Revelation 4:1-11

Context

The Amazing Scene in Heaven

4:1 After these things I looked, and there was¹ a door standing open in heaven!² And the first voice I had heard speaking to me³ like a trumpet⁴ said: “Come up here so that⁵ I can show you what must happen after these things.” 4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit,⁶ and⁷ a throne was standing⁸ in heaven with someone seated on it! 4:3 And the one seated on it was like jasper⁹ and carnelian¹⁰ in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald¹¹ encircled the throne. 4:4 In¹² a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were¹³ dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns¹⁴ on their heads. 4:5 From¹⁵ the throne came out flashes of lightning and roaring¹⁶ and crashes of thunder. Seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God,¹⁷ were burning in front of the throne 4:6 and in front of the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.¹⁸

In¹⁹ the middle of the throne²⁰ and around the throne were four living creatures²¹ full of eyes in front and in back. 4:7 The²² first living creature was like a lion, the²³ second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. 4:8 Each one of the four living creatures had six wings²⁴ and was full of eyes all around and inside.²⁵ They never rest day or night, saying:²⁶

“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful,²⁷

Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”

4:9 And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor,²⁸ and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 4:10 the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground²⁹ before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns³⁰ before his³¹ throne, saying:

4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

since you created all things,

and because of your will they existed and were created!”³²

[4:1] ¹tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:1] ²tn Or “in the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).

[4:1] ³tn 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.”

[4:1] ⁴sn The phrase speaking to me like a trumpet refers back to Rev 1:10.

[4:1] ⁵tn The conjunction καί (kai), much like the vav-consecutive in Hebrew, appears to be introducing a final/purpose clause here rather than a coordinate clause.

[4:2] ⁶tn 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).

[4:2] ⁷tn Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[4:2] ⁸tn BDAG 537 s.v. κεῖμαι 2 gives the translation “stand” for the term in this verse.

[4:3] ⁹tn Grk “jasper stone.”

[4:3] ¹⁰sn Carnelian was a semiprecious gemstone, usually red in color (L&N 2.36).

[4:3] ¹¹tn Or “a rainbow emerald-like in appearance.”

[4:4] ¹²tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:4] ¹³tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the words “They were” to indicate the connection to the preceding material.

[4:4] ¹⁴sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:5] ¹⁵tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:5] ¹⁶tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”

[4:5] ¹⁷sn Some interpret the seven spirits of God as angelic beings, while others see them as a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit.

[4:6] ¹⁸tn This could refer to rock crystal, but it is possible this refers to ice (an older meaning). See BDAG 571 s.v. κρύσταλλος.

[4:6] ¹⁹tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:6] ²⁰tn Perhaps, “in the middle of the throne area” (see L&N 83.10).

[4:6] ²¹tn On the meaning of ζῴον (zwon) BDAG 431 s.v. 2 states, “Of the four peculiar beings at God’s throne, whose description Rv 4:6-9 reminds one of the ζῷα in Ezk 1:5ff, the cherubim. S. also Rv 5:6, 8, 11, 14; 6:1, 3, 5-7; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4.”

[4:7] ²²tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[4:7] ²³tn Both here and before the phrase “the third,” καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[4:8] ²⁴tn Grk “six wings apiece,” but this is redundant with “each one” in English.

[4:8] ²⁵tn Some translations render ἔσωθεν (eswqen) as “under [its] wings,” but the description could also mean “filled all around on the outside and on the inside with eyes.” Since the referent is not available to the interpreter, the exact force is difficult to determine.

[4:8] ²⁶tn Or “They never stop saying day and night.”

[4:8] ²⁷tn 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.”

[4:9] ²⁸tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[4:10] ²⁹tn Grk “the twenty-four elders fall down.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[4:10] ³⁰sn See the note on the word crown in Rev 3:11.

[4:10] ³¹tn The pronoun “his” is understood from the demonstrative force of the article τοῦ (tou) before θρόνου (qronou).

[4:11] ³²tc The past tense of “they existed” (ἦσαν, hsan) and the order of the expression “they existed and were created” seems backwards both logically and chronologically. The text as it stands is the more difficult reading and seems to have given rise to codex A omitting the final “they were created,” 2329 replacing “they existed” (ἦσαν) with “have come into being” (ἐγένοντο, egeneto), and 046 adding οὐκ (ouk, “not”) before ἦσαν (“they did not exist, [but were created]”). Several mss (1854 2050 Ï^A sa) also attempt to alleviate the problem by replacing ἦσαν with “they are” (εἰσιν, eisin).