Revelationchapter 5
14 verses · John, by tradition · AD 95 or 96 · Revelation
Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Introduction
John, by tradition, Revelation, Revelation Overview.
John wrote this chapter in exile on Patmos, for seven small churches in the Roman province of Asia. It carries straight on from the throne room of chapter 4 and makes one scene with it. The chapter asks a question and then answers it by what John hears and what he sees. What he hears and what he sees differ, and the difference teaches. Its first hearers were few, mixed in race and often afraid. Listen for the reason the songs give for their praise. Listen also for how far the praise spreads by the end.
Context
- Who
- Churches who wanted to know who was actually authorized to run history
- What
- A vision of a sealed scroll that only the Lamb who was slain is worthy to open, followed by three songs of praise.
- Where
- Written on the island of Patmos, off the coast of Asia Minor, to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia.
- When
- About AD 95 under Domitian on the majority view, with a minority dating the book before AD 70 under Nero.
- Why
- To show that the right to open God's purposes for history belongs to Christ because He died and purchased a people for God.
Historical context
A document written inside and on the back and closed with seven seals was a recognizable legal object. Roman wills were sealed with seven seals and could only be opened by the proper authority in front of witnesses. Contracts and deeds were sealed the same way, sometimes with a summary written on the outside so people could see what it was without breaking it open.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
So the crisis in this chapter is a legal one. A sealed document exists and nobody has the standing to open it. John weeps, not out of curiosity, but because a sealed inheritance that nobody can claim means nothing changes.
The answer comes with two names that pull in opposite directions. He is announced as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, royal, conquering, Jewish. What John turns and sees is a Lamb, standing as though it had been slaughtered. The victory was won by dying.
Then the room fills. The living creatures and elders sing a new song about a purchase, redeemed out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and the number of angels grows to something beyond counting, and finally every creature in heaven, earth, sea, and under the earth joins in. The Lamb receives the same honor as the one on the throne.
Significance
For small congregations under a hostile system, this settled the question of authority. History was not open to whoever grabbed it. It was a sealed inheritance, and exactly one person had the right to open it.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
And the song named them. "Out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" described the mixed, unimpressive membership of an Asian house church better than it described anything in Rome. They were not incidental to the plan; they were the purchase price's return.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
A Sealed Scroll and No One Worthy to Open It
Revelation 5:1-2
a scroll in the right hand: The scroll has writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals, and Ezekiel 2:9-10 shows a scroll written front and back. The angel asks, Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?
Revelation 5:1
“And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne - Of God, Rev 4:3-4. His form is not described there, nor is there any intimation of it here except the mention of his.” right hand.” The book or roll seems to have been so held in his hand that John could see its shape, and see distinctly how it was written and sealed.”
2 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Revelation 5:1
“The book and its seals represent all power in heaven and earth given to Christ. A copy of this book is contained in the following chapters. By "the trumpets," contained under the seventh seal, the kingdom of the world is shaken, that it may at length become the kingdom of Christ.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 5:1
“Thus, the seven seals, representing all power given to the Lamb; the seven trumpets, by which the world kingdoms are shaken and overthrown, and the Lamb's kingdom ushered in; and the seven vials, by which the beast's kingdom is destroyed.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Wesley holds that the call was too great for a man to make and unfitting for the Lamb Himself, so a mighty angel makes it. Clarke reads the question as asking who can open God's purposes for the world and the church. Worthy here means having the standing to act.
Revelation 5:2
“A strong angel - One of the chief of the angelic host. Proclaiming - As the herald of God. To open the book, and to loose the seals - To loose the seals that he may open the book. Who can tell what this book contains? Who can open its mysteries? The book may mean the purposes and designs of God relative to his government of the world and the Church; but we, whose habitation is in the dust, know nothing of such things. We are, however, determined to guess.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 5:2
“And I saw a strong angel - This proclamation to every creature was too great for a man to make, and yet not becoming the Lamb himself. It was therefore made by an angel, and one of uncommon eminence.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 5:3-4
no one in heaven: In all creation no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll. John weeps because no one was found worthy, and one of the elders stops his tears with the answer.
Revelation 5:3
“And no man in heaven - No one - οὐδεὶς oudeis. There is no limitation in the original to man. The idea is, that there was no one in heaven - evidently alluding to the created beings there - who could open the volume. Is it not taught here that angels cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come? Are not their faculties limited in this respect like those of man?”
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 5:3
“And none - No creature; no, not Mary herself. In heaven, or in earth, neither under the earth - That is, none in the universe. For these are the three great regions into which the whole creation is divided.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
And I began to weep bitterly: Gill saw John weep bitterly for the saints, who needed what was written inside the scroll. Wesley saw the book written with tears, and held that only those who weep will open it to their own eyes. Then the elder said, Do not weep.
Revelation 5:4
“And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - Greek, as in Rev 5:3, no one. It would seem as if there was a pause to see if there were any response to the proclamation of the angel. There being none, John gave way to his deep emotions in a flood of tears.”
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 5:4
"There was none found worthy to do this." Neither among the angels of heaven, nor among men in earth, nor among the souls of the saints in rest, save Christ the Son of God alone, whom he says that he saw as a Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns. What had not been then announced, and what the law had contemplated for Him by its various oblations and sacrifices, it behoved Himself to fulfil.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
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.”
Revelation 5:4
“And I wept much - A weeping which sprung from greatness of mind. The tenderness of heart which he always had appeared more clearly now he was out of his own power. The Revelation was not written without tears; neither without tears will it be understood.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Lion of the tribe of Judah: The elder names Christ the Lion of the tribe of Judah, from Genesis 49:9-10, and the Root of David, from Isaiah 11:1 and 11:10. He has triumphed, the Greek enikesen, the verb of conquest, yet John is told of a Lion and shown a Lamb.
Revelation 5:5
“And one of the elders said unto me,.... The Ethiopic version reads, "one of these elders"; that is, one of the four and twenty elders that were round about the throne; not the first of the four and twenty books of the Old Testament; nor the patriarch Jacob, because of the prophecy concerning Shiloh, Judah's son, which stands in Gen 49:10, nor Moses, who spoke of the Messiah as the great prophet of the church; nor John the Baptist, who pointed out the Lamb of God; these are all fancies and conjectures.”
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 5:5
“And one of the elders saith unto me - See the notes on Rev 4:4. No particular reason is assigned why this message was delivered by one of the elders rather than by an angel. If the elders were, however (see the notes on Rev 4:4), the representatives of the church, there was a propriety that they should address John in his trouble.”
ConnectionsGenesis 49:10
A Slain Lamb Takes the Scroll
Then I saw a Lamb: John sees a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing, the Lion of verse 5 conquering by death. Its seven horns mark strength, as in Deuteronomy 33:17 and Psalm 89:17; its seven eyes are the seven Spirits, as in 1:4 and Isaiah 11:2.
Revelation 5:6
“Stood a Lamb - Christ, so called because he was a sacrificial offering; αρνιον signifies a little or delicate lamb. As it had been slain - As if now in the act of being offered. This is very remarkable; so important is the sacrificial offering of Christ in the sight of God that he is still represented as being in the very act of pouring out his blood for the offenses of man. This gives great advantage to faith: when any soul comes to the throne of grace, he finds a sacrifice there provided for him to offer to God.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 5:6
“In the midst of the throne, thought I, there is the Godhead; in the midst of the elders, there is His manhood; but, oh! methought this did glister!”
John Bunyan · Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666)English Puritan
ConnectionsJohn 1:29
He came and took the scroll: He took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne; the taking answers the search of verses 2 to 4. The Lamb's worth is shown by the act itself.
Revelation 5:7
“And he came and took the book out of the right hand ... - As if it pertained to him by virtue of rank or office. There is a difficulty here, arising from the incongruity of what is said of a lamb, which it is not easy to solve. The difficulty is in conceiving how a lamb could take the book from the hand of Him who held it.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 5:7
Likewise does the Lord also say: "All things are delivered to Me by My Father;" manifestly by Him who made all things; for He did not deliver to Him the things of another, but His own. But in all things [it is implied that] nothing has been kept back [from Him], and for this reason the same person is the Judge of the living and the dead; "having the key of David: He shall Open, and no man shall shut: He shall shut, and no man shall open."
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book IVpatristic
Revelation 5:7
“This introductory vision thus presents before us, in summary, the consummation to which all the events in the seals, trumpets, and vials converge, namely, the setting up of Christ's kingdom visibly. Prophecy ever hurries to the grand crisis or end, and dwells on intermediate events only in their typical relation to, and representation of, the end.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
golden bowls full of incense: The creatures and elders fell down before the Lamb, holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, Psalm 141:2. Here for the first time in the book the Lamb receives the worship given to the One on the throne.
Revelation 5:8
“The four beasts - fell down before the Lamb - The whole Church of God, and all his children in heaven and earth, acknowledge that Jesus Christ is alone worthy and able to unfold and execute all the mysteries and counsels of God. See on Rev 5:9 (note). Having every one of them harps - There were harps and vials; and each of the elders and living creatures had one. Odours, which are the prayers of saints - The frankincense and odours offered at the tabernacle were emblems of the prayers and praises of the Lord.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 5:9-10
they sang a new song: The new song, the Greek kaine, gives the reason: You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe. The redeemed are a kingdom and priests, the calling of Exodus 19:6, and they will reign upon the earth.
Revelation 5:9
“And they sung a new song,.... Upon a new occasion and subject, redemption by the blood of the Lamb, and his worthiness to open the sealed book; and in distinction from the old song of Moses and the children of Israel at the Red sea; and this was a most famous and excellent song, an unheard of one, and which none could learn, or sing, but the redeemed of the Lamb: saying, thou art worthy to take the book, and open the seals thereof.”
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 5:9
“And they sung a new song - Compare Rev 14:3. New in the sense that it is a song consequent on redemption, and distinguished therefore from the songs sung in heaven before the work of redemption was consummated.”
Revelation 5:9
“Here, First, They mention his suffering: " Thou wast slain, slain as a sacrifice, thy blood was shed." Secondly, The fruits of his sufferings. Christ has redeemed his people from the bondage of sin, guilt, and Satan, redeemed them to God, set them at liberty to serve him and to enjoy him.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Revelation 5:9
“Just as much as it can think or speak. And he came - Here was "Ask of me," Psalm ii, 8, fulfilled in the most glorious manner. And took - it is one state of exaltation that reaches from our Lord's ascension to his coming in glory.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
ConnectionsRevelation 1:5
Gill reads the reign as the thousand years with Christ on the new earth. Barnes reads it as a time when true religion prevails and the affairs of the nations pass into the hands of the redeemed. The Berean text reads them, as Gill's older copies do.
Revelation 5:10
“And hast made us unto our God kings and priests - See the notes on Rev 1:6. And we shall reign on the earth - The redeemed, of whom we are the representatives. The idea clearly is, in accordance with what is so frequently said in the Scriptures, that the dominion on the earth will be given to the saints; that is, that there will be such a prevalence of true religion, and the redeemed will be so much in the ascendency, that the affairs of the nations will be in their hands.”
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 5:10
“They shall reign over the earth - The new earth: herewith agree the golden crowns of the elders. The reign of the saints in general follows, under the trumpet of the seventh angel; particularly after the first resurrection, as also in eternity, chap. xi, 18; xv, 7; xx, 4; xxii, 5;Dan. vii, 27;Psalm xlix, 14.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand Sing
Revelation 5:11-12
the voices of many angels: John hears angels numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands around the throne. They ascribe seven gifts to the Lamb, three of them the glory, honor and power given to the Creator at 4:11.
Revelation 5:11
“And I beheld - And I looked again. And I heard the voice of many angels - The inhabitants of heaven uniting with the representatives of the redeemed church in ascribing honor to the Lamb of God. The design is to show that there is universal sympathy and harmony in heaven, and that all worlds will unite in ascribing honor to the Lamb of God. Round about the throne and the beasts and the elders - In a circle or area beyond what was occupied by the throne, the living creatures, and the elders.”
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 5:11
“Round about the elders - So forming the third circle. It is remarkable, that men are represented through this whole vision as nearer to God than any of the angels. And the number of them was - At least two hundred millions, and two millions over.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 5:11
I beheld--the angels: who form the outer circle, while the Church, the object of redemption, forms the inner circle nearest the throne. The heavenly hosts ranged around gaze with intense love and adoration at this crowning manifestation of God's love, wisdom, and power. ten thousand times ten thousand--Greek, "myriads of myriads."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
The angels cry, Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, and Adam Clarke counts seven kinds of praise in the list. Three of them, glory, honor and power, were first given to the Creator in 4:11.
Revelation 5:12
“To receive power - That is, Jesus Christ is worthy to take, λαβειν, to have ascribed to him, power - omnipotence; riches - beneficence; wisdom - omniscience; strength - power in prevalent exercise; honor - the highest reputation for what he has done; glory - the praise due to such actions; and blessing - the thankful acknowledgments of the whole creation. Here are seven different species of praise; and this is exactly agreeable to the rabbinical forms, which the author of this book keeps constantly in view. See Sepher Rasiel, fol.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Revelation 5:13-14
every creature in heaven: Where verse 3 found no one, now every creature gives praise To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. One praise is given to both, and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:13
“And every creature which is in heaven - The meaning of this verse is, that all created things seemed to unite in rendering honor to Him who sat on the throne, and to the Lamb. in the previous verse a certain number - a vast host - of angels are designated as rendering praise as they stood round the area occupied by the throne, the elders, and the living creatures; here it is added that all who were in heaven united in this ascription of praise.”
4 more voices on this verse
Revelation 5:13
“His enemies must acknowledge his glory; but those in heaven say, Blessed be God and the Lamb. This royal manifesto is, as it were, a proclamation, showing how Christ fulfils all things, and "every knee bows to him," not only on earth, but also in heaven, and under the earth.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 5:13
“The present text expresses the doxology universally accorded by all creation, both heavenly and earthly, to God the Father, and to the Word who became man [ἐνανθρωπήσαντι] and was made flesh [σαρκωθέντα], that is, also glorified together with the Holy Spirit.”
Oecumenius · written before 550 · Commentary on Revelationpatristic
Revelation 5:13
“Not that the worship paid to the Lamb is of another nature, an inferior worship, for the very same honour and glory are in the same words ascribed to the Lamb and to him that sits on the throne, their essence being the same; but, their parts in the work of our salvation being distinct they are distinctly adored.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Revelation 5:13
“But A omits this. in the sea--Greek, "upon the sea": the sea animals which are regarded as being on the surface [ALFORD]. all that are in them--So Vulgate reads. A omits "all (things)" here (Greek, "panta"), and reads, "I heard all (Greek, "pantas") saying": implying the harmonious concert of all in the four quarters of the universe.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
the elders fell down and worshiped: Clarke saw the elders fall down on their knees and then bow to the earth in worship. Andreas of Caesarea saw angels and men as one flock. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown saw the elders worship without a word after the living creatures said Amen.
Revelation 5:14
“The four beasts said, Amen - Acknowledged that what was attributed to Christ was his due. The four and twenty elders - The word εικοσιτεσσαρες, twenty-four, is wanting in the most eminent MSS. and versions. Fell down and worshipped - Επεσαν και προσεκυνησαν· Fell down on their knees, and then prostrated themselves before the throne. This is the eastern method of adoration: first, the person worshiping fell down on his knees; and then, bowing down touched the earth with his forehead. This latter act was prostration.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
How this psalm is built
The form: A heavenly scene in which the sealed scroll stands for all power in heaven and on earth given to Christ, as Wesley classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| Told a Lion, shown a Lamb | In verse 5 an elder tells John of the Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David. In verse 6 John looks and sees a Lamb that appeared to have been slain, standing. Adam Clarke notes that the Greek word means a little lamb, shown as if in the act of being offered.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Revelation 5:6. | Revelation 5:5, Revelation 5:6 |
| The widening circles of praise | The praise moves outward in three rings. The living creatures and elders sing in verses 8 to 10, and many angels join in verses 11 and 12. Every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth and in the sea joins in verse 13. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown place the angels in the outer circle and the redeemed church in the inner one, nearest the throne.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 5:11. | Revelation 5:8, Revelation 5:11, Revelation 5:13 |
| Seven words of praise | Verse 12 gives the Lamb seven words of praise: power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing. Adam Clarke counts the same seven and reads each one, power as omnipotence and wisdom as omniscience. Verse 13 then gives four words of praise to the One on the throne and the Lamb together.Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Revelation 5:12. | Revelation 5:12, Revelation 5:13 |
| Heaven, earth and under the earth | Verse 3 searches heaven, earth and under the earth and finds no one able to open the scroll. Verse 13 names the same regions, adds the sea, and hears every creature in them giving praise. John Wesley calls these the three great regions into which the whole creation is divided.John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755, on Revelation 5:3. | Revelation 5:3, Revelation 5:13 |
How the chapter is built
7 more paragraphs on the patterns
Chapter 5 carries on the throne room of chapter 4 without a break. Chapter 4 ended with praise to God as Creator, and chapter 5 brings in the sealed scroll and the one worthy to open it. Verses 1 to 4 set out the scroll and the search that finds no one. Verses 5 to 7 bring the Lion who is a Lamb, who takes the scroll. Verses 8 to 14 are three songs, each sung by a wider company. The chapter hands chapter 6 the Lamb with the scroll in hand, ready to break the first seal.
Where it draws on the Old Testament
The scroll written on front and back recalls Ezekiel 2:9 and 10, and the sealed book recalls Daniel 12:4, where Daniel is told to seal the book until the time of the end. The Lion comes from Genesis 49:9 and the Root from Isaiah 11:1 and 10. The kingdom and priests of verse 10 take up Exodus 19:6. The myriads of myriads in verse 11 echo Daniel 7:10. John Wesley hears Psalm 2:8 fulfilled when the Lamb takes the scroll, where the Father tells the Son to ask of Him (Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Revelation 5:9).
The reign on the earth
The last line of the new song is read in more than one way. John Gill reads it of the thousand years' reign with Christ on the new earth (Exposition of the New Testament, on Revelation 5:10). Albert Barnes reads it as the prevailing of true religion, when the affairs of the nations pass to the redeemed (Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, on Revelation 5:10). John Wesley places the reign under the seventh trumpet, after the first resurrection and on into eternity (Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, on Revelation 5:10).
Where to go deeper
The book as a whole has its own page at /book/revelation. The Lamb and the scroll have feature pages at /featured/the-lamb and /featured/the-scroll-and-the-book. The hymns of Revelation are listed as an owed feature page.
Keep studying
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, 1832, on Revelation 5:2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 5:7 and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755, on Revelation 5:1.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Andreas of Caesarea, Commentary on the Apocalypse; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.