New International Version
Revelation 21:12
12It 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.
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:
- English Standard Version (ESV)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—
- 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 mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 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. 13There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the 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 21:17The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick.
- Ezra 9:9Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
- Nehemiah 12:27At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres.
- Psalms 51:18May it please you to prosper Zion, to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
- Psalms 122:7May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.”
- Revelation 21:21The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
- Isaiah 54:12I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
- Isaiah 60:18No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
- Ezekiel 48:31the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi.
- Matthew 18:10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
- Luke 15:10In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
- Luke 16:22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.
- Hebrews 1:14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Revelation 7:4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
- Numbers 2:2“The Israelites are to camp around the tent of meeting some distance from it, each of them under their standard and holding the banners of their family.”
- Acts 26:7This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.
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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries