English Standard Version
Revelation 21:12
12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed—
Revelation 21:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
- New International Version (NIV)It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
- New Living Translation (NLT)The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.
Context of Revelation 21:12
10And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Read all of Revelation 21Revelation 21:12 word by word
ἔχουσα τεῖχος μέγα καὶ ὑψηλόν, ἔχουσα πυλῶνας δώδεκα καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς πυλῶσιν ἀγγέλους δώδεκα, καὶ ὀνόματα ἐπιγεγραμμένα, ἅ ἐστιν τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα φυλῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andτεte · and/bothG5037
- hadἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- a wallτεῖχοςteichos · wallG5038
- greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- highὑψηλόςhupsēlos · highG5308
- twelveδώδεκαdōdeka · twelveG1427
- gatesπυλώνpulōn · gateG4440
- atἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- angelsἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- namesὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
- written thereonἐπιγράφωepigraphō · to write onG1924
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- tribesφυλήphulē · tribeG5443
- of the childrenυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- of IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
Cross-references for Revelation 21:12
- Revelation 21:17He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel's measurement.
- Ezra 9:9For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem.
- Nehemiah 12:27And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites in all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem to celebrate the dedication with gladness, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres.
- Psalms 51:18Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;
- Psalms 122:7Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!"
- Revelation 21:21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
- Isaiah 54:12I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones.
- Isaiah 60:18Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.
- Ezekiel 48:31three gates, the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi, the gates of the city being named after the tribes of Israel.
- Matthew 18:10"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
- Luke 15:10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
- Luke 16:22The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
- Hebrews 1:14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
- Revelation 7:4And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
- Numbers 2:2"The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers' houses. They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.
- Acts 26:7to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!
Commentaries on Revelation 21:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Had a wall great and high - An almighty defense. Twelve gates - A gate for every tribe of Israel, in the vicinity of which gate that tribe dwelt; so that in coming in and going out they did not mix with each other. This description of the city is partly taken from Ezekiel 48:30-35. In Synopsis Sohar, p. 115, n. 27, it is said: "In the palace of the world to come there are twelve gates, each of which is inscribed with one of the twelve tribes, as that of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And had a wall great and high - Ancient cities were always surrounded with walls for protection, and John represents this as enclosed in the usual manner. The word “great” means that it was thick and strong. Its height also is particularly noticed, for it was unusual. See Revelation 21:16. And had twelve gates - Three on each side. The number of the gates correspond to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and to the number of the apostles…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-21Verses 9-21 God has various employments for his holy angels. Sometimes they sound the trumpet of Divine Providence, and warn a careless world; sometimes they discover things of a heavenly nature of the heirs of salvation. Those who would have clear views of heaven, must get as near to heaven as they can, on the mount of meditation and faith. The subject of the vision is the church of God in a perfect, triumphant state, shining in its lustre; glorious in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-14In this vision, the twelve tribes of Israel symbolize God's redeemed people (see Revelation 7:4–8; see also Romans 9:6–7). The twelve apostles of the Lamb form the foundation for this community of God's redeemed. Through Jesus, God has fully fulfilled his promise to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham (Genesis 12:3).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. And--A and B omit. Eze 48:30-35, has a similar description, which implies that the millennial Jerusalem shall have its exact antitype in the heavenly Jerusalem which shall descend on the finally regenerated earth. wall great and high--setting forth the security of the Church. Also, the exclusion of the ungodly. twelve angels--guards of the twelve gates: an additional emblem of perfect security, while the gates being never shut (Re 21:25) imply perfect…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 21:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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