Revelation 4

1 After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will shew thee the things which must take place after these things.
2 Immediately I became in [the] Spirit; and behold, a throne stood in the heaven, and upon the throne one sitting,
3 and he [that was] sitting like in appearance to a stone [of] jasper and a sardius, and a rainbow round the throne like in appearance to an emerald.
4 And round the throne twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders sitting, clothed with white garments; and on their heads golden crowns.
5 And out of the throne go forth lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
6 and before the throne, as a glass sea, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, four living creatures, full of eyes, before and behind;
7 and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having respectively six wings; round and within they are full of eyes; and they cease not day and night saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.
9 And when the living creatures shall give glory and honour and thanksgiving to him that sits upon the throne, who lives to the ages of ages,
10 the twenty-four elders shall fall before him that sits upon the throne, and do homage to him that lives to the ages of ages; and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O our Lord and [our] God, to receive glory and honour and power; for *thou* hast created all things, and for thy will they were, and they have been created.

Images for Revelation 4

Footnotes 8

  • [a]. Lampas: only here and ch. 8.10 where the word is translated 'torch.' Not the lamp as a utensil (luchnia, ch. 1.13), but what furnished the light itself
  • [b]. I use 'round' for what is connected with anything (not necessarily united to it) as a centre, as the tire of a wheel, but 'around' is used for detached objects encircling.
  • [c]. See Isa. 6.2,3.
  • [d]. I judge that Ezek. 10.12 shows that 'round' belongs to the eyes.
  • [e]. I prefer 'cease not' to 'have no rest,' because in English 'having no rest' means constant fatigue. The Greek here means 'no intermission of action.'
  • [f]. See Note l, ch. 1.8.
  • [g]. On the throne, 'who was' comes first. It is in time: see Note, ch. 1.4.
  • [h]. See Note h, ch. 3.9.

Revelation 4 Commentaries

The Darby Translation is in the public domain.