Revelation 21:18 BSB

Revelation 21:18

The wall was made of jasper, and the city itself of pure gold, as pure as glass.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And the building of the wall thereof was jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass.

KJV

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

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Commentary

4 voices

Bede

Commentary on Revelation (735)

The city itself was pure gold, like clear glass. The Church is figured as gold, often adorned with golden candlesticks and bowls for the sake of wisdom's cultivation. Glass, however, refers to true faith, because what is seen on the outside is also inside, and …

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

Victorinus of Pettau

Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John (304)

The city which he says is squared, he says also is resplendent with gold and precious stones, and has a sacred street, and a river through the midst of it, and the tree of life on either side, bearing twelve manner of fruits throughout the twelve months; and that the light of the sun is not there, because the Lamb is the light of it; and that its gates were of single pearls; and that there were three gates on each of the four sides, and that they could not be shut.

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper,.... Which is expressive of the impregnableness, duration, brightness, and glory of salvation by Christ, the jasper being a very hard, durable, and bright stone; and salvation can never be made void, and of none effect; it will last for ever, and in this state will come forth as light, and as a lamp that burneth; it is represented by the same precious stone as God and Christ themselves are; see Rev 4:

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

The building of the wall of it was of jasper - The oriental jasper is exceedingly hard, and almost indestructible. Pillars made of this stone have lasted some thousands of years, and appear to have suffered scarcely any thing from the tooth of time. Pure gold, like unto clear glass - Does not this imply that the walls were made of some beautifully bright yellow stone, very highly polished?

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
ἡ	hē	the	G3588 →
ἐνδώμησις	endōmēsis	structure	G1739 →
τοῦ	tou	of the	G3588 →
τείχους	teichous	wall	G5038 →
αὐτῆς	autēs	of it	G846 →
ἴασπις,	iaspis	[was] jasper,	G2393 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ἡ	hē	the	G3588 →
πόλις	polis	city	G4172 →
χρυσίον	chrusion	gold	G5553 →
καθαρὸν	katharon	pure	G2513 →
ὅμοιον	homoion	like	G3664 →
ὑάλῳ	hu'alō	as glass	G5194 →
καθαρῷ.	katharō	clear.	G2513 →

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
Revelation 21:19
The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
leads to
- Isaiah 54:11–12
  “O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires.
- Exodus 28:17–21
  And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Through
Revelation 21:21
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, with each gate consisting of a single pearl. The main street of the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.
leads to
- Revelation 17:4
  The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual…
- Revelation 22:2
  down the middle of the main street of the city. On either side of the river stood a tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and yielding a fresh crop for each month.…
- Revelation 21:11–12
  shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
Through
Revelation 21:11
shining with the glory of God. Its radiance was like a most precious jewel, like a jasper, as clear as crystal.
leads to
- Revelation 22:5
  There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and…
- Revelation 4:6
  And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.
- Revelation 22:1
  Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb

Featured studies on this passage

On Revelation 21:18

Creation to New Creation

The Bible begins in a garden and ends in a city — and the city has the garden in the middle of it. Seven explicit textual echoes bind Genesis 1–2 to Revelation 21–22.

Open the study →