has been translated as “and.” See BDAG 189-90 s.v. 2.

²⁰ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.