New King James Version
Revelation 4:8
8The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
Revelation 4:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
- New International Version (NIV)Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
- New Living Translation (NLT)Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty— the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Context of Revelation 4:8
6Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” 9Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
Read all of Revelation 4Revelation 4:8 word by word
καὶ τὰ τέσσαρα ζῷα, ἓν καθ᾽ ἓν αὐτῶν ἔχων ἀνὰ πτέρυγας ἕξ κυκλόθεν καὶ ἔσωθεν γέμουσιν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτὸς λέγοντες· ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- the fourτέσσαρεςtessares tessara · fourG5064
- beastsζῷονzōon · living thingG2226
- hadἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- eachἀνάana · eachG303
- ·εἷςheis · oneG1520
- ·κατάkata · according toG2596
- of themἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
- sixἕξhex · sixG1803
- wingsπτέρυξpterux · wingG4420
- aboutκυκλόθενkuklothen · aroundG2943
- fullγέμωgemō · be fullG1073
- of eyesὀφθαλμόςophthalmos · eyeG3788
- withinἔσωθενesōthen · inwardlyG2081
- they restἀνάπαυσιςanapausis · restG372
- notοὐou · noG3756
- dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
- nightνύξnux · nightG3571
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
- Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- Almightyπαντοκράτωρpantokratōr · almightyG3841
- wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- is to comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
Cross-references for Revelation 4:8
- Isaiah 6:2Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
- Ezekiel 1:6Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings.
- Ezekiel 10:21Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
- 2 Timothy 4:2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
- Revelation 4:6Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
- 1 Timothy 4:16Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
- Revelation 7:15Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
- Isaiah 62:1For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
- Acts 20:31Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:9For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:8nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,
- Revelation 3:7“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:
- Exodus 15:11“Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
- Isaiah 6:3And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
- Revelation 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Revelation 11:17saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned.
Commentaries on Revelation 4:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8The four beasts had each of them six wings - I have already observed, in the preface to this book, that the phraseology is rabbinical; I might have added, and the imagery also. We have almost a counterpart of this description in Pirkey Elieser. chap. 4. I shall give the substance of this from Schoettgen. "Four troops of ministering angels praise the holy blessed God: the first is Michael, at the right hand; the next is Gabriel, at the left; the third is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him - An emblem common to them all, denoting that, in reference to each and all the things here symbolized, there was one common characteristic - that in heaven there is the utmost promptness in executing the divine commands. Compare Isaiah 6:2; Psalm 18:10; Psalm 104:3; Jeremiah 48:40. No mention is made of the manner in which these wings were arranged, and conjecture in regard to that is vain. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Day and night: The four beings continuously praised God's main qualities: his holiness, his power (the Almighty), and his eternity (see study note on Revelation 1:4). Holy, holy, holy comes from Isaiah 6:3 and is the highest form of worship in Scripture. Repeating something two times shows strong emphasis. Repeating it three times shows the highest level of emphasis.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. about him--Greek, "round about him." Alford connects this with the following sentence: "All round and within (their wings) they are (so two oldest manuscripts, A, B, and Vulgate read) full of eyes." John's object is to show that the six wings in each did not interfere with that which he had before declared, namely, that they were "full of eyes before and behind." The eyes were round the outside of each wing, and up the inside of each when half…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 4:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 4
- 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
- Family Bible 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
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