Under so fair a heaven as I describe The four and twenty-elders, two by two, Came on incoronate with flower-de-luce.” Dante, ‘‘ Purgatorio,” xxix., 64-84.
Clothed (sepsBeBrAnpévous). Rev., arrayed. Better, as in- dicating a more solemn investiture. See on ch. ili. 5.
They had. Omit.
Crowns (oreddvovs). See on 1 Pet.v. 4; Jas.i.12. Srépavos with the epithet golden is found only in the Apocalypse. Com- pare ch. ix. 7; xiv. 14. The natural inference from this epithet and from the fact that the symbolism of the Apocalypse is He- brew, and that the Jews had the greatest detestation of the Greek games, would be that oréfavos is here used of the royal crown, especially since the Church is here represented as tri- umphant—a kingdom and priests. On the other hand, in the three passages of the Apocalypse where John evidently refers to the kingly crown, he uses d:d8qya (ch. xii. 3; xiii. 1; com- pare xvii. 9,10; xix. 12). Trench (‘Synonyms of the New Testament”) claims that the crown in this passage is the crown, not of kinghood, but of glory and immortality. The golden crown (aréavos) of the Son of Man (ch. xiv. 14) is the con- queror’s crown.
It must be frankly admitted, however, that the somewhat doubtful meaning here, and such passages of the Septuagint as 2 Sam. xii. 30; 1 Chron. xx. 2; Ps. xx.3; Ezek. xxi. 26; Zech. vi. 11, 14, give some warrant for the remark of Professor Thayer (“New Testament Lexicon”) that it is doubtful whether the distinction between orépavos and 8iddnya (the victor’s wreath and the kingly crown) was strictly observed in Hellenistic Greek. The crown of thorns (arépavos) placed on our Lord’s head, was indeed woven, but it was the caricature of a royal crown.
5. Proceeded (éxropevovra). Rev., proceed. The tense is graphically changed to the present.
Lightnings and thunderings and voices. Compare Exod. xix. 16, Variously interpreted of God’s might, His judgment,