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Revelation 21:15-17
New Catholic Bible
Revelation 21:15-17
New Catholic Bible
15 The angel who was speaking to me was carrying a gold measuring rod to measure the city,[a] its gates, and its wall. 16 The city was laid out like a square, with its length and its width identical. He measured the city with his measuring rod: it was fifteen hundred miles[b] in length and width, and equal in height.
17 Then he measured its wall, and it was one hundred and forty-four cubits[c] high by human measurements, which the angel employed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 21:15 Measure the city: see Ezek 40–41. The measuring in Rev 11 was to ensure protection; here it is done to indicate the size and symmetry of the eternal dwelling place of God’s people.
- Revelation 21:16 Fifteen hundred miles: literally, “twelve hundred stadia,” about twelve thousand furlongs. In the mind of the ancients the square was the perfect form. When the number twelve, which symbolizes the new Israel, is multiplied by 1000, it signifies supreme perfection. The city possesses the symmetrical dimensions of a perfect cube, which is akin to its earthly counterpart, the inner sanctuary in the tabernacle and temple (see 1 Ki 6:20).
- Revelation 21:17 One hundred and forty-four cubits: a cubit measured about eighteen inches in length.
