Revelation 21:15-17
New English Translation
15 The angel[a] who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 16 Now[b] the city is laid out as a square,[c] its length and width the same. He[d] measured the city with the measuring rod[e] at 1,400 miles[f] (its length and width and height are equal). 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits[g] according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s.[h]
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- Revelation 21:15 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Revelation 21:16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.
- Revelation 21:16 tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”
- Revelation 21:16 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
- Revelation 21:16 tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.
- Revelation 21:16 tn Or “2,200 kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).
- Revelation 21:17 tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).
- Revelation 21:17 tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anthrōpou, ho estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.
Revelation 21:15-17
New International Version
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod(A) of gold to measure the city, its gates(B) and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[a] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human(C) measurement, and it was 144 cubits[b] thick.[c]
Footnotes
- Revelation 21:16 That is, about 1,400 miles or about 2,200 kilometers
- Revelation 21:17 That is, about 200 feet or about 65 meters
- Revelation 21:17 Or high
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