the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Revelation 4:4
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In a circle around the throne were 24 other thrones with 24 elders sitting on them. The elders were dressed in white, and they had golden crowns on their heads.
Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads.
And aboute the seate were .xxiiii. seates. And upon the seates .xxiiii. elders syttinge clothed in whyte rayment and had on their heddes crounes of gold.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four Zakenim sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Around the throne there were twenty-four other thrones with twenty-four elders sitting on them. They were dressed in white and had golden crowns on their heads.
And round about the throne [were] four and twenty thrones: and on the thrones [I saw] four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
And around the throne [were] four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones. On the thrones were twenty-four elders sitting, dressed in white garments, with crowns of gold on their heads.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones, and on the thrones four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and upon their heads crowns of gold.
Surrounding the throne there were also twenty-four other thrones, on which sat twenty-four Elders clothed in white robes, with victors' wreaths of gold upon their heads.
And in the cumpas of the seete weren foure and twenti smale seetis; and aboue the troones foure and twenti eldre men sittinge, hilid aboute with whijt clothis, and in the heedis of hem goldun corouns.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
Twenty-four other thrones were in a circle around that throne. And on each of these thrones there was an elder dressed in white clothes and wearing a gold crown.
Twenty-four [other] thrones surrounded the throne; and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothing, with crowns of gold on their heads.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
And round about the high seat were four and twenty seats: and on them I saw four and twenty rulers seated, clothed in white robes; and on their heads crowns of gold.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothing and wearing gold crowns on their heads.
And round the throne twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders sitting, clothed with white garments; and on their heads golden crowns.
Around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders wearing white robes and gold victor's crowns on their heads.Revelation 3:4-5; 6:11; 11:16;">[xr]
Around the throne [fn] were seats [fn] twenty and four; and upon those seats twenty and four presbyters [fn] sitting, who were robed in white vestments, and upon their heads wore coronets [fn] of gold.
Around the throne were twenty and four seats; and upon those seats sat twenty and four Elders, who were clothed in white robes, and on whose heads were coronets of gold.
And round about the Throne were foure and twentie seates, and vpon the seates I saw foure and twentie Elders sitting, clothed in white rayment, and they had on their heades crownes of golde.
Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.
There were twenty-four smaller thrones around the throne. And on these thrones twenty-four leaders were sitting dressed in white clothes. They had crowns of gold on their heads.
Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads.
And round about the throne were foure and twentie seates, and vpon the seates I sawe foure and twentie Elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and had on their heads crownes of golde.
Round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats, four and twenty ancients sitting, clothed in white garments. And on their heads were crowns of gold.
And about ye throne were .xxiiij. seates, and vpon the seates .xxiiij. elders sitting, clothed in whyte rayment, and had on their heades crownes of golde.
In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, on which were seated twenty-four elders dressed in white and wearing crowns of gold.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads.
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothing, and on their heads were gold crowns.
And around the throne I saw twenty four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty four elders sitting, having been clothed in white garments. And they had golden crowns on their heads.
And around the throne [are] thrones twenty and four, and upon the thrones I saw the twenty and four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and they had upon their heads crowns of gold;
And aboute the seate were xxiiij. seates. And vpon the seates xxiiij. elders syttinge clothed in whyte rayment, and had on their heades crownes of golde.
round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty Elders sitting, cloathed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns on their heads.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns [fn] of gold on their heads.
Around this throne were twenty-four more thrones. Seated on them were the twenty-four old bosses. They were dressed in white shirts with shining buckles on their belts.
Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
were four: Revelation 11:16, Revelation 20:4, Matthew 19:28, Luke 22:30
four and twenty: Revelation 4:10, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 5:14, Revelation 7:11, Revelation 19:4
clothed: Revelation 3:4, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 6:11, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:13, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 19:14
crowns: Revelation 2:10, Revelation 9:7, Esther 8:15, Psalms 21:3, 2 Timothy 4:8
Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 23:11 - put upon Isaiah 61:10 - for Ezekiel 16:11 - and a Ezekiel 44:17 - they shall Zechariah 3:5 - fair 1 Corinthians 9:25 - but 1 Timothy 5:1 - an elder 2 Timothy 2:5 - is he Revelation 3:11 - thy Revelation 4:8 - which Revelation 5:5 - one Revelation 5:6 - in the midst of the throne Revelation 5:11 - the throne Revelation 7:15 - are Revelation 13:6 - and them
Cross-References
So Cain went forth from the presence of Yahweh, - and dwelt in the land of Nod, eastward of Eden.
And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch, - Now it happened that he was building a city, so he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
And Lamech took to himself two wives, - the name of the one, was Adah, and, the name of the second Zillah.
And Adah bare Jabal, - he, was father of such as dwell in tents, and have cattle;
So it came to pass when, the sun, had gone in, and Ira thick darkness, had come on, that lo there was a smoking hearth and torch of fire, which passed through between these pieces.
that thou shalt set apart whatsoever is born first, to Yahweh; and, of all firstlings of beasts which thou shalt have, the males, shall pertain to Yahweh.
yea, there came forth fire from before Yahweh, and consumed upon the altar, the ascending-sacrifice and the portions of fat, - and all the people beheld and shouted, and fell down upon their faces.
Fire also came forth, from Yahweh, - and consumed the two hundred and fifty men, who offered the incense.
All the best of oil, and all the best of new-wine and corn, - the firstfruits thereof which they shall give unto Yahweh, unto thee, have I given them.
Only a firstling ox or a firstling sheep or a firstling goat, shalt thou not redeem, hallowed, they are, - their blood, shalt thou dash against the altar and of their fat, shalt thou make a perfume, an altar-flame, for a satisfying odour unto Yahweh:
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats,.... In a semicircular form, as the rainbow also was; the thrones in the above form, came to both ends, or sides of it; just as when the sanhedrim, or great court of judicature among the Jews say m, the "Nasi", or prince, sat in the uppermost seat, at his right hand was "Ab beth din", or the father or the sanhedrim, and at his left hand a doctor or wise man, and all the rest of the members sat in a semicircular form upon seats before them, so that they could see them all; and to this the allusion might be thought to be, did their numbers agree, but in the great sanhedrim there were seventy one, and the lesser twenty three, which last comes very near the number here;
and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting; by whom are not meant the twenty four books of the Old Testament, as some of the ancients thought, and also some of the modern writers, as Lord Napier and others; for the things said of them are such as cannot be applied to inanimate things, such as sitting on seats, being clothed with white raiment, having golden crowns on their heads, falling down before the throne, and worshipping him that sat on it; and besides, in Revelation 5:8, they are said to be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, out of very kindred, tongue, people, and nation; for which last reason, angels also cannot be designed, and who, moreover, in the place referred to, are manifestly distinguished from these elders; nor are they to be understood as to the representatives of the Jewish church, or of the Jewish and Christian church together, as triumphant in heaven; and so be signified by the twelve patriarchs and twelve apostles, which together make up twenty four; but rather the members of the Gospel church state, throughout the whole of it, in every succession and period of time, are here meant; and are expressed by the number "twenty four", in allusion to the twenty four courses of the priests, into which they were divided by David, 1 Chronicles 24:1, and to the twenty four stations of the Levites, who in turn attended the service of the temple daily, and represented the whole body of the people of Israel, in putting their hands upon the sacrifices, and praying for them; of which
1 Chronicles 24:1- :; add to this, that in twenty four places the priests and Levites kept watch in the temple n; so these twenty four elders before the throne of God, in his temple, represent the whole Israel of God, all the members of the Gospel church state, from the first to the last of it: and they are styled "elders", not on account of office, as pastors of the churches are called, but because of their senile gravity, prudence, and knowledge; they having a greater degree of spiritual knowledge of the manifold wisdom of God than the Jewish church, which was in a state of infancy, and under tutors and governors, had; but the Gospel church is in a state of manhood, and no longer under a schoolmaster, and so fitly expressed by "elders"; and these are represented as "sitting" on their seats, not only to hear the word of God, but as judging in cases that come before them, respecting the admission or exclusion of members, the laying on or taking off of censures, c. and these, their seats being around and near unto the throne, denote their nearness to God, and their communion with him, in his house and ordinances, and his dwelling in the midst of them.
Clothed in white raiment in the pure and spotless robe of Christ's righteousness, which is comparable to fine linen, clean and white; and is the righteousness of the saints in common, of every true member of Christ's body.
And they had on their heads crowns of gold; being made by Christ kings, as well as priests, unto God; for so these four and twenty elders are said to be, in Revelation 5:10; and they now reign as kings over sin, Satan, and the world, and have a kingdom of grace which shall never be removed; and they shall reign with Christ on earth a thousand years, and then reign with him to all eternity in heaven. It is a common saying with the Jews o,
"that there is no eating and drinking in the world to come, but the righteous are "sitting", ועטרותיהם בראשהים, "and their crowns upon their heads".''
m Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 4. sect. 3. & Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 1. sect. 3. n Misn. Middot, c. 1. sect. 1. o Zohar in Numb. fol. 106. 3. & Raya Mehimna in ib. fol. 96. 3. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 17. 1. Abot R. Nathan, fol. 1. 3. Caphtor, fol. 82. 2. & 86. 2. & 108. 2. & Nishmat Chayim, fol. 30. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And round about the throne were four and twenty seats - Or rather, “thrones” - θρόνοι thronoi - the same word being used as what is rendered “throne” - θρόνος thronos. The word, indeed, properly denotes a seat, but it came to be employed to denote particularly the seat on which a monarch sat, and is properly translated thus in Revelation 4:2-3. So it is rendered in Matthew 5:34; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 23:22; Matthew 25:31; Luke 1:32; and uniformly elsewhere in the New Testament (53 places in all), except in Luke 1:52; Revelation 2:13; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 16:10, where it is rendered “seat and seats.” It should have been rendered “thrones” here, and is so translated by Prof. Stuart. Coverdale and Tyndale render the word “seat” in each place in Revelation 4:2-5. It was undoubtedly the design of the writer to represent those who sat on those seats as, in some sense, kings - for they have on their heads crowns of gold - and that idea should have been retained in the translation of this word.
And upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting - Very various opinions have been entertained in respect to those who thus appeared sitting around the throne, and to the question why the number twenty-four is mentioned. Instead of examining those opinions at length, it will be better to present, in a summary manner, what seems to be probable in regard to the intended reference. The following points, then, would appear to embrace all that can be known on this subject:
- These elders have a regal character, or are of a kingly order. This is apparent:
(a) because they are represented as sitting on “thrones,” and
(b) because they have on their heads “crowns of gold.”
(2)They are emblematic. They are designed to symbolize or represent some class of persons. This is clear:
(a) because it cannot be supposed that so small a number would compose the whole of those who are in fact around the throne of God, and,
(b) because there are other symbols there designed to represent something pertaining to the homage rendered to God, as the four living creatures and the angels, and this supposition is necessary in order to complete the symmetry and harmony of the representation.
(3)They are human beings, and are designed to have some relation to the race of man, and somehow to connect the human race with the worship of heaven. The four living creatures have another design; the angels Revelation 5:1-14 have another; but these are manifestly of our race - persons from this world before the throne.
(4)They are designed in some way to be symbolic of the church as redeemed. Thus, they say Revelation 5:9, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.”
(5)They are designed to represent the whole church in every land and every age of the world. Thus, they say Revelation 5:9, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” This shows, further, that the whole representation is emblematic; for otherwise in so small a number - twenty-four - there could not be a representation out of every nation.
(6)They represent the church triumphant - the church victorious. Thus, they have crowns on their heads; they have harps in their hands Revelation 5:8; they say that they are “kings and priests,” and that they will “reign on the earth,” Revelation 5:10.
(7)The design, therefore, is to represent the church triumphant - redeemed - saved - as rendering praise and honor to God; as uniting with the hosts of heaven in adoring him for his perfections and for the wonders of his grace; As representatives of the church, they are admitted near to him; they encircle his throne; they appear victorious over every foe; and they come, in unison with the living creatures, and the angels, and the whole universe Revelation 5:13, to ascribe power and dominion to God.
(8)As to the reason why the number “twenty-four” is mentioned, perhaps nothing certain can be determined. Ezekiel, in his vision Ezekiel 8:16; Ezekiel 11:1, saw twenty-five men between the porch and the altar, with their backs toward the temple, and their faces toward the earth - supposed to be representations of the twenty-four “courses” into which the body of priests was divided 1 Chronicles 24:3-19, with the high priest among them, making up the number twenty-five. It is possible that John in this vision may have designed to refer to the church considered as a priesthood (compare the notes on 1 Peter 2:9), and to have alluded to the fact that the priesthood under the Jewish economy was divided into twenty-four courses, each with a presiding officer, and who was a representative of that portion of the priesthood over which he presided. If so, then the ideas which enter into the representation are these:
(a) That the whole church may be represented as a priesthood, or a community of priests - an idea which frequently occurs in the New Testament.
(b) That the church, as such a community of priests, is employed in the praise and worship of God - an idea, also, which finds abundant countenance in the New Testament.
(c) That, in a series of visions having a designed reference to the church, it was natural to introduce some symbol or emblem representing the church, and representing the fact that this is its office and employment. And,
(d) that this would be well expressed by an allusion derived from the ancient dispensation - the division of the priesthood into classes, over each one of which there presided an individual who might be considered as the representative of his class.
It is to be observed, indeed, that in one respect they are represented as” kings,” but still this does not forbid the supposition that there might have been intermingled also another idea, that they were also “priests.” Thus, the two ideas are blended by these same elders in Revelation 5:10; “And hath made us unto our God kings and priests.” Thus understood, the vision is designed to denote the fact that the representatives of the church, ultimately to be triumphant, are properly engaged in ascribing praise to God. The word “elders” here seems to be used in the sense of aged and venerable men, rather than as denoting office. They were such as by their age were qualified to preside over the different divisions of the priesthood.
Clothed in white raiment - Emblem of purity, and appropriate, therefore, to the representatives of the sanctified church. Compare Revelation 3:4; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 7:9.
And they had on their heads crowns of gold - Emblematic of the fact that they sustained a kingly office. There was blended in the representation the idea that they were both “kings and priests.” Thus, the idea is expressed by Peter 1 Peter 2:9, “a royal priesthood” - βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα basileion hierateuma.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Revelation 4:4. Four and twenty elders — Perhaps this is in reference to the smaller Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, which was composed of twenty-three elders; or to the princes of the twenty-four courses of the Jewish priests which ministered at the tabernacle and the temple, at first appointed by David.
Clothed in white raiment — The garments of the priests.
On their heads crowns of gold. — An emblem of their dignity. The Jewish writers represent human souls as being created first; and before they enter the body, each is taken by an angel into paradise, where it sees the righteous sitting in glory with crowns upon their heads. Rab. Tanchum, fol. 39, 4.
