Tbe Lamb is in the midat before. tbe tbroue All a.nim&tsd areaUon now joins bt the (Bee. on eh. iv. 6). " Th118," eay11 Bisping, ascription of praise. Thoaa tmdfr t1e ~ " the redeemed creation stands nearer to the are probably the "spirits in prillOll" of .throne of God than even the angel, (see 1 Pet. iii. 19, though Vitringa undent&!idl Heb. ii. 5)." And the number of them was the exprel!llion to be used of the de'rila "who ten thaaaand lim• ten Uiouaa.nd, and. thou- unwillingly obey ~ t , " and even deolare "IUU of thouaaud.l. The readings vary his glory, 118 in Marl!; i 24, "I know Uiee here, though. $he 18ll88 of fue paNage is not who thou art, the Holy One of God." fie atreoted. After TpE1T/Jvrlpra11, " elders," 8611 is meant literally; the apostle's obJec, (1) the Authorised and Revised Versions, being to include all animated beings where- following K, A. B, P, etc., render ea above; BOO'l'er existing. It baa been remarked thal (ll) 1, Erasm118, Stephen& edit. 1550 SL John's exile at Patmoa would render (though the last probably per en-orem), him familiar ~tb the appearance of the 11811, omit "and the · number of them was ten and account for itli frequent use itt-·\he tbomiand time& ten thousand;" (3) Vulgate. Apocalypse, both li&erally and aymbolioally. both manusoript& and Clementine edition, The things on tM •ea would signify, n~ llimply omit " ten thon&&nd times ten thou- merely ships with their inhabit.ants, but also eand ;" (4) SS, Andreu (one mauusoript) those animals in the sea which are known w omit only the last words, "and thoUliand& men by dwelling near ._the surface. "All of thoUB&nds." . The number is, of course, not things that are in them " aeries to render to he taken literally, but as expr8118iv.e ·or an empb.atio the universality of the description, exceeding grell,J multitude. as in Exod. tt. 11 and Pa. cxlvi. 61 "The Ver. 12.-Sa.yint with a Iona voioe; 11 Lord made heaven and eMth, the sea, .an4 r,:eat ·f/Oi(llj (Revised Version); Afyo,,.,.es, all thatin them is." Heard I 11aying'; "Sa.t- 'saying," is irregular construction, and to ing" is masculine, Al-yo,,,-~s in N, B, P, Vlll;. be referred to 11,igeU 'a.s being a nominative gate, Andr. a, o, Aretha&, Primuiua. But the· ·understood. Worthy ii the Lamb that wu neuter. AryoJ1To., is read in A. 1,12, Andr. it, alain; that 1iath · beetl .Zain (Revised Ver- ba". Jllening, u.d honour, u.d. glory, u4 aion). Again, ae :i:a ver. 9, the worshippel'8 power; th~. blaring, awJ t1i.e honour, cmd tu give the· reBllOll for considering Christ glory, and the dominion (Revised Venion). worthy to receive their adoration. It is The Revisers have wisely rendered rrpd-riis, becaUIIB he had ~n slain an,d thus redeemed "the dominion," by a difl'erent word from the world. To receive power, and richea, and 3611~.uis, "power," of ver. 12, both of whioh 'llrild.om, and strength, and honour, and glory, in the Authorized Version are rendered ~ad bleasing. ']'be aevenfold nature of the "power." "The article, too, serves to give adoration o.ttributed to the Lamb is probo.bly greo.ter empbaaill, ma.king the exp~n indicative of its complete and perfeot nature. tantamount to "all bll!ssing," eto. (aee on (On the meaning of Aaf1iw, "to re<ieive," to eh. iv. 11). Nothing is signided by. the take ae a rigM what is offered, see Thayer- omission of three aUributes. The number "Grimm.) Power (Mv~is) i8 the ability to four. ia symbolical o( the eompief.e ~on, perform which is inherent in one'a nature. and may be used on that a.oootint; bu.$ Strength (11Tx6s) is the attrib11te by whieh probably the omi■aion is to avoid repetition, that power is put Dito operati.on; it fre- Uie four attributes given being typical of quently denote& ph,ys1cal strength. Biches the seven just previously utte.red. Be (cl. Johu i. 16, "And of bis fulness have unto him that Bitteth upon the throne, and all we . received l" also Eph. iii. S, "The unto the Lamb for ever and ever. That ts; UDBeMCh&ble riches of Christ;" also Ja.s. unto the Triune God (see on eh. iv. 2). i 17, •Every good gi~ and every perfect Christ, as having part with the Father and gift is from above, and cometh down from the Holy Ghost in the Godhead, sits upo1:1: the Father of lights ; " also Acts xvii. 25, the throneJ and is worthy with them to .. He gfveth to all life, and breath, and all receive aaoration. But in his special thing&"). The whole sevenfold ascription character as the Redeemer, he -is alao u spoken aa one, only one article being pre- singled out to receive tae .praiees qt i,ho hed. In this respect it differs from eh. iv. redeemed. - . 11 and eh. yii.- 12, where we have "the Ver. 14.-Ana. the fou bealltl IBid, Am.a. glory " and " tM honour;• etc. (see on eh. And the four and twenty elders tell .don iv.11}.. . and worshipped. him that llveth for ever and Ver. 13.-And every ereature wbich is in evsr. · (On the signification of the four beasCs heaven, and on the earth, and under the as representative of creation, and the four:. earth, and such as are in the sea, and all and-twenty elders as typical of Uie Church, fliat are in them; and ~ created thing see on ob. iv. 4 and 6.) Three stages are tchich u in the hea-, and on the earth and marked in the hymn of adoration before thit 1lt1der tM earth, and on the aea, and aU concluding ,vene:: (1) the four living Wng, that are in them (Re'l'iled Version). beinga and the four and twenty el~ 168 TUE REVELATION. OF 81'. JOUN TDE J>IVINB. [mi. v~ 1-li..
worahip the Lamb, and ODIDmemorate their creatl@ onoe JDON ),in in the eucharlltie redemption bl, him: they ·Bl'll able to Bing hymn, and pJOSkate themselflle iu wonhip "a new song '-the aong of the ttdeemed; before file Triune God. 0} the angels join in the wonhip of the Thi■ fo:rms the end of one aot of the Limb, aacribing to him the eon ■ummation of all perfection ; (8) then all created heaYen1y drama. The opening of.1he -1a lh1nga pmise God and the Lamb. In con- now follows. and a de10ripti(>D of the u- elGlion_ th•np1888nktift8 ol redeemed •dani circumstanoea ii given.