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parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Rev Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22
Rev 4 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
(All still tentative.)
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KJB-1611 2 Iohn seeth the throne of God in heauen. 4 The foure and twentie Elders. 6 The foure beasts full of eyes before and behinde. 10 The Elders lay downe their crownes, and worship him that sate on the Throne.
(2 Yohn seeth the throne of God in heaven. 4 The four and twenty Elders. 6 The four beasts full of eyes before and behind. 10 The Elders lay down their crowns, and worship him that sat on the Throne.)
The Theater and Revelation
Understanding the ancient theater can help us to understand Revelation 4–5. This passage introduces a divine drama and highlights the significance of God’s agent (the Messiah) in world history. This passage also sets the stage for the great drama of the book, which is about the world, the reality of judgment, and the victory that comes through the Lamb. In these chapters, a series of tableaus (scenes) is used to communicate the message.
The passage opens by describing God on his heavenly throne (4:1-3). In the ancient theater, a divine persona was placed in a central box or throne high above the stage. This actor clarified the significance of each scene for the audience through positive and negative comments or solved dilemmas in the script when they became too complex for the characters on stage to handle. Similarly, readers of Revelation should watch for scenes where God or his messengers interpret or intervene to advance the message.
The ancient drama took place on the stage below the divine figure. Between the stage and the audience, an orchestra of speakers voiced the emotional climate of the play. In Revelation, the four living creatures have a similar role (4:6-8). The twenty-four elders (representatives of the old and new covenants; 4:4) provide an antiphonal chorus (alternating groups of speakers or singers) and the historical setting for this great drama. God supplies the script, and only his special agent, the Lamb, can open it, read it, and perform it (5:1-5; 6:1).
Passages for Further Study
At this point in the book of Revelation, John has finished describing the letters to the churches. In this chapter he begins to describe a vision of heaven that God showed him.Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with verses 8 and 11.
These words refer to special stones that the people in John’s culture valued for their beauty. If the people in your culture do not consider stones to be valuable, in your translation you can emphasize that it was the beauty of the stones that made such an impression on John.
John does not explain who or what he means by “elders” when he describes seeing them in the vision he relates in this chapter. These 24 elders may be symbolic of the whole people of God through the ages. There were 12 tribes of Israel in the Old Testament Israel and 12 apostles of Jesus in the New Testament church. In chapter 21, John describes seeing the names of the 12 tribes of Israel on the gates of the New Jerusalem and the names of the 12 apostles on the foundations of that city. However, it is not necessary to offer an explanation in your translation of who these elders might be. If your language has a word for a distinguished older person who is a leader in the society, it would be appropriate to use it without any further explanation.
God’s glory is the great beauty and radiant majesty that God has because he is God. Other Bible writers describe it as if it were a light so bright that no one can look at it. No one can give God this kind of glory, because it is already his. When people give glory to God or when God receives glory, people say that God has the glory that is his, that it is right for God to have that glory, and that people should worship God because he has that glory. In your translation, be sure that it is clear that when people “give glory” to God, they are not giving God something that he does not already have. Instead, people are acknowledging that God is already glorious. (See: glory and worthy and worship)
Such things as bolts of lightning coming from the throne, lamps that are spirits, and a sea in front of the throne may be difficult to imagine. However, John is describing what he actually saw and heard in his visions, so you can translate his descriptions directly. See the discussion of this in the General Introduction to Revelation. (See: writing-apocalyptic)