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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Revelation 5:4

So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Minister, Christian;   Salvation;   Vision;   Zeal, Religious;  

Dictionaries:

- Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beast;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Apocalypse;   Atonement (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Judah;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Joseph;   Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Revelation of John:;   Seraphim;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I wept and wept because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or even to look in it.
King James Version (1611)
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to reade the booke, neither to looke thereon.
King James Version
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
New American Standard Bible
Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
New Century Version
I cried bitterly because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
THE MESSAGE
I wept and wept and wept that no one was found able to open the scroll, able to read it. One of the Elders said, "Don't weep. Look—the Lion from Tribe Judah, the Root of David's Tree, has conquered. He can open the scroll, can rip through the seven seals."
English Standard Version
and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;
Berean Standard Bible
And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
Contemporary English Version
I cried hard because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or see inside it.
Complete Jewish Bible
I cried and cried, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
Darby Translation
And *I* wept much because no one had been found worthy to open the book nor to regard it.
Easy-to-Read Version
I cried and cried because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then I wept much, because no man was foud worthy to open, and to reade the Booke, neither to looke thereon.
George Lamsa Translation
And I wept exceedingly, because no man was found worthy to open the book, neither to look on it.
Good News Translation
I cried bitterly because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
Lexham English Bible
And I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
Literal Translation
And I wept much, because no one worthy was found to open and to read the scroll, nor to see it.
Amplified Bible
And I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look into it.
American Standard Version
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
Bible in Basic English
And I was very sad, because there was no one able to get the book open or to see what was in it.
Hebrew Names Version
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it.
International Standard Version
I began to cry bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
Etheridge Translation
And I wept much, because no one could be found who was worthy to open the book, or to inspect it.
Murdock Translation
And I wept much, because no one was found, who was competent to open the book, or to look on it.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I wept muche, because no man was founde worthy to open & to reade the booke, neither to loke theron.
English Revised Version
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
World English Bible
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look in it.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And I wept much, that none was found worthy to open the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith to me, Weep not;
Weymouth's New Testament
And while I was weeping bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the book or look into it,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y wepte myche, for noon was founde worthi to opene the book, nethir to se it.
Update Bible Version
And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book, or to look thereon:
Webster's Bible Translation
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open, and to read the book, neither to look upon it.
New King James Version
So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read [fn] the scroll, or to look at it.
New Living Translation
Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it.
New Life Bible
Then I began to cry with loud cries. I cried because no one was good enough to open the book or to look in it.
New Revised Standard
And I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, I, began to weep much, because, no one, worthy, was found, to open the scroll, or, to look thereon.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open the book, nor to see it.
Revised Standard Version
and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to into into it.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And I wepte moche because no man was founde worthy to open and to rede the boke nether to loke thereon.
Young's Literal Translation
And I was weeping much, because no one was found worthy to open and to read the scroll, nor to behold it,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And I wepte moch, because no man was founde worthy to open and to rede the boke, nether to loke thereon.
Mace New Testament (1729)
and I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and read the book, nor to look therein.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Tears formed in my eyes because there was no one good enough to break the seals and see what the scroll said.

Contextual Overview

1 Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?" 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. 4 So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

because: Revelation 4:1, Daniel 12:8, Daniel 12:9

Reciprocal: Isaiah 30:19 - thou shalt

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground."
Genesis 5:1
This is the record of the family line of Adam. When God created humankind, he made them in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:3
When Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth.
Genesis 5:7
Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:10
Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:13
Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:19
Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:22
After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:26
Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:30
Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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. The Ethiopic version reads, "and many wept"; many of those that were about the throne, as well as John:

because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,

neither to look thereon; because there was no creature in heaven, earth, or under it, that were of dignity and authority, as well as of ability, to open the book by unsealing it; and read and deliver out the prophecies in it upon the taking off of every seal; and so not to look into it, and foresee and foretell what was hereafter to come to pass, in the church and world: the phrase of being worthy to look on it seems to be Jewish; of the book of the generation of Adam, Genesis 5:1, the Jews say e that

"it descended to the first man, and by it he knew the wisdom which is above; and this book came to the sons of God, the wise men of the age, מאן דזכי לאשגחא ביה, "whoever is worthy to look in it", knows by it the wisdom which is from above.''

The whole verse is left out in the Alexandrian copy; and the phrase, "to read", is neither in the Vulgate Latin, nor in any of the Oriental versions.

e Zohar in Gen. fol. 28. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - Greek, as in Revelation 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. The tears of the apostle here may be regarded as an illustration of two things which are occurring constantly in the minds of people:

(1) The strong desire to penetrate the future; to lift the mysterious veil which shrouds what is to come; to find some way to pierce the dark wall which seems to stand up before us, and which shuts from our view what is to be hereafter. There have been no more earnest efforts made by people than those which have been made to read the scaled volume which contains the record of what is yet to come. By dreams, and omens, and auguries, and astrology, and the flight of birds, and necromancy, people have sought anxiously to ascertain what is to be hereafter. Compare, for an expression of that intense desire, Foster’s Life and Correspondence, vol. i. p. 111, and vol. ii. pp. 237, 238.

(2) The weeping of the apostle may be regarded as an instance of the deep grief which people often experience when all efforts to penetrate the future fail, and they feel that after all they are left completely in the dark. Often is the soul overpowered with grief, and often are the eyes filled with sadness at the reflection that there is an absolute limit to the human powers; that all that man can arrive at by his own efforts is uncertain conjecture, and that there is no way possible by which he can make nature speak out and disclose what is to come. Nowhere does man find himself more fettered and limited in his powers than here; nowhere does he feel that there is such an intense disproportion between his desires and his attainments. In nothing do we feel that we are more absolutely in need of divine help than in our attempts to unveil the future; and were it not for revelation man might weep in despair.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 5:4. I wept much — Because the world and the Church were likely to be deprived of the knowledge of the contents of the book.


 
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