Revelation 5:4

4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

Revelation 5:4 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 5:4

And I wept much
Not so much on his own account, because he feared his curiosity would not be gratified, and that strong desire answered, which were raised in him upon sight of the book, and increased by the angel's proclamation; but for the sake of the church of God, whose representative he was, and to whom the knowledge of this book, and the things contained in it, he judged must be very useful and profitable. The Ethiopic version reads, "and many wept"; many of those that were about the throne, as well as John:

because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,
neither to look thereon;
because there was no creature in heaven, earth, or under it, that were of dignity and authority, as well as of ability, to open the book by unsealing it; and read and deliver out the prophecies in it upon the taking off of every seal; and so not to look into it, and foresee and foretell what was hereafter to come to pass, in the church and world: the phrase of being worthy to look on it seems to be Jewish; of the book of the generation of Adam, ( Genesis 5:1 ) , the Jews say F5 that

``it descended to the first man, and by it he knew the wisdom which is above; and this book came to the sons of God, the wise men of the age, (hyb axgval ykzd Nam) , "whoever is worthy to look in it", knows by it the wisdom which is from above.''

The whole verse is left out in the Alexandrian copy; and the phrase, "to read", is neither in the Vulgate Latin, nor in any of the Oriental versions.


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Zohar in Gen. fol. 28. 2.

Revelation 5:4 In-Context

2 and I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"
3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
4 And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."
6 Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.