Bible Commentaries

A new heaven and a new earth; that is, an entirely new state and constitution of things.

All the ideas of earthly greatness and magnificence entertained by the Jews were centred in the city of Jerusalem. A new Jerusalem was therefore an appropriate symbol under which to convey a high conception of the splendors of the heavenly state.

And he that sat upon the throne; Jehovah. This seems to be in allusion to the vision described Revelation 4:2,3.

The fearful; those who are afraid to encounter the dangers involved in the service of God.

And showed me that great city, &c. He represents himself as having previously seen the city descend; but now the scene is suddenly changed, and the same image appears to his view under another aspect. These cases of incoherence in the train of images, which are very common in this book, add to the rhetorical beauty of the work, considered as a composition,--such incoherence being essentially characteristic of visions and dreams.

Are equal; that is, of equally magnificent dimensions the height in proportion. The absolute height of the walls is mentioned in the Revelation 21:17.

Gold, like unto clear glass; the richness and value of gold combined with the brilliancy and splendor of glass.

The foregoing description seems to be simply intended to combine those elements which are regarded among men as expressive of magnificence and splendor. We are probably not to look for any mystical meaning in the several details of the description.

By day; meaning the whole day, of twenty-four hours.