Revelation 7:14 BSB

Revelation 7:14

“Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

KJV

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

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Commentary

6 voices

Tertullian

Scorpiace (220)

For yet again a countless throng are revealed, clothed in white and distinguished by palms of victory, celebrating their triumph doubtless over Antichrist, since one of the elders says, "These are they who come out of that great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." For the flesh is the clothing of the soul.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And I said unto him, sir, thou knowest,.... John replies in a very humble, modest, and respectful manner, to the elder, calling him "sir", according to the usage of the eastern people; and it is observable, that this word is much used in his Gospel, and more than in any other book; see Joh 4:11. Some copies, and the Complutensian edition, read, "my Lord"; and so do the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions.

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

Thou knowest - That is, I know not; but thou dost. These are they - Not martyrs; for these are not such a multitude as no man can number. But as all the angels appear here, so do all the souls of the righteous who had lived from the beginning of the world.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

It is not the blood of the martyrs themselves, but the blood of the Lamb, that can wash away sin, and make the soul pure and clean in the sight of God. Other blood stains; this is the only blood that makes the robes of the saints white and clean. The blessedness to which they are now advanced, being thus prepared for it.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Sir, thou knowest - That is, I do not know, but thou canst inform me. Came out of great tribulation - Persecutions of every kind. And have washed their robes - Have obtained their pardon and purity, through the blood of the Lamb. Their white robes cannot mean the righteousness of Christ, for this cannot be washed and made white in his own blood.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

There, however, their number was waiting to be completed, but here it is completed, and they are seen taken out of the earth before the judgments on the Antichristian apostasy; with their Lord, they, and all His faithful witnesses and disciples of past ages, wait for His coming and their coming to be glorified and reign together with Him.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

32 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
εἴρηκα	eirēka	I have said	G2046 →
αὐτῷ·	autō	to him;	G846 →
κύριέ	kurie	lord	G2962 →
μου,	mou	of mine,	G3165 →
σὺ	su	you yourself	G4771 →
οἶδας.	oidas	know.
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
εἶπέν	eipen	he said	G2036 →
μοι·	moi	to me;	G3165 →
οὗτοί	houtoi	These	G3778 →
εἰσιν	eisin	are	G1510 →
οἱ	hoi	the [ones]	G3588 →
ἐρχόμενοι	erchomenoi	coming	G2064 →
ἐκ	ek	out of	G1537 →
τῆς	tēs	the	G3588 →
θλίψεως	thlipseōs	tribulation	G2347 →
τῆς	tēs	<the>	G3588 →
μεγάλης	megalēs	great	G3173 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἔπλυναν	eplunan	they have washed	G4150 →
τὰς	tas	the	G3588 →
στολὰς	stolas	robes	G4749 →
αὐτῶν	autōn	of them	G846 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἐλεύκαναν	eleukanan	made white	G3021 →
αὐτὰς	autas	for them	G846 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
τῷ	tō	the	G3588 →
αἵματι	aimati	blood	G129 →
τοῦ	tou	of the	G3588 →
ἀρνίου.	arniou	Lamb.	G721 →

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

The walk

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
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
leads to
- Ephesians 5:8
  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,
- Romans 13:12
  The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
- Revelation 1:5
  and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by…
- Ephesians 1:7
  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Through
Revelation 12:11
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
leads to
- 2 Corinthians 10:3–5
  For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
- John 16:33
  I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
Through
Revelation 1:5
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by…
leads to
- Psalms 89:27
  I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
- Hebrews 9:14
  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

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On Revelation 7:14

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The last letter of the Hebrew alphabet — drawn in the Sinaitic script as a cross — appears at the decisive moments of judgment and rescue: the doorposts of Goshen, the foreheads in Jerusalem, the sealing of the 144,000, and the cross at Golgotha.

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Cylinder seal and modern impression — Unknown (Akkadian)

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About Revelation

The Transfiguration — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Revelation: the study guide →Read chapter 7 →The featured study →

Continue: Revelation 7 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Revelation

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Revelation