The Meaning of Revelation 21:15 Explained

Revelation 21:15

KJV: And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

YLT: And he who is speaking with me had a golden reed, that he may measure the city, and its gates, and its wall;

Darby: And he that spoke with me had a golden reed as a measure, that he might measure the city, and its gates, and its wall.

ASV: And he that spake with me had for a measure a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he that talked  with  me  had  a golden  reed  to  measure  the city,  and  the gates  thereof,  and  the wall  thereof. 

What does Revelation 21:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The fact that the angel"s measuring rod was gold reflects the dignity of the task of measuring this city"s gate-towers and walls (cf. Ezekiel 40:3). Again, the temple that Ezekiel described being measured in Ezekiel 40-43is the millennial temple, which seems clear from the contexts and the differing measurements. Only the utensils used in the holy of holies were gold in the tabernacle and temple, but even this measuring rod is gold, suggesting the high value of the city.

Context Summary

Revelation 21:9-27 - "the Holy City"
The "new Jerusalem" is the redeemed Church united with her Lord in the act of governing the whole world. A city is obviously the seat of imperial rule. In that blessed condition the saints will rule the earth as the powers of darkness rule it now. We shall enjoy the fellowship of the good and great of every age. In a literal sense we shall be fellow-citizens with the saints. All ages and dispensations will blend there. Angels at the gates; the names of the twelve tribes and twelve Apostles engraved in imperishable characters to indicate the blending of the dispensations; the differing stones, representing variety of character and function but all blending in the light of the Lamb on the throne.
The happy throngs pour through the gates with never-ending rapture. Those gates, facing every quarter, stand always open; but none desire to go forth, except commissioned on some errand by the King. All the glory and honor of the world are gathered within those walls, because Jesus will be king over every department of human life. There will be room for all beauty, art, and culture in the city of eternal light and love. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 21

1  A new heaven and a new earth
10  The heavenly Jerusalem, with a full description thereof
23  She needs no sun, the glory of God being her light
24  The kings of the earth bring their riches unto her

Greek Commentary for Revelation 21:15

Had [ειχεν]
Regular imperfect here, no longer εχων — echōn a measure a golden reed See Revelation 11:1 for καλαμος — kalamos (reed). Μετρον — Metron is an old word, kin to μητηρ — mētēr (mother, moulder, manager), an instrument for measuring (μετρεω — metreō) as in Matthew 7:2, here in the predicate accusative. [source]
To measure [ινα μετρησηι]
Purpose clause with ινα — hina and the first aorist active subjunctive of μετρεω — metreō The rod of gold was in keeping with the dignity of the service of God (Revelation 1:12; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3; Revelation 9:13; Revelation 15:7). [source]
A golden reed []
Add μέτρον as a measure. See Revelation 11:1. Compare Ezekiel 40:5. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 21:15

Mark 3:14 He appointed twelve [εποιησεν δωδεκα]
This was a second selection out of those invited to the hills and after the night of prayer and after day came (Luke 6:13). Why he chose twelve we are not told, probably because there were twelve tribes in Israel. It was a good round number at any rate. They were to be princes in the new Israel (cf. Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; Revelation 21:14, Revelation 21:15). Luke (Luke 6:13-16) also gives the list of the twelve at this point while Matthew (Matthew 10:1-4) postpones giving the names till they are sent out in Galilee. There is a fourth list in Acts 1:13. See discussion of the names of the apostles on Matthew 10:1-4 and pp. 271-3 of my Harmony of the Gospels for Students of the Life of Christ. The three groups of four begin alike (Simon, Philip, James). There are some difficulties. [source]
1 Corinthians 3:12 Stubble [καλάμην]
Not the same as κάλαμος areed. See Revelation 11:1; Revelation 21:15; and on 3 John 1:13. This word means a stalk of grain after the ears have been cut off. It was used for thatch in building. Virgil, “Aeneid,” 654, alludes to the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus with its roof bristling with stubble. [source]
Revelation 11:1 A reed [καλαμος]
Old word for a growing reed (Matthew 11:7) which grew in immense brakes in the Jordan valley, a writer‘s reed (3 John 1:7), a measuring-rod (here, Revelation 21:15.; Ezekiel 40:3-6; Ezekiel 42:16-19). [source]
Revelation 21:12 Having a wall great and high [εχουσα τειχος μεγα και υπσηλον]
John returns, after the parenthesis in Revelation 21:11, to the structure in Revelation 21:10, only to use the accusative εχουσαν — echousan as before to agree with πολιν — polin but the nominative εχουσα — echousa as again with “twelve gates” Πυλων — Pulōn is an old word (from πυλη — pulē gate) for a large gate as in Luke 16:20 and six times in Rev for the gate tower of a city wall (Revelation 21:12, Revelation 21:13, Revelation 21:15, Revelation 21:21, Revelation 21:25; Revelation 22:14) as in 1 Kings 17:10; Acts 14:13. See Ezekiel 48:31. for these twelve gates, one for each tribe (cf. Revelation 7:1-8). [source]
Revelation 21:16 The length thereof is as great as the breadth [το μηκος αυτης οσον το πλατος]
It is rectangular, both walls and city within. Babylon, according to Herodotus, was a square, each side being 120 stadia. Diodorus Siculus says that Nineveh was also foursquare.With the reed (τωι καλαμωι — tōi kalamōi). Instrumental case (cf. Revelation 21:15 for καλαμος — kalamos) and for μετρεω — metreō (aorist active indicative here)Twelve thousand furlongs This use of the genitive σταδιων — stadiōn with επι — epi is probably correct (reading of Aleph P), though A Q have σταδιους — stadious (more usual, but confusing here with χιλιαδων — chiliadōn). Thucydides and Xenophon use επι — epi with the genitive in a like idiom (in the matter of). It is not clear whether the 1500 miles (12,000 furlongs) is the measurement of each of the four sides or the sum total. Some of the rabbis argued that the walls of the New Jerusalem of Ezekiel would reach to Damascus and the height would be 1500 miles high.Equal (ισα — isa). That is, it is a perfect cube like the Holy of Holies in Solomon‘s temple (1 Kings 6:19.). This same measurement (πλατοσ μηκοσ υπσος — platosβατος — mēkoshupsos) is applied to Christ‘s love in Ephesians 3:18, with bathos (depth) added. It is useless to try to reduce the measurements or to put literal interpretations upon this highly wrought symbolic language. Surely the meaning is that heaven will be large enough for all, as Jesus said (John 14:1.) without insisting on the materialistic measurement of a gorgeous apartment house full of inside rooms. [source]
Revelation 21:16 With the reed [τωι καλαμωι]
Instrumental case (cf. Revelation 21:15 for καλαμος — kalamos) and for μετρεω — metreō (aorist active indicative here) [source]
Revelation 22:6 He said unto me [ειπεν μοι]
Apparently the same angel as in Revelation 22:1 (Revelation 21:9, Revelation 21:15). [source]
Revelation 5:4 I wept much [εγω εκλαιον πολυ]
Imperfect active of κλαιω — klaiō picturesque, descriptive, I kept on weeping much; natural tense in these vivid visions (Revelation 1:12; Revelation 2:14; Revelation 5:4, Revelation 5:14; Revelation 6:8, Revelation 6:9; Revelation 10:10; Revelation 19:14; Revelation 21:15). Perhaps weeping aloud. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 21:15 mean?

And the [one] speaking with me had a measuring reed golden so that he could measure the city the gates of it the wall
Καὶ λαλῶν μετ’ ἐμοῦ εἶχεν μέτρον κάλαμον χρυσοῦν ἵνα μετρήσῃ τὴν πόλιν τοὺς πυλῶνας αὐτῆς τὸ τεῖχος

  the  [one] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
λαλῶν  speaking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀπολαλέω 
Sense: to utter a voice or emit a sound.
ἐμοῦ  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
μέτρον  a  measuring 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: μέτρον  
Sense: measure, an instrument for measuring.
κάλαμον  reed 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κάλαμος  
Sense: a reed.
χρυσοῦν  golden 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: χρύσεος 
Sense: golden.
ἵνα  so  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
μετρήσῃ  he  could  measure 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μετρέω  
Sense: to measure, to measure out or off.
πόλιν  city 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
πυλῶνας  gates 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: πυλών  
Sense: a large gate: of a palace.
αὐτῆς  of  it 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
τεῖχος  wall 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τεῖχος  
Sense: the wall around a city, town wall.

What are the major concepts related to Revelation 21:15?

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