Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
21.9
–21: Vision of the city: walls and gates.
The systematic description of the city’s architecture recalls Ezekiel’s tour of God’s heavenly temple (chs 40–42), likewise on a tall mountain (40.2).
9
: That one of the
angels
with a bowl of the
last plagues
(see 15.1) now serves as an “angelus interpres,” or “tour-angel,” signifies that the functions of heavenly ministry have shifted from execution of judgment to revelation of the pure world.
10
:
In the spirit
, 1.10.
11
:
Glory
(Gk “doxa”; Heb “kavod”) of God, an aspect of the enthroned presence: Ezek 1.28; 43.4; cf. 15.8 and 21.23b.
12
: Names of the twelve tribes inscribed on
gates
, cf. Ezek 48.30–35.
14
: An odd addition, perhaps by a later editor (cf. Eph 2.20), since
twelve foundations
is unclear, and in Revelation
Lamb
is not used as a title for the historical Jesus pre-crucifixion (cf. 11.8).
15
–17
: As in Ezek 40–42, measuring with an angel’s help reveals the perfection of heavenly symmetry as well as the incalculable enormity of a divine structure. Unlike most Mediterranean cities of John’s time, God’s city is a perfect square (v. 16).
One hundred forty-four cubits
, 12 x 12 cubits, symbolizing the completeness of God’s people (cf. 7.4n.); a cubit was approximately 18 inches.
18
–21
: Perhaps inspired by Isaiah’s verses about a bejeweled Jerusalem (54.11–12), John transposes the full panoply of jewels from the breastplate of the high priest (Ex 28.17–21; 39.10–13) onto the walls of the heavenly city, as if to combine two visual spectacles of divine perfection. Cf. Qumran 11Q18 JN (“Jerusalem nouvelle”);
Jos. Asen
. 18.6; Isa 61.10.
21.22
–27:
The holy city.
22
:
No temple
, that John
saw
the absence of a temple means that it would have been expected (see “A Holy City without a Holy Temple,” above).
23
–26
: John draws out the image of eternal intimacy between God and holy city through the metaphor of light (cf. Ps 132.17). As with most biblical and Second Temple depictions of the eschatological city, the city serves as a beacon to all nations (cf. Jer. 3.17; Isa 60.1–11; Tob 13.11). John’s imagery of ecumenical devotion to the new sanctified Jerusalem is inspired by such biblical poetry rather than consistency with the preceding judgment scenes (cf. 19.17–20; 20.7–9), with whose vengeance on Gentile kingdoms it conflicts.
25
:
Gates will never be shut
, in the new creation there will be no need for boundaries against the outside.
There will be no night there
, a reversal of creation (cf. Gen 1.3–5,14–18) to restore an undifferentiated divine presence (cf. 22.5).
27
: The heavenly purity of the city is reasserted through the exclusion of the
unclean
[Gk “koinon” can also mean “common”] and polluting (cf. 21.8; 22.15; Lev 15; 21; Deut 23.9–14; Isa 52.1; 11QTemple 47.3–18).
22.1
–2:
River of the water of life.
1
: Anticipated in 21.6, the depiction of a pure
river
extending from beneath the throne of God is an ancient Near Eastern image (even found on early Babylonian cylinder seals) and conjures the rivers of Eden (Gen 2.10). Transposed to the eschatological temple/city, the image recalls most directly Ezek 47.1–12 and has a parallel in 11QTemple (cf. Sir 24.30–39).
Throne
, this symbol of authority now becomes the source of life.
2
:
Tree of life
, see Gen 3.22.
Twelve kinds of fruit
, the trees are perpetually fruitful.
Healing
, the leaves are medicinal, like herbal remedies. Jewish eschatology often imagined the promulgation of healing powers and remedies in the messianic era: Isa 35.5–6; Mk 7.37; Lk 7.22.
22.3
–5
Intimacy between God and the saints.
3
:
Accursed
, any such are consigned to the lake of fire (20.14–15).
4
:
See his face
, represents the greatest privilege in Jewish visionary literature (see
2 En
. 22; 39), one not granted to Isaiah (6.1), Ezekiel (ch 1), or Enoch (
1 En
. 14.21; cf.
1 En
. 46.1)—perhaps following God’s own proscription in Ex 33.20–23 (cf. Gen 32.31)—but promised as an eschatological reward in
Jub
. 1.28;
4 Ezra
7.98.
Name … foreheads
, recalls the mark on the followers of the Lamb (14.1), representing the opposite of the mark of the beast (13.16); (see “Names Inscribed on the Body,” p.
485
).
5
:
No more night
, cf. 21.25n.
22.6
–17:
Oracles of eschatological imminence.
6
:
God of the spirits of the prophets
, see 1QH 20.11–13.
His angel
, cf. 21.9,15, referring back to 1.1.
7
: Word of the risen Christ (also in 16.15), referring back to 1.3.
I am coming soon
, this announcement occurs twice more (vv. 12,20), affirming the prophetic nature of this text.
Blessed
, see 1.3n.
8
–9
: See 19.10n.
10
: While many Jewish apocalypses charged their scribes to keep revelations secret (Dan 8.26; 12.4;
4 Ezra
14.45–48), Revelation charges that its visions be kept open, since the end
is near
.
11
: The idea that all people should remain as they are in anticipation of the eschaton is a common theme in the early Jesus Movement (1 Cor 7.17–24), but the statement here has less to do with social position (slave, married) and more with inner nature, as in the Qumran teachings on the portions of darkness and their works (1QS 4.15–26; 4Q186).
12
: Another oracle of the risen Christ, referring to 1.8.
13
:
Alpha and the Omega
, see 1.8n.
14
: The two possible readings, blessing “those who wash … robes” [Gk “plunontes tas stolas”] and “those who do … commandments” [Gk “poiountes tas entolas”] look similar in Greek.
Tree of life
, 22.2n.
15
: See 21.8. 4QMMT proscribes dogs from entering the holy camp, as animals that bring corpse-pollution (61–65).
16
: Oracle of the risen Christ using traditional Jewish messianic titles (Isa 11.2,10).
17
: Invitations to be part of the holy city. The invocation to
come
anticipates the invocation to Christ in v. 20b.
Water of life
, see 22.1–2n.
22.18
–19: Final warnings.
John or a later editor specifies that “keeping the words of the prophecy” (1.3; 22.7,9) means not changing a word (cf. Deut 4.2 and 13.1) under threat of eschatological curse. The text is meant to appear as unchanged from the time of its revelation.
Tree of life
, see 22.2n.
22.20
–21: Closing.
Come, Lord Jesus
, translating Aram “maranatha” (cf. 1 Cor 16.22;
Did
. 10.6), may serve as an audience response to the preceding prophetic oracle, but its ritual function was to usher Christ’s eschatological return.
*
Or
birth
*
Or
Jesus Christ
*
Other ancient authorities read
Asa
*
Other ancient authorities read
Amon
*
Or
the Christ
*
Or
the Christ
*
Or
Jesus Christ
*
Other ancient authorities read
her firstborn son
*
Or
astrologers
; Gk
magi
*
Or
in the East
*
Or
the Christ
*
Or
rule
*
Gk
saw the star
*
Gk
he
*
Or
astrologers
; Gk
magi
*
Gk
he
*
Or
is at hand
*
Or
in
*
Or
my beloved Son
*
Gk
he
*
Or
is at hand
*
Gk
He
*
Gk
gospel