Revelation 21:18

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

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

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold, as pure as glass.

Revised Standard Version
The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And the byldinge of the wall of it was of iaspar. And the cite was pure gold lyke vnto cleare glasse

Hebrew Names Version
The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.

New American Standard Bible
The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

New Century Version
The wall was made of jasper, and the city was made of pure gold, as pure as glass.

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

Webster's Bible Translation
And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like clear glass.

World English Bible
The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the building of the wall thereof was jasper, and the city was of pure gold, like clear glass.

Weymouth's New Testament
The solid fabric of the wall was jasper; and the city itself was made of gold, resembling transparent glass.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the bildyng of the wal therof was of the stoon iaspis. And the citee it silf was clene gold, lijk clene glas.

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

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

Contemporary English Version
The wall was built of jasper, and the city was made of pure gold, clear as crystal.

Amplified Bible
The wall was built of jasper; and the city was pure gold, transparent like clear crystal.

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

Bible in Basic English
And the building of its wall was of jasper, and the town was clear gold, clear as glass.

Complete Jewish Bible
The wall was made of diamond and the city of pure gold resembling pure glass.

Darby Translation
And the building of its wall [was] jasper; and the city pure gold, like pure glass:

International Standard Version
Its wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.

Etheridge Translation
And the structure of the wall of it is (of) jaspis, and the city is of pure gold, like pure brightness.

Murdock Translation
And the structure of its wall [fn] jasper; and the city was of pure gold, like pure glass.

King James Version (1611)
And the building of the wall of it was of Iasper, and the city was pure gold, like vnto cleare glasse.

New Living Translation
The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass.

New Life Bible
The wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold. This gold was as clear as glass.

New Revised Standard
The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass.

English Standard Version
The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And ye building of the wal of it was of Iasper: and the citie was pure golde, like vnto cleare glasse.

George Lamsa Translation
And the wall was constructed of jasper: and the city itself was pure gold, resembling clear glass.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the building of the wall thereof was of jasper stone: but the city itself pure gold like to clear glass.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the buylding of the wall of it was of Iasper, and the citie was pure golde lyke vnto cleare glasse.

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

Christian Standard Bible®
The building material of its wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold clear as glass.

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

Lexham English Bible
And the material of its wall is jasper, and the city is pure gold, similar in appearance to pure glass.

Literal Translation
And the structure of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like pure glass.

Young's Literal Translation
and the building of its wall was jasper, and the city [is] pure gold -- like to pure glass;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the buyldinge of the wall of it was of Iaspar. And the cite was of pure golde, like vnto cleare glasse:

Mace New Testament (1729)
the wall was built of jasper; and the city was of pure gold, as pure as glass.

New English Translation
The city's wall is made of jasper and the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

New King James Version
The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The wall was built of jasper and the city itself was made of such pure gold that it looked like glass.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Contextual Overview

⁹ And there came one of the seven messengers which had the seven bowls, that were full of the seven last plagues, and spake with me, saying - Hither! I will point out to thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb. ¹⁰ And he carried me away, in spirit, unto a mountain great and high, and pointed out to me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God; ¹¹ having the glory of God, - her lustre, like unto a stone most precious, as a jasper stone, shining as crystal; ¹² having a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and, at the gates, twelve messengers, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel, - ¹³ on the east, three gates, and, on the north, three gates, and, on the south, three gates, and, on the west, three gates; ¹⁴ and, the wall of the city, having twelve foundations, and, upon them, twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ¹⁵ And, he that was talking with me, had, for a measure, a reed of gold, that he might measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. ¹⁶ And, the city, four-square, lieth, and, the length thereof, is as great as the breadth. And he measured the city, with the reed, - twelve thousand furlongs: the length, and the breadth, and the height thereof, are, equal. ¹⁷ And he measured the wall thereof, - a hundred and forty-four cubits: the measure of a man, which is the measure of a messenger. ¹⁸ And, the structure of the wall thereof, was jasper, and, the city, was pure gold, like unto pure glass.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

was of: Revelation 21:11, Revelation 21:19

like: Revelation 21:11, Revelation 21:21

Reciprocal: Exodus 24:10 - in his clearness Exodus 28:20 - a jasper 1 Kings 6:30 - General 1 Chronicles 29:2 - onyx stones 2 Chronicles 3:6 - precious Isaiah 54:11 - I will lay 1 Corinthians 3:12 - precious Revelation 15:2 - a sea

Cross-References

Genesis 16:10
And the messenger of Yahweh said to her, I will, greatly multiply, thy seed - so that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Genesis 17:20
Yet as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; o! I have blessed trim and will make him fruitful, and multiply him, exceedingly, - twelve princes, shall he beget, and I will grant him to be a great nation;

Genesis 21:12
And God said unto Abraham Let it not be grievous in thine eyes concerning the boy and concerning thy bondwoman, In all that Sarah may say unto thee, hearken to her voice, - For in Isaac, shall there be called to thee - a seed.

Genesis 21:13
Yet even the son of the bondwoman, will I appoint to become, a nation, because thy seed, he is.

Genesis 21:18
Arise lift up the boy, and hold him up with thy hand, - for, a great nation, will I make him.

Genesis 21:29
And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What, then mean these seven young sheep here, which thou hast set by themselves?

Genesis 21:31
On this account, was the name of that place called Beer-sheba, - because there, had they two sworn.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 Revelation 4:2. And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass; it was made or built of gold; its parts, buildings, houses, and palaces, were all of gold, and that the best; and it was like to transparent glass; that is, either the city, as most copies read, or the gold; for the Alexandrian copy reads,

ομοιον, and so the Vulgate Latin version; the gold of which it was is different from common gold; and as this city, the new Jerusalem, designs the saints, the precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, the inhabitants of the new earth; this denotes the solidity, excellency, and preciousness of them, the rich and happy state they will be in, as well as their purity and freedom from all sin and corruption, and the clear knowledge of things they themselves will have, and others will have of them; their hearts and actions will be open to all; nor will this gold have any rust upon it any more, or ever be changed, and become dim.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the building of the wall of it - The material of which the wall was composed. This means the wall above the foundation, for that was composed of twelve rows of precious stones, Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:19-20. The height of the foundation is not stated, but the entire wall above was composed of jasper.

Was of jasper - See the notes on Revelation 4:3. Of course, this cannot be taken literally; and an attempt to explain all this literally would show that that method of interpreting the Apocalypse is impracticable.

And the city was pure gold - The material of which the edifices were composed.

Like unto clear glass - The word rendered “glass” in this place - ὕαλος hualos - occurs in the New Testament only here and in Revelation 21:21. It means, properly, “anything transparent like water”; as, for example, any transparent stone or gem, or as rock-salt, crystal, glass (Robinson, Lexicon). Here the meaning is, that the golden city would be so bright and burnished that it would seem to be glass reflecting the sunbeams. Would the appearance of a city, as the sun is setting, when the reflection of its beams from thousands of panes of glass gives it the appearance of burnished gold, represent the idea here? If we were to suppose a city made entirely of glass, and the setting sunbeams falling on it, it might convey the idea represented here. It is certain that, as nothing could be more magnificent, so nothing could more beautifully combine the two ideas referred to here - that of “gold and glass.”

Perhaps the reflection of the sunbeams from the “Crystal Palace,” erected for the late “industrial exhibition” in London, would convey a better idea of what is intended to be represented here than anything which our world has furnished. The following description from one who was an eyewitness, drawn up by him at the time, and without any reference to this passage, and furnished at my request, will supply a better illustration of the passage before us than any description which I could give: “Seen as the morning vapors rolled around its base - its far-stretching roofs rising one above another, and its great transept, majestically arched, soaring out of the envelope of clouds - its pillars, window-bars, and pinnacles, looked literally like a castle in the air; like some palace, such as one reads of in idle tales of Arabian enchantment, having about it all the ethereal softness of a dream. Looked at from a distance at noon, when the sunbeams came pouring upon the terraced and vaulted roof, it resembles a regal palace of silver, built for some Eastern prince; ‘when the sun at eventide sheds on its sides his parting rays, the edifice is transformed into a temple of gold and rubies;’ and in the calm hours of night, when the moon walketh in her brightness, the immense surface of glass which the building presents looks like a sea, or like throwing back, in flickering smile, the radiant glances of the queen of heaven.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 21:18. 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? This description has been most injudiciously applied to heaven; and in some public discourses, for the comfort and edification of the pious, we hear of heaven with its golden walls, golden pavements, gates of pearl, c., c., not considering that nothing of this description was ever intended to be literally understood and that gold and jewels can have no place in the spiritual and eternal world. But do not such descriptions as these tend to keep up a fondness for gold and ornaments? In symbols they are proper but construed into realities, they are very improper.

The ancient Jews teach that "when Jerusalem and the temple shall be built, they will be all of precious stones, and pearls, and sapphire, and with every species of jewels."-Sepher Rasiel Haggadol, fol. 24, 1.

The same authors divide paradise into seven parts or houses; the third they describe thus: "The third house is built of gold and pure silver, and all kinds of jewels and pearls. It is very spacious, and in it all kinds of the good things, either in heaven or earth, are to be found. All kinds of precious things, perfumes, and spiritual virtues, are there planted. In the midst of it is the tree of life, the height of which is five hundred years; (i.e., it is equal in height to the journey which a man might perform in five hundred years,) and under it dwell Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the twelve patriarchs, and all that came out of Egypt, and died in the wilderness. Over these Moses and Aaron preside, and teach them the law," c.-Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 13, 4. In the same tract, fol. 182, 1, we find these words: "Know that we have a tradition, that when the Messiah, with the collected captivity, shall come to the land of Israel, in that day the dead in Israel shall rise again and in that day the fiery walls of the city of Jerusalem shall descend from heaven, and in that day the temple shall be builded of jewels and pearls."