THE REVELATION OF JOHN Bible Study 50 Study by Lorin L Cranford Text: Rev. 21:9-21 All rights reserved © QUICK LINKS 1. What the text meant. Exegesis of the Text: Historical Aspects: A. What John saw, vv. 9-14 External History B. New Jerusalem: size & materials, vv. 15-21 Internal History Literary Aspects: Genre 2. What the text means. Literary Setting Literary Structure The New Jerusalem, pt. 1 Greek NT La Biblia de las Américas NRSV NLT 9 Καὶ ἦλθεν εἷς ἐκ τῶν 9 Y vino uno de los siete 9 Then one of the seven 9 Then one of the seven ἑπτὰ ἀγγέλων τῶν ἐχόντων ángeles que tenían las siete angels who had the seven angels who held the seven τὰς ἑπτὰ φιάλας τῶν copas llenas de las últimas si- bowls full of the seven last bowls containing the seven γεμόντων τῶν ἑπτὰ πληγῶν ete plagas, y habló conmigo, plagues came and said to me, last plagues came and said τῶν ἐσχάτων καὶ ἐλάλησεν diciendo: Ven, te mostraré la “Come, I will show you the to me, “Come with me! I will μετʼ ἐμοῦ λέγων· δεῦρο, novia, la esposa del Cordero. bride, the wife of the Lamb.” show you the bride, the wife δείξω σοι τὴν νύμφην τὴν 10 Y me llevó en el Espíritu 10 And in the spirit he car- of the Lamb.” 10 So he took γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀρνίου. 10 καὶ a un monte grande y alto, y ried me away to a great, high me in spirit to a great, high ἀπήνεγκέν με ἐν πνεύματι me mostró la ciudad santa, mountain and showed me mountain, and he showed ἐπὶ ὄρος μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν, Jerusalén, que descendía the holy city Jerusalem com- me the holy city, Jerusalem, καὶ ἔδειξέν μοι τὴν πόλιν del cielo, de Dios, 11 y tenía ing down out of heaven from descending out of heaven τὴν ἁγίαν Ἰερουσαλὴμ la gloria de Dios. Su fulgor God.11 It has the glory of God from God. 11 It was filled καταβαίνουσαν ἐκ τοῦ era semejante al de una pie- and a radiance like a very rare with the glory of God and οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ 11 dra muy preciosa, como una jewel, like jasper, clear as sparkled like a precious ἔχουσαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ, piedra de jaspe cristalino. 12 crystal. 12 It has a great, high gem, crystal clear like jas- ὁ φωστὴρ αὐτῆς ὅμοιος λίθῳ Tenía un muro grande y alto wall with twelve gates, and at per. 12 Its walls were broad τιμιωτάτῳ ὡς λίθῳ ἰάσπιδι con doce puertas, y en las the gates twelve angels, and and high, with twelve gates κρυσταλλίζοντι. 12 ἔχουσα puertas doce ángeles; y en on the gates are inscribed the guarded by twelve angels. τεῖχος μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν, ellas había nombres escritos, names of the twelve tribes of And the names of the twelve ἔχουσα πυλῶνας δώδεκα καὶ que son los de las doce tribus the Israelites; 13 on the east tribes of Israel were written ἐπὶ τοῖς πυλῶσιν ἀγγέλους de los hijos de Israel. 13 Había three gates, on the north three on the gates. 13 There were δώδεκα καὶ ὀνόματα tres puertas al este, tres puer- gates, on the south three three gates on each side -- ἐπιγεγραμμένα, ἅ ἐστιν tas al norte, tres puertas al sur gates, and on the west three east, north, south, and west. [τὰ ὀνόματα] τῶν δώδεκα y tres puertas al oeste. 14 El gates. 14 And the wall of the 14 The wall of the city had φυλῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ· 13 ἀπὸ muro de la ciudad tenía doce city has twelve foundations, twelve foundation stones, ἀνατολῆς πυλῶνες τρεῖς καὶ cimientos, y en ellos estaban and on them are the twelve and on them were written ἀπὸ βορρᾶ πυλῶνες τρεῖς καὶ los doce nombres de los doce names of the twelve apostles the names of the twelve ἀπὸ νότου πυλῶνες τρεῖς καὶ apóstoles del Cordero. of the Lamb. apostles of the Lamb. ἀπὸ δυσμῶν πυλῶνες τρεῖς. 15 Y el que hablaba con- 15 The angel who talked 15 The angel who talked 14 καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως migo tenía una vara de medir to me had a measuring rod of to me held in his hand a gold ἔχων θεμελίους δώδεκα καὶ de oro, para medir la ciudad, gold to measure the city and measuring stick to measure ἐπʼ αὐτῶν δώδεκα ὀνόματα sus puertas y su muro. 16 Y its gates and walls. 16 The the city, its gates, and its τῶν δώδεκα ἀποστόλων τοῦ la ciudad está asentada en city lies foursquare, its length wall. 16 When he measured ἀρνίου. forma de cuadro, y su longi- the same as its width; and he it, he found it was a square, 15 Καὶ ὁ λαλῶν μετʼ tud es igual que su anchura. measured the city with his as wide as it was long. In ἐμοῦ εἶχεν μέτρον κάλαμον Y midió la ciudad con la vara, rod, fifteen hundred miles; its fact, it was in the form of a χρυσοῦν, ἵνα μετρήσῃ τὴν doce mil estadios ; y su lon- length and width and height cube, for its length and width πόλιν καὶ τοὺς πυλῶνας gitud, anchura y altura son are equal. 17 He also mea- Page 1022 αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς. iguales. 17 Y midió su muro, sured its wall, one hundred and height were each 1,400 16 καὶ ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος ciento cuarenta y cuatro co- forty-four cubits by human miles. 17 Then he measured κεῖται καὶ τὸ μῆκος αὐτῆς dos , según medida humana, measurement, which the an- the walls and found them to ὅσον [καὶ] τὸ πλάτος. καὶ que es también de ángel. gel was using. 18 The wall is be 216 feet thick (the angel ἐμέτρησεν τὴν πόλιν τῷ 18 El material del muro era built of jasper, while the city is used a standard human mea- καλάμῳ ἐπὶ σταδίων δώδεκα jaspe, y la ciudad era de pure gold, clear as glass. 19 sure). 18 The wall was made χιλιάδων, τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὸ oro puro semejante al cristal The foundations of the wall of jasper, and the city was πλάτος καὶ τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς puro. 19 Los cimientos del of the city are adorned with pure gold, as clear as glass. ἴσα ἐστίν. 17 καὶ ἐμέτρησεν muro de la ciudad estaban every jewel; the first was jas- 19 The wall of the city was τὸ τεῖχος αὐτῆς ἑκατὸν adornados con toda clase de per, the second sapphire, the built on foundation stones τεσσεράκοντα τεσσάρων piedras preciosas: el primer third agate, the fourth em- inlaid with twelve gems: the πηχῶν μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, cimiento, jaspe; el segun- erald, 20 the fifth onyx, the first was jasper, the second ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου. 18 καὶ ἡ do, zafiro; el tercero, ágata; sixth carnelian, the seventh sapphire, the third agate, the ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς el cuarto, esmeralda; 20 el chrysolite, the eighth beryl, fourth emerald, 20 the fifth ἴασπις καὶ ἡ πόλις χρυσίον quinto, sardónice; el sexto, the ninth topaz, the tenth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the καθαρὸν ὅμοιον ὑάλῳ sardio; el séptimo, crisólito; chrysoprase, the eleventh seventh chrysolite, the eighth καθαρῷ. 19 οἱ θεμέλιοι τοῦ el octavo, berilo; el noveno, jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. beryl, the ninth topaz, the τείχους τῆς πόλεως παντὶ topacio; el décimo, crisopra- 21 And the twelve gates are tenth chrysoprase, the elev- λίθῳ τιμίῳ κεκοσμημένοι· ὁ so; el undécimo, jacinto; y el twelve pearls, each of the enth jacinth, the twelfth am- θεμέλιος ὁ πρῶτος ἴασπις, duodécimo, amatista. 21 Las gates is a single pearl, and ethyst. 21 The twelve gates ὁ δεύτερος σάπφιρος, ὁ doce puertas eran doce per- the street of the city is pure were made of pearls -- each τρίτος χαλκηδών, ὁ τέταρτος las; cada una de las puertas gold, transparent as glass. gate from a single pearl! And σμάραγδος, 20 ὁ πέμπτος era de una sola perla; y la the main street was pure σαρδόνυξ, ὁ ἕκτος σάρδιον, calle de la ciudad era de oro gold, as clear as glass. ὁ ἕβδομος χρυσόλιθος, puro, como cristal transpar- ὁ ὄγδοος βήρυλλος, ὁ ente. ἔνατος τοπάζιον, ὁ δέκατος χρυσόπρασος, ὁ ἑνδέκατος ὑάκινθος, ὁ δωδέκατος ἀμέθυστος, 21 καὶ οἱ δώδεκα πυλῶνες δώδεκα μαργαρῖται, ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος τῶν πυλώνων ἦν ἐξ ἑνὸς μαργαρίτου. καὶ ἡ πλατεῖα τῆς πόλεως χρυσίον καθαρὸν ὡς ὕαλος διαυγής. INTRODUCTION Interpretatively 22:9-22:7 must be understood in In 21:2, John saw the new Jerusalem descending its descriptive details within the framework of the more out of the sky. He provides only minimum descriptive spiritual significance perspective given by John in 21:2- comment about it in v. 2 while the Voice from the throne 4. John’s description in 21:9-22:7 centers on an apoc- in vv. 3-4 interprets the meaning of the new Jerusalem of later additions to the original rough draft. One caution: a fairly in terms of the ancient tabernacle in the exodus by the good knowledge of biblical Greek is necessary to understand these Israelites. But in 21:9-22:7 John comes back to elabo- signals clearly. Most every translation into modern languages wash rate the description of the new Jerusalem against the the signals completely out of the translation of the text. background of the religious significance of the taberna- This kind of editorial expansion of ancient Greek and Latin 1 writings was very common and widely expected by most all read- cle in 21:2-4. ers. Normally important documents underwent numerous revisions 1This is one of the numerous places in Revelation that signal before being put in finalized form for release to their intended a much shorter original draft of Revelation into which John sub- readers.