Revelation 7:13

Then one of the elders addressed me: “These in white robes,” he asked, “who are they, and where have they come from?”

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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KJV

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

ASV

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These that are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they?

YLT

And answer did one of the elders, saying to me, `These, who have been arrayed with the white robes--who are they, and whence came they?'

DBT

And one of the elders answered, saying to me, These who are clothed with white robes, who are they, and whence came they?

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Commentary voices

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Voices5

On this verse

This one elder represents either the body of the prophets or the church. It depicts the leaders teaching the other members of the future reward for which the laborers might hope, just as the apostle spoke of the gospel, "In it the righteousness of God …

Primasius of Hadrumetum· COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 7:13-14, 560patristic

Related commentary

And one of the elders answered, saying unto me,....

John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed

And one of the elders - See the notes on Rev 4:4. That is, as there understood, one of the representatives of the church before the throne.

Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical

And one of the elders - What stands, verses 13-17, ver. 13-17 might have immediately followed the tenth verse; but that the praise of the angels, which was at the same time with that of the "great multitude," came in between.

John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755evangelical

An account of the sealing of the servants of God, where observe, 1. To whom this work was committed--to an angel, another angel. While some of the angels were employed to restrain Satan and his agents, another angel was employed to mark out and distinguish the faithful servants of God.

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

Voices on this verse

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Rabbinic commentary

How the Hebraic tradition has read this verse — and Marcus Brown’s own reading of it.

Cross-references

25 linked verses

The verses this one reaches12

Revelation 7:9
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Revelation 19:8
She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 3:18
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Zechariah 13:1
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.
Revelation 22:11
Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
Revelation 3:4
But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
Psalms 51:7
Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Revelation 5:5
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Ecclesiastes 9:8
Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
Zechariah 3:3
Now Joshua was dressed in filthy garments as he stood before the angel.
Revelation 4:4
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
Luke 15:22
But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

13 more linked verses are grouped by book below ↓

Cross-references

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The quotation web

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Original language

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Around this verse

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

Featured studyThe Scarlet ThreadRobes washed white in the blood of the Lamb.

The Transfiguration — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Revelation — John on Patmos sees the Lamb who was slain enthroned, the scroll opened, Babylon fallen, and the new Jerusalem descending. The canon's capstone — and its most interpretively contested book.

Canon: New Testament
Author: John (traditional — apostle of Jesus; same author as the Fourth Gospel). Some modern critical scholarship distinguishes ‘John of Patmos’ from the apostle; site defaults to traditional attribution
Date: Late-date c. AD 95–96 under Domitian (Irenaeus, mainstream traditional); early-date c. AD 65–68 under Nero (required by most preterist readings). Site surfaces both

More cross-references13 further linked verses, grouped by book▾ open

Every other verse the study tradition links to this one, in the Bible’s own order. The first links in each book carry a line of their text; every reference opens its full verse page.

Genesis1

Genesis 16:8“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are…

Leviticus1

Leviticus 6:10And the priest shall put on his linen robe and linen undergarments, and he…

Judges1

Judges 13:6So the woman went and told her husband, “A man of God came to…

Isaiah1

Isaiah 64:6Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are…

Daniel2

Zechariah3

Zechariah 4:4

John1

John 7:28Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “You know Me, and…

Romans1

Romans 6:22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves…

Revelation2

Cross-references are drawn from classic Bible study tools and open, shareable Bible data.

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Revelation 4:10
the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
leads to
- Revelation 11:16
  And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Revelation 5:5
Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
leads to
- Isaiah 11:1
  Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- Jeremiah 23:5–6
  Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
- Revelation 22:16
  “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.”
- Romans 15:12
  And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”
- Romans 1:3
  regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh,
Through
Revelation 7:9
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes…
leads to
- Revelation 5:9
  And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and…
- John 12:13
  They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

Where the connections lead

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Continue: Revelation 7 →