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They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. The number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands;
Revelation 5:9-11 sits inside this longer paragraph.
They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. The number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who has been killed to receive the power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing!”
They sang a new song, saying, “You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals: for you were killed, and bought us for God with your blood out of every tribe, language, people, and nation,
and made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign on the earth.”
I saw, and I heard something like a voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders. The number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands, and thousands of thousands;
and they songe a newe songe saynge: thou art worthy to take the boke and to open the seales therof: for thou waste kylled and haste redemed vs by thy bloud out of all kynreddes and tonges and people and nacions
and haste made vs vnto oure god kynges and prestes and we shall raygne on the erth.
And I behelde and I herd the voyce of many angylles aboute the trone and about the bestes and the elders and I herde thousand thousandes
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthie to take the Booke, and to open the seales thereof, because thou wast killed, and hast redeemed vs to God by thy blood out of euery kinred, and tongue, and people, and nation,
And hast made vs vnto our God Kings and Priests, and we shall reigne on the earth.
Then I behelde, and I heard the voice of many Angels round about the throne, and about the beastes and the Elders, and there were ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousand thousands,
56 distinct cross-references across this passage (57 total citations).
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 No common song.
No common song.
That is composed according to the present matter: the Lamb having received the book, as it were with his feet, and opened it with his horns, as is said in the Canticles.
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The song of the Nobles or Princes standing by the throne, consisting of a publication of the praise of Christ, and a confirmation of the same from his benefits, both which we have received of himself (as are the suffering of his death, our redemption upon the cross by his blood in this verse: and our communion with him in Kingdom and Priesthood, which long ago he hath granted unto us with himself) and which we hereafter hope to obtain, as our kingdom to come in Christ, in the verse following.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–11 9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou…
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Ver. 9. And they sung] A general joy in heaven and earth. Surely, it is a pleasant thing to see the light; how much more to see the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ! 2Co 4:6. What a deal of triumph and exaltation is here all the Church over upon the opening of this book upon the receipt of this revelation! Should not this excite and kindle in our hearts a more earnest desire of understanding these mysteries? "Oh, I could find in my heart to fall afresh upon the study of the Revelation, had I strength to do it," said my reverend old master unto me, a little before his death; Mr John Ballam, I mean, minister of the word for many years at Evesham, where I heard him (in my childhood) preaching many a sweet sermon upon the second and third chapters of this book.
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A new song] For the new work of redemption, besides that old song, Rev 4:11, for that of creation.
Out of every kindred] Let this be noted against the doctrine of universal redemption that is now again so violently cried up among us.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And they sung a new song: by a new…
And they sung a new song: by a new song is either to be understood an excellent song, (for new songs are usually most valued), or (which pleaseth me best) new as to the matter of it; for the servants of God under the Old Testament could not bless God for the actual redemption of man by the blood of Christ, but only rejoice in hope, embracing the promises seen afar off by the eye of faith.
Saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; they acknowledge Christ worthy to be intrusted with his church, and the revelations of the counsels of God, with relation to it, to open them.
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For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us, &c.; because he had redeemed his church, scattered over all the world, from sin, death, and hell, unto God, to serve him, and to live for ever with him, and that with no less price than his own blood; Wherefore (as the apostle tells us, Phi 2:9) God hath exalted him.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v11 Observe here, 1. The office of the holy angels…
Observe here, 1. The office of the holy angels in heaven declared; they stand round about the throne of God continually, as nobles and chief ministers of state attend upon a prince, waiting his pleasure, and expecting his commands.
Observe, 2. The numberless number of them, thousands of thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand; and as Almighty God is attended by an innumerable company of angels in heaven, so do the holy angels stand ready to accompany and protect his people here on earth, They encamp round about them. Psa 34:7
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Observe, 3. How readily and cheerfully the holy angels joined with the elders in blessing and praising Christ for the invaluable fruits and benefits of man’s redemption: those beneficent spirits rejoice in our happiness; they joy at the conversion of a sinner, and triumph at the glorification of a saint. Here they are said to sing with a loud voice, to show their affection and zeal in the work of blessing and praising God for Jesus Christ, who is an head of confirmation to them, as he was an head of redemption unto us.
Observe, 4. How the angels give the same worship, pay the same homage, ascribe the same honour to Christ, which they do to God the Father: this had never been given, had he not been essentially God: the angels pronounce and proclaim Jesus Christ worthy of omnipotent power; and that honour, glory, and blessing, do appertain to him for evermore.
Observe lastly, That not only all the angels, but all the creatures in heaven, in earth, under the earth, and in the sea, all and every one of them, do worship Christ with religious worship, and pay him divine honour; adore him that sits on the throne, and the Lamb, for ever and ever: that is, the rational part of the world, to wit, angels and men, actively; the sensitive part of the world, objectively; the diabolical part, passively: Christ extorts that glory from them by their torments, which they refuse to give unto him by confessions and voluntary acknowledgements.
What greater argument than this can we desire for our satisfaction, that Christ is truly and essentially God? He thinks it no robbery to be equal with God, to share with him in all that honour and homage, in all that adoration and religious worship, which the whole creation do pay to Almighty God; for thus do the angels and elders above, and the whole church-militant here below, chant forth the praises of the Creator and Redeemer, saying,
Blessing, and glory, and renown, We now give all together, To him that in the throne sits down, And to the Lamb for ever. Amen, Hallelujah.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And they sung a new song,.... Upon a new…
And they sung a new song,.... Upon a new occasion and subject, redemption by the blood of the Lamb, and his worthiness to open the sealed book; and in distinction from the old song of Moses and the children of Israel at the Red sea; and this was a most famous and excellent song, an unheard of one, and which none could learn, or sing, but the redeemed of the Lamb:
saying, thou art worthy to take the book, and open the seals thereof. The Arabic version reads, "thou, O Lamb"; the reasons why they ascribe such fitness, ability, and dignity to him, are as follow:
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for thou wast slain: by men, and for the sins of men; whereby, as he became worthy in his priestly office to take away the sins of his people, and to have all the glory of their salvation, and, in his kingly office, to have all power and authority, and to be exalted above every name, so, in his prophetic office, to have perfect knowledge, as man and Mediator, of all the future events that were to befall his church and people, and to make them known, and fulfil them:
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; this shows, that as the four living creatures, and four and twenty elders, were not angels, so they were not representatives of the Jewish church; or the patriarchs and prophets of the Old Testament; not even the apostles of the New; for they were all Jews, and could not be said to be redeemed out of every tongue, nation, and people; and also that not the Jews only were redeemed by Christ, but the Gentiles also, and not all mankind, or every individual of human nature, but some out of all the nations of the earth; for God hath chosen some, both of Jews and Gentiles, and these Christ has redeemed and therefore the Gospel is sent unto all nations, that these among them may be called and saved. The redemption of them supposes them to have been in a state of slavery and bondage, as they are by nature, to sin, Satan, and the law; and signifies a deliverance from such a state, which Christ has obtained, not barely by power, but by price, as the word here used signifies, and may be rendered, "and hast bought us" and the price with which he has bought them in his own "blood", and which is of full and sufficient value, it being not only the blood of a man, of an innocent man, but of one that is God as well as man: and this price was paid "to God", and to his justice, against whom men have sinned, whose law they have broken, and whose justice they have injured and affronted, that he might reconcile them to God, bring them near to him, and that they might serve him in righteousness and true holiness.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And they sing a new song - One which…
And they sing a new song - One which neither they nor any other had sung before. Thou hast redeemed us - So the living creatures also were of the number of the redeemed. This does not so much refer to the act of redemption, which was long before, as to the fruit of it; and so more directly to those who had finished their course, "who were redeemed from the earth," ver. 1, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation - That is, out of all mankind.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Verse 9. A new song] Composed on the matters…
Verse 9. A new song] Composed on the matters and blessings of the Gospel, which was just now opened on earth. But new song may signify a most excellent song; and by this the Gospel and its blessings are probably signified. The Gospel is called a new song, Ps 96:1. And perhaps there is an allusion in the harps here to Ps 144:9: I will sing a NEW SONG unto thee, O God: upon a PSALTERY, and an INSTRUMENT of TEN STRINGS, c. The same form of speech is found, Isa 42:10: Sing unto the Lord a NEW SONG, c. and there the prophet seems to have the Gospel dispensation particularly in view.
Thou-hast redeemed us to God - out of every - nation] It appears, therefore, that the living creatures and the elders represent the aggregate of the followers of God or the Christian Church in all nations, and among all kinds of people, and perhaps through the whole compass of time: and all these are said to be redeemed by Christ's blood, plainly showing that his life was a sacrificial offering for the sins of mankind.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v11 Rev 5:11-14. And I beheld — The many angels;…
Rev 5:11-14. And I beheld — The many angels; and heard the voice — And the number of them; round about the throne — Of the Divine Majesty; and the living creatures and the elders — So forming the third circle. It is remarkable that men are represented, through the whole vision, as nearer to God than any of the angels. And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands — An innumerable multitude. And yet these are but a part of the holy angels; afterward, (Rev 7:11,) St. John heard them all. Saying, with a loud voice — With united ardour and harmony, there not being a cold and languid mind in the whole assembly; Worthy is the Lamb — The elders said, Rev 5:9, Worthy art thou; being more nearly allied to him, and addressing him with greater familiarity than the angels; to receive power, &c. — The seven-fold praise answers the seven seals, of which the four former represent all visible, the latter all invisible things made subject to the Lamb. And every creature — In the whole universe; which is in heaven — on the earth — under the earth — in the sea — “As the inhabitants of the watery elements are necessarily mute, we are not to understand by this that they seemed to grow vocal in the praises of Christ, upon this occasion, but rather that heaven, earth, and sea are used to signify that all nature, in its different ways, concurred in the praise; that is, the whole constitution of it contributed to furnish out matter of praise; just as inanimate, as well as rational creatures, are called upon to praise God, in several of the Psalms, especially in Psalms 148.” — Doddridge. And all that are in them — In every varied form of nature; heard I saying, Blessing, &c. — This praise, from all creatures, begins before the opening of the first seal; but it continues from that time to eternity, according to the capacity of each. His enemies must acknowledge his glory, but those in heaven say, Blessed be God and the Lamb. And the four living creatures said, Amen — To this hymn, to testify their hearty concurrence. And the four and twenty elders, at the same time, fell down before the throne, and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever — Acknowledging him to be infinitely superior to all those services which the most exalted powers of created nature are capable of rendering. This royal manifesto is, as it were, a proclamation, showing how Christ fulfils all things, and every knee bows to him, not only on earth, but also in heaven, and under the earth. This book exhausts all things, (1Co 15:27-28,) and is suitable to a heart enlarged as the sand of the sea. It inspires the attentive and intelligent reader with such a magnanimity, that he accounts nothing in this world great; no, not the whole frame of visible nature, compared to the immense greatness of what he is here called to behold; yea, and in part to inherit. St. John has in view, through the whole of the following vision, what he has been now describing; namely, the four living creatures, the elders, the angels, and all creatures, looking together at the opening of the seven seals.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And they sung a new song - Compare Rev…
And they sung a new song - Compare Rev 14:3. New in the sense that it is a song consequent on redemption, and distinguished therefore from the songs sung in heaven before the work of redemption was consummated. We may suppose that songs of adoration have always been sung in heaven; we know that the praises of God were celebrated by the angelic choirs when the foundations of the earth were laid Job 38:7; but the song of redemption was a different song, and is one that would never have been sung there if man had not fallen, and if the Redeemer had not died. This song strikes notes which the ether songs do not strike, and refers to glories of the divine character which, but for the work of redemption, would not have been brought into view. In this sense the song was new; it will continue to be new in the sense that it will be sung afresh as redeemed million continue to ascend to heaven. Compare Psa 40:3; Psa 96:1; Psa 144:9; Isa 42:10.
Thou art worthy to take the book, ... - This was the occasion or ground of the “new song,” that by his coming and death he had acquired a right to approach where no other one could approach, and to do what no other one could do.
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For thou wast slain - The language here is such as would be appropriate to a lamb slain as a sacrifice. The idea is, that the fact that he was thus slain constituted the ground of his worthiness to open the book. It could not be meant that there was in him no other ground of worthiness, but that this was what was most conspicuous. It is just the outburst of the grateful feeling resulting from redemption, that he who has died to save the soul is worthy of all honor, and is suited to accomplish what no other being in the universe can do. However this may appear to the inhabitants of other worlds, or however it may appear to the dwellers on the earth who have no interest in the work of redemption, yet all who are redeemed will agree in the sentiment that He who has ransomed them with his blood has performed a work to do which every other being was incompetent, and that now all honor in heaven and on earth may appropriately be conferred on him.
And hast redeemed us - The word used here - ἀγοράζω agorazō - means properly to purchase, to buy; and is thus employed to denote redemption, because redemption was accomplished by the payment of a price. On the meaning of the word, see the notes on 2Pe 2:1.
To God - That is, so that we become his, and are to be henceforward regarded as such; or so that he might possess us as his own. See the notes on 2Co 5:15. This is the true nature of redemption, that by the price paid we are rescued from the servitude of Satan, and are henceforth to regard ourselves as belonging unto God.
By thy blood - See the notes on Act 20:28. This is such language as they use who believe in the doctrine of the atonement, and is such as would be used by them alone. It would not be employed by those who believe that Christ was a mere martyr, or that he lived and died merely as a teacher of morality. If he was truly an atoning sacrifice, the language is full of meaning; if not, it has no significance and could not be understood.
Out of every kindred - Literally, “of every tribe” - φυλῆς phulēs. The word “tribe” means properly a comparatively small division or class of people associated together (Prof. Stuart). It refers to a family, or race, having a common ancestor, and usually associated or banded together - as one of the tribes of Israel; a tribe of Indians; a tribe of plants; a tribe of animals, etc. This is such language as a Jew would use, denoting one of the smaller divisions that made up a nation of people; and the meaning would seem to be, that it will be found ultimately to be true that the redeemed will have been taken from all such minor divisions of the human family - not only from the different nations but from the smaller divisions of those nations. This can only be true from the fact that the knowledge of the true religion will yet be diffused among all those smaller portions of the human race; that is, that its diffusion will be universal.
And tongue - People speaking all languages. The word used here would seem to denote a division of the human family larger than a tribe, but smaller than a nation. It was formerly a fact that a nation might be made up of those who spoke many different languages - as, for example, the Assyrian, the Babylonian, or the Roman nations. Compare Dan 3:29; Dan 4:1. The meaning here is, that no matter what language the component parts of the nations speak, the gospel will be conveyed to them, and in their own tongue they will learn the wonderful works of God. Compare Act 2:8-11.
And people - The word used here - λαός laos - properly denotes a people considered as a mass, made up of smaller divisions - as an association of smaller bodies - or as a multitude of such bodies united together. It is distinguished from another word commonly applied to a people - δῆμος dēmos - for that is applied to a community of free citizens, considered as on a level, or without reference to any minor divisions or distinctions. The words used here would apply to an army, considered as made up of regiments, battalions, or tribes; to a mass-meeting, made up of societies of different trades or professions; to a nation, made up of different associated communities, etc. It denotes a larger body of people than the previous words; and the idea is, that no matter of what people or nation, considered as made up of such separate portions, one may be, he will not be excluded from the blessings of redemption. The sense would be well expressed, by saying, for instance, that there will be found there those of the Gaelic race, the Celtic, the Anglo-Saxon, the Mongolian, the African, etc.
And nation - Εθνους Ethnous. A word of still larger signification; the people in a still wider sense; a people or nation considered as distinct from all others. The word would embrace all who come under one sovereignty or rule; as, for example, the British nation, however many rumor tribes there may be; however many different languages may be spoken; and however many separate people there may be - as the Anglo-Saxon, the Scottish, the Irish, the people of Hindustan, of Labrador, of New South Wales, etc. The words used here by John would together denote nations of every kind, great and small; and the sense is, that the blessings of redemption will be extended to all parts of the earth.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv9–11 &c. called new, as belonging to the New Testament,…
&c. called new, as belonging to the New Testament, or alliance of the new law of Christ. (Witham) --- Canticle; that is, excellent. The Scripture generally attaches the epithet new to canticles. New canticles are always more agreeable, says Pindar. (Grotius) --- And hast redeemed, &c. The twenty-four ancients here may well represent all, who are in possession of beatitude. They all acknowledge it is to Jesus Christ they are indebted for the felicity they enjoy; it is he that has assembled at the foot of God’s throne all the nations of the world, faithful souls from every tribe and tongue, and people and nation, by his blood. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv9–11 sung--Greek, "sing": it is their blessed occupation continually. The…
sung--Greek, "sing": it is their blessed occupation continually. The theme of redemption is ever new, ever suggesting fresh thoughts of praise, embodied in the "new song."
us to God--So manuscript B, Coptic, Vulgate, and CYPRIAN. But A omits "us": and Aleph reads instead, "to our God."
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out of--the present election-church gathered out of the world, as distinguished from the peoples gathered to Christ as the subjects, not of an election, but of a general and world-wide conversion of all nations.
kindred . . . tongue . . . people . . . nation--The number four marks world-wide extension: the four quarters of the world. For "kindred," translate as Greek, "tribe." This term and "people" are usually restricted to Israel: "tongue and nation" to the Gentiles (Rev 7:9; Rev 11:9; Rev 13:7, the oldest reading; Rev 14:6). Thus there is here marked the election-Church gathered from Jews and Gentiles. In Rev 10:11, for "tribes," we find among the four terms "kings"; in Rev 17:15, "multitudes."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv9–11 9. New song—As demanded by a new occasion. All…
9. New song—As demanded by a new occasion. All the old melodies suited their occasion; but this event demands a fresh composition, fresh words, and fresh melody.
Hast redeemed—Rather, Greek aorist, didst redeem, namely, at the crucifixion. Us is rejected by the best authorities, and so redeemed is without an expressed objective. So, also, the us of Rev_5:10 should, according to the best authorities, be them, thereby showing that the implied objective here should also be third person them. So, also, we in Rev_5:10, should be they. The song does not express explicitly the thought that themselves had been redeemed and should reign. And this avoidance, perhaps, may imply that the cherubic beasts took share in the song, and thus necessitated the third person, since the earth was not redeemed, and could not reign.
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By thy blood—Deeply emphatic. Not by example or teaching of the Lamb were they redeemed, but also by blood.
Kindred… nations—The earth-wide four. The limitation out of seems to imply that the redemption did not take effect with the entire race. All are not saved by it.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv9–11 The New Song, Rev_5:9-13
The New Song, Rev_5:9-13
9. And they sung] Should be they sing. It may be only an historic present, but perhaps, though to the Seer the song of adoration appeared to begin now, and to stop in time to let other voices be heard, he means to intimate that in fact their adoration is continued to eternity. See on Rev_4:9-10.
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and hast redeemed] The word rendered “redeemed” means simply “bought,” as it is rendered in 1Co_6:20, &c.: it does not express that the effect of the purchase was to restore those bought either to their rightful owner, or to liberty, though of course both are true, but all that this text expresses, is, that Christ has bought us, and that we now belong to His Father.
us] Should be omitted. The elders probably represent the whole multitude of the redeemed, but they are not here said to belong to their number, and the living creatures certainly do not. The true reading is, “Thou wast slain, and hast purchased to God by Thy Blood out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nations, and hast made them unto our God a kingdom and priests, and they [shall] reign upon the earth.”
to God] Notice that the phrase is the exact reverse of some lax modern language on the Atonement, which speaks as if the Son redeemed men from the Father. To say that Christ redeemed men from God’s wrath may be justified (e.g. by Gal_3:13); but even that mode of expression is not exactly Scriptural. The metaphor of a ransom, which is frequent in Scripture, must not be pressed.
out of every kindred] The first of many indications in this Book of the catholicity of the Church: of course, a conclusive refutation of the theories (see on Rev_2:2) which ascribe to this Book a controversial anti-Pauline purpose, and a spirit of Jewish exclusiveness. There is really hardly anything in St Paul as strong as this or Rev_7:9.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 (9, 10) And they sung a new song, saying…
(9, 10) And they sung a new song, saying . . .—Better, And they sing a new song, saying. The use of the present (“sing”) is another example of that intensity of interest of which the change of tense in the last verse afforded an instance. As he records his vision, he sees it anew; he describes the action as though it were even now taking place, and he still hears the notes of praise. He who knows what it is to have the strains of some rich melody haunt him for days will understand how the prophet would hear the glad chorus burst forth afresh in his ears when he recalled the vision. The new song; the chorus of the redeemed—
“Worthy art Thou to take the roll,
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And to open the seals thereof;
For Thou wast slain,
And didst buy to God in Thy blood
Out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
And didst make them a kingdom and priests,
And they reign upon the earth.”
The English version, “hast redeemed,” and “hast made,” weakens the reference to the completed character of Christ’s redeeming work. It is the great victory in suffering and death which inspires the song, and makes them sing, “Thou art worthy;” and so they speak of that work of Christ as a work truly done: “Thou didst buy (omit “us”) out of every tribe, &c., and didst make them,” &c. The suffering Saviour has died, has broken the bond of the oppressor, has claimed, by right of purchase, mankind as His own; and the price was His blood. It is well to notice the harmony between this passage and the statements of other Apostles: “Ye are not your own;” “bought with a price.” (See 1Co_6:20; 1Co_7:23; 1Pe_1:18-19; 2Pe_2:1.) Observe, also, the four terms (tribe, tongue, people, nation), employed as if to give emphasis to the universality of redemption, for four is the number of extension in all directions. With this compare Rom_5:15-19; Col_3:11; Heb_2:9. We have a right to teach all to say, “He redeemed me and all mankind.” It is instructive to dwell on the climax “they reign,” in contrast with “Thou wast slain.” It is like an anticipation of the now familiar words—
“Thine the sharp thorns, and mine the golden crown;
Mine the life won, and Thine the life laid down.”
“Didst make them a kingdom and priests.” (See Rev_1:6.) This kingdom and reign is the outcome of Christ’s work. “Every precept of Christianity is quickened by the power of the death and resurrection of Christ. It is by the presence of this power that they are Christians, and it is as Christians that they conquer the world” (Westcott). “They reign on the earth.” Such is the best reading; the tense is present It is not, I think, to be explained away as a vivid realisation of the future; it is a simple statement, which is as true as that the followers of Christ are “a kingdom and priests.” They reign with and in Christ, but they also reign on the earth. Christ gives them a kingship, even sovereignty over themselves—the first, best, and most philanthropic of all kingships. He gives them, too, a kingship on the earth among men, for they are exerting those influences, promoting those principles, and dispensing those laws of righteousness, holiness, and peace which in reality rule all the best developments of life and history. All who traverse these laws are intruders, transitory tyrants, exerting only a phantom power. They are not kings: they may govern, they do not reign. (Comp. 1Co_3:21-23; Eph_2:6.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And they sung a new song, saying. They sing;…
And they sung a new song, saying. They sing; the worship is unceasing. The song is new because it is only now, subsequent to the accomplishment of Christ"s work of redemption, that the song can be sung. It is not" Thou art worthy, for thou wilt redeem, but "thou didst redeem. Victorinus says, "It is the preaching of the Old Testament together with that of the New which enables the world to sing a new song." Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof. (For a consideration of the book, and the opening of it, see on ver. 1) For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. The reason why Christ is worthy. And didst redeem unto God by thy blood out of every kindred, etc. Though the reading "us" is supported by various manuscripts, and similarly the first person is used in ver. 10. yet, on the whole, it seems better to omit it, the phrase being taken in a partitive sense didst redeem unto God by thy blood some out of every kindred, etc., and hast made them, etc., and they shall reign." Again, "Thou didst purchase us at the price of thy blood" would, perhaps, give the sense more correctly; for such is the force of the words, "in thy blood" (en tw aimati). The words point to a particular act performed at a definite time, viz. the death of Christ, by which he repurchased men from sin and Satan for the service of God; the price of the purchase being the shedding of his own blood. The words show, too, that the fruits of the redemption are intended for the whole world; not limited to any chosen nation, though some are excluded by their own act. Out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. This fourfold classification continually recurs in the Revelation. It includes all the bases of classification of mankind, all the circumstances which separate men, the barriers which were overthrown by the redeeming work of Christ.
Vers. 9, 12-14. The triple doxology.
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In these sublime chapters these doxologies stand out prominently. Note concerning them
I WHAT IS COMMON TO THEM ALL. They are all ascribed to the Lamb. Exclusively in the first two; united with "him that sitteth on the throne," in the third; but in all the Lamb is prominent. From this we learn:
1. We cannot render too much honour to Christ. He is seen "in the midst of the throne," and the Centre of all that heavenly circle, and the Object of their united adoration. We therefore cannot exceed in our worship of him. We scarce know how, we need not know how, to distinguish between him that sitteth on the throne and between him that is in the midst of the throne. The worship of one is the worship of the other, and of the other of the one. Christ is everything to us and in all," as St. Paul affirms, and as this vision shows. The fact is, we cannot worship God without worshipping Christ. No man cometh or can come to the Father but by him. The very thoughts and ideas that we have of God we gain through him. Those varied human expressions concerning God which we find in the Old Testament are but anticipations of the confirmation they were to receive through him who, coming from the Father, should take our nature and so reveal the Father to us.
2. Nor can we think too much of the cross of Christ. It is to him as to the Lamb, the Lamb slain and who hath redeemed us by his blood, that this adoration is given. It is the cross of Christ that speaks peace to the contrite heart, that assures of perfect sympathy the sad and distressed mind, that gives new strength and resolve to the tempted soul. Well does Watts sing"Oh, the sweet wonders of that cross On which my Saviour groaned and died! Her noblest life my spirit draws From his dear wounds and bleeding side.
II WHAT IS PECULIAR TO EACH.
1. The first doxology.
(1) Offered by:
(a) The four living ones. Representative (see previous homily) of perfectly redeemed humanity the condition in which man shall be when Christ has drawn all men unto him; when he shalt have put all enemies under his feet. They are represented as "four," to signify the worldwide scope of Christ"s redemption: "They shall come from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west.
(b) The twenty-four elders. These represent the Church of God. They are twenty-four because of the twenty-four courses of priests. (1Ch_24:3-19) They are the instruments by which mankind at large shall be won for God. The manifold wisdom of God is to be made known through, the Church.
(2) By means of:
(a) The outward homage of the body: "they fell down." The attitude of the body not merely symbolizes, but often assists, the worship of the mind. The posture of reverence is helpful to the feeling of reverence, and therefore is not to be regarded as unimportant.
(b) Music and song. They had "harps," and they "sung a new song." Music alone of all the arts is to be perpetuated m heaven. We read not of painting or sculpture, but music and song are there. For music is the utterance of thoughts too deep for words. Much is given to us besides language, to express our thoughts tones, looks, tears, cries, and music also. Moreover, music is symbolical of the life of heaven. As in music so there, there is no self will. Music is only possible by absolute obedience to the laws of harmony. Obedience is its life. And how glorious is that music which is consecrated to God"s praise!
(c) Intercessions for those on earth. This seems to me the significance of the incense-laden censers, the "vials full of odours," which are spoken of. How can the Lord of love be more truly worshipped than by sympathies, thoughts, and deeds of love? Is it to be imagined that the blessed in heaven cease to care for their poor troubled brethren on earth? that the love they had for them is all gone, evaporated? God forbid! And here it is shown that as here on earth they loved to pray for and with them, so in heaven they do the same. (cf. Rev_6:10; cf. also Luk_1:10 Exo_30:36-38) In such intercession Christ sees the fruit of the Spirit he has given them.
(3) On the ground of:
(a) The worthiness of Christ.
(b) The redemption he has wrought so real, so universal, so costly.
(c) The results of it: "made us kings," etc. (ver. 10).
Such is the first doxology; it is the praise of the redeemed for their redemption. We do not now seem to value it so highly; many other things seem to us more precious wealth, friends, success, pleasure. But when we see things as they really are, then this gift of gifts, all gifts in one, our redemption, will be prized and praised as now it too seldom is.
2. The second doxology. This, though joined in as how could it be otherwise? by those who sang the first, is more especially that of the angels. In myriads upon myriads they gather round and cry, "Worthy is the Lamb." Unto these "principalities and powers in the heavenlies" is made known, "by means of the Church," the manifold wisdom of God. (Eph_3:10) These "things" they "desire to look into". (1Pe_1:12) How, then, can they, who rejoice over one sinner brought to repentance, (Lu 15) fail to be filled with rapture when they behold that which the Lamb slain has done? Therefore to him to whom all this is due they render praise, affirming the certain truth that all the power, the riches of grace, the wisdom, and might, which were conspicuous in man"s redemption, and the honour and glory on account thereof, are to be ascribed to the Lamb. "By grace are ye saved, not of yourselves such is the reminder the angels give. We are slow to recognize this, and too ready to attribute overmuch to ourselves.
3. The third doxology. (Ver. 13) The Church, the angels, have uttered theirs; and now creation, in all her forms man living and dead not excluded, for" those under the earth", (cf. Job_10:21, Job_10:22; Isa_14:9) those who have departed this life and are now in the realm of the shadow of death are named, and they all unite in this praise. (cf. Php_2:10) St. Paul seems to teach, (Rom_8:19-23, and especially ver. 21) that there shall be a redemption for it also a deliverance "from the bondage of corruption." When we think of the sorrows and sufferings of those creatures of God who have no sins of their own to answer for, being incapable of sin, though not of suffering, it is a blessed revelation that in some form or other unknown to us they shall share in the blessings Christ hath brought. The psalms are full of invocations to creation in its various forms the seas, the trees, "everything that hath breath," "all creatures to "praise the Name of the Lord." And here in this vision we behold creation, along with angels and redeemed men, uniting in this praise. Who that has heard the marvellous echo of shout or horn amid the Alps does not remember how the sound spreads and travels on further and further, till height and crag and soaring summit seem to hear, and at once give back the sound? So with the adoration of the Lamb, the doxologies of which this chapter tells. They begin, they should, with the redeemed Church and saved man; they are caught up by the myriads of angels, they are heard and repeated by the whole creation of God. How is the reflection forced upon us of the relation in which we stand to this all-glorious redemption. In the fibre of this universal praise dare we reject or trifle with it? What madness! Shall we not embrace it with our whole heart, and seek to know the joy and every blessedness of it more and more, so that at the last, with all the saved, we may fall "down and worship him that liveth forever and ever"? And if we are trusting in Christ, let there be in our lives and on our lips more of praise. Let us not be forever wailing our litanies, but let us learn more of the language of praise. We have been too remiss in this. But whenever we have caught the blessed spirit of these doxologies, how good it has been for us! The devil is eager enough to dishonour Christ: all the more let us be eager to praise. S.C.
The worship of heaven.
"They sung a new song." These few words suggest two thoughts concerning the worship of heaven.
I IT IS JUBILANT. "They sung." Singing is the natural language of joy. The worship is not mechanical, not irksome. It is the outbreaking of the soul into rapture the rapture of gratitude, admiration, reverence, and love.
II IT IS FRESH. "A new song." There is nothing monotonous. Souls have an instinctive craving for variety, and the Creator has amply provided for this instinct. In the life of souls there is something fresh every hour fresh sceneries, fresh occurrences, fresh engagements, fresh thoughts. D.T.
The uniqueness of Christ"s blood, or his sacrificed life.
"Redeemed us to God Revised Version, "purchased unto God by thy blood." The expression, "blood of Christ is used by millions who have no accurate idea concerning its import. Blood is life, and the essential idea is Christ"s self-sacrificed life. Notice
I THERE IS SOMETHING SUBLIMELY UNIQUE IN ITS NATURE. Things are said of it that could not possibly be said with propriety of the blood of any other man in any age or time who has sacrificed his life. Millions of men have been sacrificed; they have lost their life, but not in the way in which Christ was sacrificed. Some have been sacrificed by assassination, some by war, some by capital punishment, some by accident; most against their will, although some voluntarily, either by suicide or superstitious fanaticism. But in the case of Christ"s sacrificed life there was nothing like this. Two facts especially marked off his sacrificed life from that of any other sacrificed life.
1. It was in accordance with the eternal plan of God. "he was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." There was nothing accidental about it, nothing out of keeping with the eternal order of things.
2. It was voluntary in the sense in which no other man"s death was voluntary. Amongst the millions of men who have died most freely, not one has felt that he need not die at all if he chose that he could continue here forever. But this Christ felt. There was no law in heaven or earth to force him to the fate. "I have power to lay down my life, and power to take it up.
3. The life he sacrificed was absolutely free from all imperfections. Not one of all the teeming myriads who departed this life has been entirely free from sin. All have had on them, to a greater or less extent, the common stain. But Christ was immaculate. His.greatest enemies could not convict him of sin. Pilate and all his judges could find no fault in him. He was "holy," "harmless," and "separate from sinners." Another remark suggested concerning the blood of Christ is
II THAT IT IS SOMETHING SUBLIMELY UNIQUE IN ITS EFFECTS. In different passages in the New Testament results are ascribed to this blood, which could not, with any propriety or the slightest approach to truth, be ascribed to the blood of any other man.
1. These effects are variously represented. It is represented as reconciliation. His sacrificed life was the atonement. It is represented as purifying. "It cleanseth from all sin." Through it men are "made white." "Unto him that loved us, and washed us," etc. It is represented as an essential element of soul-life. "Whoso drinketh my blood hath eternal life something that has not only to be applied to the soul, but taken into it. It is represented as a ransom. "Redeemed us to God by his blood;" "purchased by his blood." It is the power to deliver from the guilt and dominion of sin. It is represented as a conquering force. "Overcame by the blood of the Lamb." Of whose blood have these results ever been predicated, or can ever be?
2. These effects are universal in their influence. It "cleanseth from all sin;" it makes the "great multitudes which no man can number," white. How extensive has been its beneficent influence on humanity already! But its present area of influence, as compared with its future, is less than a little lake to the ocean.
3. These effects are eternal in their blessings. "Whoso drinketh my blood hath eternal life.
CONCLUSION. The subject:
1. Serves to explain both the essence of the gospel and the essence of personal holiness. Christ"s sacrificed life is the gospel, and hence the very effects that are here ascribed to his blood are elsewhere ascribed to the gospel, to the truth of the gospel, to the grace of the gospel, to the word of the gospel; all these are said to cleanse, to redeem, to conquer, to make white, etc. Not only does it serve to explain the essence of the gospel, but the essence of personal holiness. That principle of love which led Christ to sacrifice his life must be appropriated by us as a vital ruling element if we would be holy. His sacrifice upon the cross will be worthless to us unless we sacrifice ourselves in love; hence we must become conformable unto his death.
2. Serves to correct the mischievous way in which the blood of Christ is popularly represented. Men talk of Christ"s blood as if it was the crimson fluid that coursed through his veins that saves, washes, cleanses, etc.; or at any rate, that it was his blood which qualified him to be a Saviour. It was not his blood; the blood was nothing only as it expressed his self-sacrificing love. Supposing that the criminal law of Rome at the time in which Christ lived had required that capital offenders should be put to death by hanging, or strangling, or suffocating, or by taking poison like Socrates. Had Christ been sacrificed in any of these ways, would the power of his self-sacrifice to save humanity be one what the less? Not so. It was his self-sacrificing love, not the form of his mortal agonies, that made him the Saviour of the world. D.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v11 The voice of many angels round about the throne.
Rev_5:11-13
The voice of many angels round about the throne.
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The great festal gathering and song of heaven
I. The complacency with which Christ looks back on His own atoning work and sufferings.
II. The perpetual efficacy of the Saviours sacrifice.
III. The continued identity of Christs person as God-man mediator.
IV. Redemption is the grand theme of adoration for unredeemed angels as well as for the redeemed family of God.
V. The pre-eminent dignity and bliss of the ransomed saints.
VI. The unity which pervades the heavenly ranks.
VII. The vision seems intended to prepare the Church on earth for her own sufferings, and reconcile her to her approaching tribulation. (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)
The hymn of the angels and of creation:
I. First let us understand the attitude and position of the angels. They are round about the throne of God, around the elders--that is, the Church--and around the living creatures. They are, therefore, the sentinels and the guardians of Divine and human things. So they stand equally around the emblem of eternal power, around the fourfold forms of life, around its drudgery as well as its ambition, and around the Church, distressed and broken and divided and betrayed. No thought of fear dims the lustre of their eyes, nor lessens the precision and the emphasis of their song. And it is worthy of notice that they secure ample leisure for worship. It is a lesson that ought not to be lost upon our hurrying age. Thank heaven, there are still secluded corners of our land where the shriek of steam-engines, the clamour of crowded streets, the driving of pulse and brain, is unknown; where the valleys laugh and sing with the standing corn, where the hilltops are silent as the seas, and where jaded brains may shape some thought of God. But heaven is busy too, and there is work enough to be accomplished. There are sinners lost in the wilds of the hill, and in loathsome dens of the city, who will need to be brought home. There are claims and needs and dangers of the Church the world over--energies to be cherished, works to be encouraged, impurities to be purged, sorrows and disappointments to be assuaged. And with all these interests in hand their eye is upon the throne, for here only do angels and men alike behold, and thence only receive the interpretation of life and the wisdom and guidance for work. And well were it, not only for its honesty, but even more for its progress, if the commerce of England and Scotland and Ireland were directed by the laws which abide in God. Only those who obey can worship, and only those who rightly worship can truly live. And so--
II. The central thought of the angels, like that of the Church, was the worthiness of Christ. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. And as it was in the mind of the Church, so here again this worthiness is associated with sacrifice. For most men suffer only when they must, and they fail to perceive that sacrifice at once tests what we are, and makes us what we ought to be. In this way Christs sacrifice proved His essential worth, and, beyond this, proves to-day His permanent worth to His people. It is not His power alone. That never elicits adoration. It is the goodness that reigns paramount within Him which men worship and love.
III. The response of creation. The poet of Palestine had said, many a year before St. John lived, that there is neither speech nor language throughout the earth in which the voice of the firmament is not heard. The songs of the spheres was another method of expressing the same truth. The sky vibrates with praise as the great stars stand out in their places. Earth, with its thousand voices, said Coleridge, praises God. And while these call to man, whatever his tongue or his worship, man the world round feels that he must respond. He cannot help worshipping. Under the gaslight, and in the heated atmosphere of some remote meeting-place in the big town, he may lustily proclaim that God is nothing to him. But when the gas is out and the cheering companions are gone, when he is alone on the mountain-side, and the thunder booms out its terror above and the lightning flashes death around him, a voice within answers the voices without, and the infidel is compelled to pray. And as man must worship, so his worship adopts a more expansive form than that which angels take as yet (Rev_7:12). His eyes, too, are indeed filled with the image of the Lamb. What mind can forget Calvary and Olivet? But away beyond the present fact he contemplates the continuous recognition, and age upon age he hears the same hymn. And further yet, and fuller, the worship of the Lamb broadens into the worship of the Godhead. It is offered to Him that sitteth upon the throne. And it expresses the spiritual history of every saint. We see ourselves in this hymn. When first our life lay before us, and we took it up and placed it upon the altar of Gods salvation, Jesus Christ was all, was everything to us. Then as faith deepened and threw up the greater and stronger life, we saw Jesus in all things. And then we beheld the love of the Father to be as great and tender as the love of the Son, and the strength of the Holy Ghost gathered round us and within us, and God in His blessed Trinity embraced all things. (W. M. Johnston, M. A.)
Christ the object of angelic worship
I. The homage here represented as rendered to the Saviour by the angelic hosts.
1. Angels are the worshippers to whom our attention is more particularly directed in the text.
2. The nature of the homage which they render Him. The particulars here specified relate rather to the natural than the moral attributes of our Saviour, to His greatness rather than His goodness; that is, to His prerogatives and glories which He most obscured in His humbled state, or of which He then emptied Himself, as the Scripture expresses it.
3. The ground of this homage. As a person inherently possessed of all Divine excellences and glories, the Son of God, in common with the Father, has an incontestable title to the worship and obedience of the heavenly hosts. He has a further claim as the author and preserver of their existence, and as the source and dispenser of all their happiness. It is not, however, on this ground, strong as it is, that the homage manifested in the text is rendered Him. Look to the passage and you will at once perceive that the basis on which the Son of God is worshipped, both by the representatives of the Church and by the angelic hosts, is His death or sacrifice. But does the death of Christ give Him any new or peculiar claims to the homage of the heavenly hierarchies who are not immediately interested in its benefits? Unquestionably it does, and some of these claims it is not difficult to discover. His death was not only in itself the most extraordinary event that ever took place, it afforded incomparably the most magnificent display that ever was exhibited of generosity and kindness, of compassion and tenderness. It is an essential part of true excellence to admire excellence in another, and the admiration ought to be proportioned to the measure of excellence displayed. What a resistless impulse, then, must it communicate to the adoration and praise of the holy angels, to contemplate the death of the Son of God. Recollect next the display of the Divine character and perfections exhibited in the death of Christ, and you will see in it another reason to ampel the hosts of heaven to honour and adore Him. Consider, again, that while the death of Christ contributes so much to advance the honour of God, it contributes not less to promote the happiness of man. They rejoice over one sinner that repenteth. In further illustration of this topic, I might add that it is the opinion of the great Mr. Howe, and of some other eminent divines, that angels, though not redeemed by Christ, are confirmed in happiness in consequence of their union to Him. It is further certain that in Him angels and saints are united in one harmonious and happy association, and that it has pleased the Father by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven. And these wonderful arrangements furnish angels with another reason to worship and serve the Lamb that was slain.
II. The argument suggested by their conduct to induce us to render the Lamb a similar homage.
1. We have a direct and personal interest in His death. If His matchless love excites, as well it may, the admiration even of creatures not immediately interested, and impels them to prepare new honours for His name, what words can express the claims which He has to our admiration, gratitude, and praise?
2. We are still in circumstances of danger. Many and formidable are the enemies who seek our ruin, numerous and painful are the toils and hardships we must encounter ere we reach our Fathers loved abode. There is one, and only one, who can protect you amid your multitudinous dangers, and bring you to the land which you wish to reach. Jesus Christ, the captain of salvation, having been made perfect through sufferings, will conduct you to glory, if only you will confide in Him. What an argument to love and trust, to adore and praise Him!
3. I might remark that, allowing He has conferred on angels higher capacities and higher joys, our happiness has been procured by Him at a price far more costly. To communicate to angels existence and happiness required nothing more than a simple volition of His irresistible will, a single word of His omnipotent voice. It was not thus that the happiness of the apostate race could be restored, that the redemption of our lost world was to be achieved.
Lessons:
1. How inconceivably glorious must heaven be, and how worthy of our earnest desire and our constant pursuit!
2. How reasonable that we should render Divine honours to the Lord Jesus.
3. How important that we cultivate a love to the exercises of heaven.
4. This subject suggests a test by which we may ascertain whether we are fit for heaven. To ascertain your meetness for heaven you have then only to inquire whether you take delight in devotional exercises and in holy pursuits and enjoyments.
5. This subject shows us the folly of the irreligious. Think of heaven with all its joys and splendours. Contrast with this hell with its horrors, a place of outer darkness and of gnashing of teeth. (R. Balmer, D. D.)
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.--
The worthy sacrifice of Christ
I. Contemplate Christ as He is represented under the character of a lamb. The lamb is an appropriate symbol of innocence and meekness. Never were the lamb-like virtues brought to so severe a test, and never were they so strikingly portrayed. A recluse in his cell may reason justly on the duties of forbearance and forgiveness, but it is difficult to carry into practice the dictates of sober solitude, yet Jesus gave not only the theory but the practice of every possible virtue.
II. Meditate on the death of Christ.
1. He was slain decretively in the purposes of Jehovah.
2. He was slain emblematically by the sacrifices under the Levitical dispensation.
3. He was slain instrumentally by the hands of the Jews.
4. He was slain really by the justice of God for the sins of His people.
III. Celebrate His praise.
1. He is worthy of the trust and confidence of His people.
2. He is worthy of the adoration and praise of the redeemed spirits above.
3. He is worthy the adoration of the purest intelligences of the universe.
4. He is worthy of the final conquest of the world. (T. Adkins.)
Christ the Lamb slain
I. The wonderful person of the glorious sufferer will furnish occasion of unceasing admiration to the great multitude before the throne.
II. The multitude before the throne will have occasion to give glory to the great Redeemer when they contemplate the mysterious nature of His sufferings.
III. Similar acknowledgments will be called forth when the saints in heaven remember their sins as the procuring cause of the Saviours sufferings.
IV. The sufferings of the Redeemer are considered by the multitude before the throne as the result of a plan contrived by the infinite wisdom of God in His eternal counsels.
V. The sufferings of the Redeemer are considered by the multitude before the throne as the genuine effect of His own uncontrolled and sovereign pleasure. To Himself alone, and to the free exercise of His own good will, this act of grace and humiliation must be referred.
VI. The sufferings of the Redeemer are considered by those who stand around the throne as affording the brightest manifestation of the Divine perfections.
VII. The sufferings of the Redeemer present new occasion of admiration and triumph to the multitude before the throne, because thereby redemption is completely purchased. (John Russell.)
Glory ascribed in heaven to the Lamb
1. The sacrifice of Christ has had the effect of developing the hidden perfections and glories of God in what may be considered their Christian and evangelical aspect, both in the Church above and in the Church below, consequently all glory is due to Christ upon this principle.
2. The elementary state cud high reward of heaven is the result of our Saviours work, and consequently the glory must be due to Him.
3. The relationship in which the triumphant Church will stand to her Lord will induce these sentiments, and lead to this triumphant song. In what relationship does He stand to us here? God with us. In what relation does He appear to the Church above? God with them. (J. Dixon.)
The worthiness of Christ to receive mans riches
I. Because He is the original proprietor of it. The gold that any man holds in his hands is his in a very secondary sense; his property a few years ago was in the possession of others, and a few years hence it will pass from him into other hands. All material wealth belongs to Christ.
II. Because He has enabled you to procure it. Why have you wealth more than others? Has it come to you through heirdom, legacy, or your own industry? In either case you have it through Christ.
III. Because He gives you the qualification to enjoy it. Who gave you the unmiserly spirit, the bodily health, the mental capacity by which you can enjoy your riches?
IV. Because He will make the best use of it.
1. The best use of it for yourselves. There is no better investment. Your contributions to Him serve you in many ways.
(1) Serve to test your character.
(2) Serve to detach you from materialism.
(3) Serve to ennoble your character. It is a great thing to be trusted, to be thrown upon your honour. Christ trusts you.
2. The best use of it for the world. When you are gone Christs Church will be here working with the means you have entrusted to it, and working to spread truth, virtue, and happiness through the world. (Homilist.)
Praise a duty
No other duty is enjoined so often in the Scriptures as praise. The Bible is full of music. The woods in the summer days are not so full of bird-notes as this sacred book is of voices of song. Christian life can realise the Divine thought for it only by being songful. The old fable of the harp of Memnon, that it began to breathe out sweet music the moment the morning light swept its chords, has its true fulfilment in the human soul, which, the instant the light of Divine love breaks upon it gives forth notes of gladness and praise. (J. R. Miller, D. D.)
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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv9–11 9–14. They sung a new song. To the music…
9–14. They sung a new song. To the music of their harps. A song that could not be sung until the Lamb had taken the book. Didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, etc. See the Revised Version. The Common Version is incorrect, as is now admitted by all scholars. The song does not sing of what Christ has done for those who are singing, but of what he has done for men. The singers are not of those redeemed.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 (See Scofield "Rom 3:24").
redeemed
(See Scofield "Rom 3:24").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v11 The choruses of praise:
The choruses of praise:
v. 11. And I beheld, and I Heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands;
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v. 12. saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
v. 13. And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb forever and ever.
v. 14. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshiped Him that liveth forever and ever.
The hymn of praise is here taken up by a larger circle of blessed spirits and creatures, in a sacred concert with such, magnificent antiphonal singing as pertains to the halls of heaven alone: And I saw, and I heard as the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living beings and the elders, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands. The very angels go into ecstasies over the work of redemption as performed by the Lamb that was slain. With eyes and ears that mere held open by the inexpressible wonder of it all John took notice of the countless celestial beings as they circled round the throne and the cherubs and the elders, their voices rising in such anthems of glory as pertain to the realms of eternal joy.
Their song is practically a repetition of that of the elders: Saying with a mighty voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise. Although this outer circle of angels does not address its praise directly to Christ, yet the angels laud and magnify the work of redemption by which mankind has been redeemed from everlasting ruin; for the angels themselves have a desire to look into the depths of God’s love shown in the salvation of the world. They declare the Lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of the world to be worthy of all the great gifts and blessings which came upon Him, were given to Him, at the time of His exaltation to the right hand of God. "Honor and glory and praise are due to Him whose victorious death has won Him the power of bestowing incalculable riches on His people, and of lifting the veil of the future, where He finds this in the interest of His Church."
And still wider are drawn the circles of adoring praise: And every creature in heaven and on the earth and beneath the earth and on the sea and all that are in them I heard saying, To Him that sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Here the fulfillment of St. Paul’s words, Php 2:10-11, is recorded and described, that in the name of Christ every knee should bow. of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that, all tongues should confess that Jesus is the Lord. See Psa 103:22; Psa 145:10. Whether willingly or unwillingly, every creature is obliged to acknowledge the deity, the divine godhead, of Christ, the exalted Son of Man, to praise, magnify, and bless Him, to yield itself to His dominion, to confess that to Him all the strength and wealth and wisdom of life rightly belong. And thus God is glorified, also in the glorification of His Son. The praise of God the Creator and the praise of Christ the Redeemer are blended in one final song which will continue to be chanted throughout eternity. To this great song of praise the antiphonal Amen of the cherubs answered: And the four living beings said, Amen; and the eiders fell down and worshiped. Verily it shall be so: all the earth shall be full of His glory. All the earth shall fear the Lord, and all the inhabitants of the world shall stand in awe of Him, Psa 33:8.
Summary
The prophet sees the book of the counsels of God, whose seals could be broken only by Christ, the Lamb that was slain, a fact which caused the elders to break forth in a hymn of praise which was afterwards taken up not only by myriads of angels, but by the chorus of all creatures.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9, 11 For you were slaughtered
For you were slaughtered
This can be stated in active form. AT: "For they slaughtered you" or "For people killed you" (See: Active or Passive)
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slaughtered
If your language has a word for killing an animal for a sacrifice, consider using it here.
with your blood
Since blood represents a person's life, losing the blood represents dying. This probably means "by your death" or "by dying." (See: Metonymy)
you purchased people for God
"you bought people so that they could belong to God" or "you paid the price so that people could belong to God"
from every tribe, language, people, and nation
This means that people from every ethnic group are included.
translationWords
blood
God
tribe
people group
nation
kingdom
priest
reign
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv9–11 5:9-10 The whole created order joins in a new…
5:9-10 The whole created order joins in a new song of praise to the Lamb (cp. 14:1-5; Ps 149:1; Isa 42:10). • The Lamb is worthy because, through his sacrifice, he won the right to break the seals of the scroll and enact God’s purposes in history. • The song summarizes the implications of the Good News about Jesus (1 Pet 1:18-25).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.