Revelation 21:15-16

21:15 The angel who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal).


tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”

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

tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

tn Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).