Revelation 21:23

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And, the city, hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they should shine therein; for, the glory of God, illumined it, and, the lamp thereof, was the Lamb.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
The city did not need the sun or the moon to shine on it. The glory of God gave the city light. The Lamb was the city's lamp.

Revised Standard Version
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and the cite hath no nede of the sonne nether of the mone to lyghten it. For the bryghtnes of God dyd light it: and the lambe was the light of it.

Hebrew Names Version
The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

New American Standard Bible
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

New Century Version
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God is its light, and the Lamb is the city's lamp.

Update Bible Version
And the city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine on it: for the glory of God lightened it, and the lamp thereof [is] the Lamb.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God enlightened it, and the Lamb [is] the light of it.

World English Bible
The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine on it; for the glory of God hath inlightened it, and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

Weymouth's New Testament
Nor has the city any need of the sun or of the moon, to give it light; for the glory of God has shone upon it and its lamp is the Lamb.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the citee hath no nede of sunne, nethir moone, that thei schyne in it; for the clerete of God schal liytne it; and the lomb is the lanterne of it.

English Revised Version
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.

Berean Standard Bible
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Contemporary English Version
And the city did not need the sun or the moon. The glory of God was shining on it, and the Lamb was its light.

Amplified Bible
And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon to give light to it, for the glory (splendor, radiance) of God has illumined it, and the Lamb is its lamp and light.

American Standard Version
And the city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp thereof is the Lamb.

Bible in Basic English
And the town has no need of the sun, or of the moon, to give it light: for the glory of God did make it light, and the light of it is the Lamb.

Complete Jewish Bible
The city has no need for the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God's Sh'khinah gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Darby Translation
And the city has no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine for it; for the glory of God has enlightened it, and the lamp thereof [is] the Lamb.

International Standard Version
The city doesn't need any sun or moon to give it light, because the glory of God gave it light, and the lamb was its lamp.Isaiah 24:23; 60:19-20; Revelation 22:5,11;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And the city hath no need of the sun nor of the moon to enlighten it; for the glory of Aloha illuminateth it, and the light thereof is the Lamb.

Murdock Translation
And the city hath no need of the sun or of the moon, to enlighten it; for the glory of God enlighteneth it, and the Lamb is the lamps of it.

King James Version (1611)
And the citie had no need of the Sunne, neither of the Moone to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lambe is the light thereof.

New Living Translation
And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

New Life Bible
There is no need for the sun and moon to shine in the city. The shining-greatness of God makes it full of light. The Lamb is its light.

New Revised Standard
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

English Standard Version
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And this citie hath no neede of the sunne, neither of the moone to shine in it: for the glorie of God did light it: and the Lambe is the light of it.

George Lamsa Translation
The city has no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God lightens it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, to shine in it. For the glory of God hath enlightened it: and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the citie hath no neede of the sunne, neither of the moone to lighten it: For the glorie of God dyd lighten it, and the Lambe is the lyght of it.

Good News Translation
The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God shines on it, and the Lamb is its lamp.

Christian Standard Bible®
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

King James Version
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Lexham English Bible
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon, that they shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Literal Translation
And the city had no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they might shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it, even its lamp is the Lamb.

Young's Literal Translation
and the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they may shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp of it [is] the Lamb;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and the cite hath no nede of the Sonne, nether of the mone to lyghten it. For the bryghtnes of God doth light it: and the lambe is the lyght of it.

Mace New Testament (1729)
the city had no need either of the sun, or of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamb is the luminary thereof.

THE MESSAGE
Everything New I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate." Then he said, "It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I'll be God to them, they'll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it's Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!" One of the Seven Angels who had carried the bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke to me: "Come here. I'll show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb." He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God. The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates. At each gate stood an Angel, and on the gates were inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. The wall was set on twelve foundations, the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb inscribed on them. The Angel speaking with me had a gold measuring stick to measure the City, its gates, and its wall. The City was laid out in a perfect square. He measured the City with the measuring stick: twelve thousand stadia, its length, width, and height all equal. Using the standard measure, the Angel measured the thickness of its wall: 144 cubits. The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl. The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn't need sun or moon for light. God's Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth's kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won't be any night. They'll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will get in.

New English Translation
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.

New King James Version
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, [fn] for the glory [fn] of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Simplified Cowboy Version
There was no need for a sun or moon. It is lit with the glory of God and the Lamb is the torch.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

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

the city: Revelation 21:11, Revelation 22:5, Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 60:19, Isaiah 60:20

for: Revelation 21:11, Revelation 18:1, Isaiah 2:10, Isaiah 2:19, Isaiah 2:21, Habakkuk 3:3, Matthew 16:27, Mark 8:38, John 17:24, Acts 22:11

the Lamb: Luke 2:32, John 1:4, John 1:9, John 1:14, John 1:18, John 5:23

Reciprocal: Genesis 1:16 - to rule Genesis 45:13 - my glory Exodus 25:37 - give Exodus 29:43 - sanctified Exodus 33:18 - General Exodus 40:34 - a cloud Deuteronomy 10:21 - thy praise Joshua 10:13 - So the sun 2 Samuel 22:29 - lamp 1 Kings 8:11 - for the glory 2 Chronicles 7:1 - the glory Psalms 3:3 - my Psalms 5:4 - evil Psalms 13:3 - lighten Psalms 15:1 - Lord Psalms 17:15 - I shall Psalms 27:1 - light Psalms 36:9 - in thy Psalms 50:2 - God Psalms 56:13 - the light Psalms 73:25 - Whom Psalms 80:1 - shine Psalms 84:1 - How Psalms 84:11 - a sun Psalms 89:15 - in the light Psalms 97:11 - Light Psalms 132:14 - here will Proverbs 4:18 - General Proverbs 15:30 - light Song of Solomon 5:13 - as a Song of Solomon 6:10 - clear Isaiah 2:5 - come ye Isaiah 10:17 - the light Isaiah 30:26 - the light of the moon Isaiah 35:2 - they shall Isaiah 40:5 - the glory Ezekiel 43:2 - the earth Daniel 9:17 - cause Micah 7:8 - the Lord Habakkuk 3:4 - brightness Zechariah 2:5 - the glory Zechariah 14:7 - it shall be one day Matthew 13:43 - shall Matthew 17:4 - it is John 1:29 - Behold John 5:18 - God was John 9:5 - long John 13:32 - shall John 14:3 - I will Acts 9:3 - a light Acts 26:13 - above Romans 5:2 - the glory 1 Corinthians 13:10 - General 2 Corinthians 3:10 - had Colossians 1:12 - in Colossians 1:18 - in all 1 Thessalonians 4:17 - and so 2 Thessalonians 2:14 - to James 1:17 - from the 1 John 1:5 - that God Revelation 5:6 - a Lamb Revelation 12:1 - clothed Revelation 22:3 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 20:14
Then took Abimelech sheep and oxen and men - servants and maid-servants, and gave to Abraham, - and restored to him Sarah his wife.

Genesis 21:21
And he dwelt in the desert of Paran, - and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

Genesis 21:22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech, with Phicol chieftain of his host, spake unto Abraham, saying, - God, is with thee in all that, thou art doing.

Genesis 21:23
Now, therefore, swear to me by God, here, that thou wilt not deal falsely by me, nor by mine offspring, nor by my descendants, - according to the lovingkindness wherewith I have dealt with thee, shalt thou deal with me, and with the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

Genesis 24:3
that I may put thee on oath, by Yahweh God of the heavens and God of the earth - That thou wilt not take a wife for my son, from among the daughters of the Canaanites in the midst of whom, I, am dwelling:

Genesis 26:28
And they said: We, saw plainly, that Yahweh was with thee, so we said, Let there be we pray thee an oath betwixt us both, betwixt us and thee, - and let us solemnise a covenant with thee: -

Genesis 31:44
Now, therefore, come on! Let us solemnise a covenant, I and thou, - So shall it be a witness betwixt me and thee.

Genesis 31:53
The Gods of Abraham and the Gods of Nahor judge betwixt us - the Gods of their fathers. And Jacob sware by the Dread of his father Isaac:

Deuteronomy 6:13
Yahweh thy God, shalt thou revere And him, shalt thou serve, - And by his name, shalt thou swear.

Joshua 2:12
Now, therefore I pray you, swear unto me by Yahweh, since I have dealt with you in lovingkindness, that, ye also, will deal with the house of my father in lovingkindness, and will give me a token of faithfulness,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it,.... Which may be understood either literally of these two luminaries, which all earthly cities need; and which, though they may be in being in the new heavens, yet will not have the use with respect to this city they now have. The Jews say u, the orb of the sun is in this world; and the gloss adds, but not in the future state, for the lights shall be renewed: and they further say w, as here, that

"in the world to come, "Israel אין צריכין לאור החמה, will have no need of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon", neither by day nor by night,''

as they say x, the Israelites had not in the wilderness. So they represent the Lord speaking to Moses, and saying y,

"thy days shall cease, but thy light shall not cease; for thou shall have no need for ever of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon, and of the stars.''

Or else it may be understood mystically, but not of Christ, the sun of righteousness, whom the saints will always need and enjoy; but of the governors and discipline of the church in its present state; and of the written word, which is a light unto them now, and the ministration of it, and the ordinances of the Gospel, by which light and knowledge are conveyed; but in this state all will be immediately taught of God; nor shall everyone teach his neighbour, but all shall know the Lord perfectly; and also of political governors, who will be no more; see

1 Corinthians 15:24.

For the glory of God did lighten it; the Shekinah, or glorious presence of God, which filled the temple of Solomon, and shone round about the shepherds at the incarnation of Christ; with the presence of God, who is light itself, which will be enjoyed in a much more glorious manner, will the church now be enlightened; and this will be an everlasting light unto her: and the Lamb is the light thereof; in whose light they will see the face of God, and see God face to face; they will see Christ as he is, and behold his glory; and look upon the angels, those glorious forms of light, and all the glorified saints, and know and converse with each other; and they will look into, and clearly discern all the mysteries and doctrines of grace, and all the various scenes of Providence, which will all be opened and laid before them. And this light will be always without any change and variation; which is no small part of the commendation of this city, which is the inheritance of the saints in light. So the holy blessed God is said by the Jews z to be אורו של ירושלים, "the light of Jerusalem"; he is the light of the new Jerusalem; see Isaiah 60:19 and the light of, the world to come is, by a them, called "the great light".

u T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 101. 1. w Raziel, fol. 17. 2. x Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. y Petirat Moseh, fol. 23. 2. z Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. & 98. 1. a Ben Gorion apud Aben Ezram in Psal. xlix. 19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it - This imagery seems to be derived from Isaiah 9:19-20. See notes on those verses. No language could give a more striking or beautiful representation of the heavenly state than what is here employed.

For the glory of God did lighten it - By the visible splendor of his glory. See the notes on Revelation 21:11. That supplied the place of the sun and the moon.

And the Lamb is the light thereof - The Son of God; the Messiah. See the Revelation 5:6 note; Isaiah 60:19 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. No need of the sun — This is also one of the traditions of the ancient Jews, that "in the world to come the Israelites shall have no need of the sun by day, nor the moon by night."-Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 7, 3. God's light shines in this city, and in the Lamb that light is concentrated, and from him everywhere diffused.