New Living Translation
Revelation 21:23
23And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.
Revelation 21:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
- New International Version (NIV)The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Context of Revelation 21:23
21The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.
Read all of Revelation 21Revelation 21:23 word by word
καὶ ἡ πόλις οὐ χρείαν ἔχει τοῦ ἡλίου οὐδὲ τῆς σελήνης ἵνα φαίνωσιν αὐτῇ· ἡ γὰρ δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐφώτισεν αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς τὸ ἀρνίον.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- the cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
- hadἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- noοὐou · noG3756
- needχρείαchreia · needG5532
- of the sunἥλιοςhēlios · sunG2246
- neitherοὐδέoude · norG3761
- of the moonσελήνηselēnē · moonG4582
- toἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- shineφαίνωphainō · to shine/appearG5316
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- itαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- the gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- did lightenφωτίζωphōtizō · to illuminateG5461
- the Lambἀρνίονarnion · lambG721
- the lightλύχνοςluchnos · lampG3088
Cross-references for Revelation 21:23
- Revelation 21:11It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone—like jasper as clear as crystal.
- Revelation 22:5And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
- Isaiah 24:23Then the glory of the moon will wane, and the brightness of the sun will fade, for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion. He will rule in great glory in Jerusalem, in the sight of all the leaders of his people.
- Isaiah 60:19“No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the Lord your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
- Revelation 18:1After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor.
- Isaiah 2:10Crawl into caves in the rocks. Hide in the dust from the terror of the Lord and the glory of his majesty.
- Habakkuk 3:3I see God moving across the deserts from Edom, the Holy One coming from Mount Paran. His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and the earth is filled with his praise.
- Matthew 16:27For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.
- Mark 8:38If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
- John 17:24Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!
- Acts 22:11“I was blinded by the intense light and had to be led by the hand to Damascus by my companions.
- Luke 2:32He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
- John 1:4The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
- John 5:23so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him.
Commentaries on Revelation 21:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23No need of the sun - This is also one of the traditions of the ancient Jews, that "in the world to come the Israelites shall have no need of the sun by day, nor the moon by night." - Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 7, 3. God's light shines in this city, and in the Lamb that light is concentrated, and from him everywhere diffused.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it - This imagery seems to be derived from Isaiah 9:19-20. See notes on those verses. No language could give a more striking or beautiful representation of the heavenly state than what is here employed. For the glory of God did lighten it - By the visible splendor of his glory. See the notes on Revelation 21:11. That supplied the place of the sun and the moon. And the Lamb is the light…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-27Verses 22-27 Perfect and direct communion with God, will more than supply the place of gospel institutions. And what words can more full express the union and co-equality of the Son with the Father, in the Godhead? What a dismal world would this be, if it were not for the light of the sun! What is there in heaven that supplies its place? The glory of God lightens that city, and the Lamb is the Light thereof. God in Christ will be an everlasting Fountain…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23The city's vitality, energy, and life come from the glory of God and the Lamb, not from institutions or physical sources of power and light. The sun and moon were part of the first creation (Genesis 1:14–19; see Isaiah 60:19–20). The Lamb is its lamp: Jesus is the light of the world (see John 8:12; 9:5; 12:35–36).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. in it--so Vulgate. But A, B, and Andreas read, "(shine) on it," or literally, "for her." the light--Greek, "the lamp" (Is 60:19, 20). The direct light of God and the Lamb shall make the saints independent of God's creatures, the sun and moon, for light.Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 21:23
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
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