The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 343

ably merely means h a eonspfonons post. Testament Ohurch01 are one, Saying, tioD {ef, eh, xii. 1). Great and marvellous, G1·ea.t and marvelloua are thy worka, Lord On account of the terrible nature of the God Almighty (cf. Exod. xv. 7, "And in the events depicted. Seven angels having the greatness of Chine excellency thou hast aevea !&at plagues ; for in them is ftlled up overthrown them ; " also Pa. exi. 2; cx:nix. the wrath of God; - angel, hailing 1e11m 14). This song, like that in oh. iv. 8, is plague,, Oi8 la,t ronu), becaUBil in them u addressed to the "Lord God Almighty." Jlmahed ~ uwath of God. The seer de- lust and true ere thy ways, thou King of scribes what he sees subsequently, as if all saints. The reading of the Textus Re- the aetora were present at one momont. In ceptus, &.,,r..,,, ,; of saints," is certainlv in• reality, he sees the actions of the "seven correct. It does not appear in any Greek angels" ill B11COOSsion. The number 88'11en manuscripts, but was inserted by Erasmus dtinotes the universal, all-extending nature to represent the ,anctorum of his Vulgate, of the plagues {see on eh. i. 4: v. I, eto.). which word, however, is itself a corruption They are the laat plagues, because they of srecvlorum, the true VuJgate reading load on to the desoription of the final fall representing al@,,,.,P. 'El111tii,, "of nations," of the powlll' of the devil ill its various is read in K•, A, B, P, l, 7, 8, 14, etc., An• fol'lll8, and to the account of the last dreaa, Primasius; while al@11011, "of ages," judgment of God and the eternal bliss of is the reading of ec•, C, 95, Vulgate, eto. the saints in glory. It has been conjectured that Al8N.llN (by Ver. 2.-Aud I nw as it were a sea of itaeiam for l9Jiiii11) hElll been confused with jrlaas mingled with fire, "And I saw" AI.llN!m. A parallel to the reading," King mdicates a new phase of the viaion (cf. oh, of nations" is found in Jer, s. 7, Hebrew xiv. 6, H, eto.). The ,ea was like glaaa, text and Theodotion, but not LXX.: " Who either because of its pure transparent ap- would not fear thee, 0 King of nations?" J>earanoe, or on account of its consistency: which is very like the suoceeding clause in the saints being subsequently desc?ibed as ver. 5, especially in connection with the l!ltanding on it. (For a full discussion of "nations" there mentioned. The title the meaJJing, see on eh. iv. 6.) The sea, "King of the ages," or "eternal King," is the elders, and the triumphal hymns of applied to God in l Tim. L 17, and in the praise are all characteristio of the vision in Book of Tobit twice (xiiL 6 and 10), bu$ eh. iv. Mingkd witlifirl!. In ob. iv. it was seems unknown to the Old Testament. deaeribed as" like unto crystal." The fire Ver. 4.-Who shall not fear thee, 0 L6rd, is an emblem of purity : the same idea is and glorify thy Name 1 Omit " thee." The also conveyed by the "crystal." Fire is latter part is from Jer. :z:. 7 (see on ver. 3). also a symbol of judgment, which is the The former part contains the same idea as theme of the song of the saints (ver. 4), Jer. x. 6, "Thy Name is great in might." And them that had gotten the victor, over Compare the similar ascription of praise to the beast, and over hill image, and over hill the beast in eh. xiii. t. The following ma.rk, and over the number of his name, three clauses supply the reasons for thus lltand on the sea of gl&BS, having the harps fearing and glorifying God. For thou only of God i aria them that eome tiictoriou, from a.rt holy: for all uatiou shall oome and tl.e bead and from his image, aria from the worship before thee ; for thy judgmenta are number, eto. Omit "and over his llllll'k," made manifest; /or th11 f'i9hteou, acts hav~ according to all the best authorities. Stand• b&m made manifest (Reviaed Version). iBg bt: (or, on), hamng harps. (On "the "He,ly" is i1,11os, not 11-y,os. It is a word beast and "his image," etc., see on eh. which is applied more particularly to xiii.) These victorious ones stand br, (811ch, human acts. Perhaps it is used here in probably, is the foroe of ~I) the sea (see connection with the manifest justice of above and on eh. iv. 6). The " harps" are God's acts before all nations ; of. the characteristio of the heavenly melodies eong of llfosea (Exod. xv. 11), "Who is like (eh. v. 8; xiv. 2). This multitude l,as been thee, glorious in holiness," etc.? The three before described in eh, viL 9. From his clauses supply the reason for fearing and image; that is, from the temptation to glorifying God, as mentioned in the first worship the imag6. part of the verse. (1) He himself is in his Ver. 8.-And thq sing the BOJlg of !loses nature holy: (2) hi~ sway extends over all the senant of God, and the song of the nations: (3) the righteousness of bis acts Lamb, Moat probably the song of deliver- is now visible to all Alford adds, " Thy ance after the paasage of the Red Sea. deeds of righteousneSB acted ont towards (Exod. u.), to which this bears a general the natione, both in the publication of the resemblance, Moses is called the "servant gospel and in ~ d0BtructiOD of thine of God " in Exod. xiv. 81 and elsewhere. enemies." The song of Moses is also the song of the Ver. 5.-And after that I looked, and, L&mb; the Old Testament and the New behold ; and after theBB thing, 1 ,a.,, The  cm. xv. 1--8.) THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 383