Revelation 21:9--22:5

The New Jerusalem Descends

21:9 Then ¹  one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven final plagues came and spoke to me, ²  saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!” 21:10 So ³  he took me away in the Spirit ⁴  to a huge, majestic mountain ⁵  and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. 21:11 The city possesses ⁶  the glory of God; its brilliance is like a precious jewel, like a stone of crystal-clear jasper. ⁷  21:12 It has ⁸  a massive, high wall ⁹  with twelve gates, ¹⁰  with twelve angels at the gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel ¹¹  are written on the gates. ¹²  21:13 There are ¹³  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. ¹⁴  21:14 The ¹⁵  wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

21:15 The angel ¹⁶  who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now ¹⁷  the city is laid out as a square, ¹⁸  its length and width the same. He ¹⁹  measured the city with the measuring rod ²⁰  at fourteen hundred miles ²¹  (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits ²²  according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. ²³  21:18 The city’s ²⁴  wall is made ²⁵  of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. ²⁶  21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated ²⁷  with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, ²⁸  the fourth emerald, 21:20 the fifth onyx, ²⁹  the sixth carnelian, ³⁰  the seventh chrysolite, ³¹  the eighth beryl, ³²  the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, ³³  the eleventh jacinth, ³⁴  and the twelfth amethyst. 21:21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls – each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The ³⁵  main street ³⁶  of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

21:22 Now ³⁷  I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God – the All-Powerful ³⁸  – and the Lamb are its temple. 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb. 21:24 The nations ³⁹  will walk by its light and the kings of the earth will bring their grandeur ⁴⁰  into it. 21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁴¹  (and ⁴²  there will be no night there). ⁴³  21:26 They will bring the grandeur and the wealth ⁴⁴  of the nations ⁴⁵  into it, 21:27 but ⁴⁶  nothing ritually unclean ⁴⁷  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ⁴⁸  or practices falsehood, ⁴⁹  but only those whose names ⁵⁰  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

22:1 Then ⁵¹  the angel ⁵²  showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out ⁵³  from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 22:2 flowing down the middle of the city’s ⁵⁴  main street. ⁵⁵  On each side ⁵⁶  of the river is the tree of life producing twelve kinds ⁵⁷  of fruit, yielding its fruit every month of the year. ⁵⁸  Its leaves are for the healing of the nations. 22:3 And there will no longer be any curse, ⁵⁹  and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in the city. ⁶⁰  His ⁶¹  servants ⁶²  will worship ⁶³  him, 22:4 and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 22:5 Night will be no more, and they will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will shine on them, and they will reign forever and ever.

[21:9]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[21:9]  ² tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.” See also v. 15.

[21:10]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation.

[21:10]  ⁴ tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[21:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “to a mountain great and high.”

[21:11]  ⁶ tn Grk “from God, having the glory of God.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “the city” to refer back to the previous clause and translating the participle (“having”) as a finite verb.

[21:11]  ⁷ tn On the term ἰάσπιδι (iaspidi) BDAG 465 s.v. ἴασπις states, “jasper, a precious stone found in various colors, mostly reddish, somet. green…brown, blue, yellow, and white. In antiquity the name was not limited to the variety of quartz now called jasper, but could designate any opaque precious stone. Rv 21:18f. W. λίθος 4:3 (TestSol C 11:8). λίθος ἴασπις κρυσταλλίζων a stone of crystal-clear jasper 21:11 (cp. Is 54:12); perh. the opal is meant here; acc. to some, the diamond.”

[21:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “jasper, having.” Here a new sentence was started in the translation.

[21:12]  ⁹ tn Grk “a (city) wall great and high.”

[21:12]  ¹⁰ 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.”

[21:12]  ¹¹ tn Grk “of the sons of Israel.” The translation “nation of Israel” is given in L&N 11.58.

[21:12]  ¹² tn Grk “on them”; the referent (the gates) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:13]  ¹³ 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.

[21:13]  ¹⁴ tn The word “side” has been supplied four times in this verse for clarity.

[21:14]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:15]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:16]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.

[21:16]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[21:16]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:16]  ²⁰ tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.

[21:16]  ²¹ tn Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).

[21:17]  ²² tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).

[21:17]  ²³ tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anqrwpou, {o estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.

[21:18]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and its wall”; the referent of the pronoun (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:18]  ²⁵ tn The phrase ἡ ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους (Jh endwmhsi" tou teicou") is difficult to translate precisely. BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνδώμησις states, “primary mng. ‘interior structure’; in our lit. prob.=construction, hence material τοῦ τείχους Rv 21:18.” The phrase could then be translated, “the foundation of the city wall was jasper” or “the material used for the wall of the city was jasper.” The latter alternative has been used in the translation because the text goes on to discuss the foundation in 21:19 (using the term θεμέλιος [qemelios]), which is somewhat redundant if the foundation is mentioned here.

[21:18]  ²⁶ tn Or “transparent crystal.” See L&N 6.222, which notes the emphasis is on transparency here. The same Greek word, καθαρός (kaqaros), means both “pure” (referring to the gold) and “transparent” (referring to the glass).

[21:19]  ²⁷ tn The perfect participle here has been translated as an intensive (resultative) perfect.

[21:19]  ²⁸ sn Agate (also called chalcedony) is a semiprecious stone usually milky or gray in color (L&N 2.32).

[21:20]  ²⁹ sn Onyx (also called sardonyx) is a semiprecious stone that comes in various colors (L&N 2.35).

[21:20]  ³⁰ sn Carnelian is a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[21:20]  ³¹ sn Chrysolite refers to either quartz or topaz, golden yellow in color (L&N 2.37).

[21:20]  ³² sn Beryl is a semiprecious stone, usually blue-green or green in color (L&N 2.38).

[21:20]  ³³ sn Chrysoprase is a greenish type of quartz (L&N 2.40).

[21:20]  ³⁴ sn Jacinth is a semiprecious stone, probably blue in color (also called “hyacinth,” but that translation is not used here because of possible confusion with the flower of the same name). See L&N 2.41.

[21:21]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ³⁶ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[21:22]  ³⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Every verse from here to the end of this chapter begins with καί in Greek, but due to differences between Greek and contemporary English style, these have not been translated.

[21:22]  ³⁸ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[21:24]  ³⁹ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:24]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “splendor”; Grk “glory.”

[21:25]  ⁴¹ 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.”

[21:25]  ⁴² 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.

[21:25]  ⁴³ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[21:26]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “honor,” but BDAG 1005 s.v. τιμή 2.b states, “An outstanding feature of the use of τ., as already shown in several passages, is its combination w. δόξα…of earthly possessions τὴν δόξαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν Rv 21:26 (τιμή concr.=an object of value: Ezk 22:25).”

[21:26]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[21:27]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ⁴⁷ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

[21:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

[21:27]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.

[22:1]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[22:1]  ⁵² tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “proceeding.” Water is more naturally thought to pour out or flow out in English idiom.

[22:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “its”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:2]  ⁵⁵ tn The Greek word πλατεῖα (plateia) refers to a major (broad) street (L&N 1.103).

[22:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “From here and from there.”

[22:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “twelve crops” (one for each month of the year).

[22:2]  ⁵⁸ tn The words “of the year” are implied.

[22:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “be anything accursed” (L&N 33.474).

[22:3]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “in it”; the referent (the city, the new Jerusalem) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:3]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “city, and his.” Although this is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, a new sentence was started here in the translation because of the introduction of the Lamb’s followers.

[22:3]  ⁶² tn See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:3]  ⁶³ tn Or “will serve.”