And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
3. a jasper and a sardine stone ] Our jasper, a stone the colour of which varies between red, green and yellow, does not seem very appropriate to the image here, nor to answer to the description in Rev 21:11, as it is not sparkling nor transparent. But it seems proved that the jasper of the ancients (the word is substantially the same in Hebrew, in Greek and Latin, and in modern languages) was the translucent stone now known as Chalcedony especially the green variety. The sardius (so we should read) is certainly the choicest kind of red carnelian, translucent and fiery in colour, but not exactly sparkling.
round about the throne ] i.e. forming an arch over it.
in sight ] The word is the same as “to look upon” just before, though the construction is somewhat varied.
like unto an emerald ] Here there is no doubt what stone is meant: we have only the question whether the rainbow was all green, or only produced the same effect on the eye as an emerald brilliant yet not dazzling. The ancients felt very strongly the relief given to the eye by looking at it. The rainbow in any case no doubt represents God’s revelation by a covenant of grace, Gen 9:13 sqq.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And he that sat was to look upon – Was in appearance; or, as I looked upon him, this seemed to be his appearance. He does not describe his form, but his splendor.
Like a jasper – iaspidi The jasper, properly, is an opaque, impure variety of quartz, of red, yellow, and also of some dull colors, breaking with a smooth surface. It admits of a high polish, and is used for vases, seals, snuff-boxes, etc. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped jasper (Dana, in Websters Dictionary). The color here is not designated, whether red or yellow. As the red was, however, the common color worn by princes, it is probable that that was the color that appeared, and that John means to say that he appeared like a prince in his royal robes. Compare Isa 6:1.
And a sardine stone – sardio This denotes a precious stone of a bloodred, or sometimes of a flesh-color, more commonly known by the name of carnelian (Robinsons Lexicon). Thus, it corresponds with the jasper, and this is only an additional circumstance to convey the exact idea in the mind of John, that the appearance of him who sat on the throne was that of a prince in his scarlet robes. This is all the description which he gives of his appearance; and this is:
(a)Entirely appropriate, as it suggests the idea of a prince or a monarch; and,
(b)It is well adapted to impress the mind with a sense of the majesty of Him who cannot be described, and of whom no image should be attempted. Compare Deu 4:12; Ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude.
And there was a rainbow round about the throne – This is a beautiful image, and was probably designed to be emblematical as well as beautiful. The previous representation is that of majesty and splendor; this is adapted to temper the majesty of the representation. The rainbow has always, from its own nature, and from its associations, been an emblem of peace. It appears on the cloud as the storm passes away. It contrasts beautifully with the tempest that has just been raging. It is seen as the rays of the sun again appear clothing all things with beauty – the more beautiful from the fact that the storm has come, and that the rain has fallen. If the rain has been gentle, nature smiles serenely, and the leaves and flowers refreshed appear clothed with new beauty: if the storm has raged violently, the appearance of the rainbow is a pledge that the war of the elements has ceased, and that God smiles again upon the earth. It reminds us, too, of the covenant when God did set his bow in the cloud, and solemnly promised that the earth should no more be destroyed by a flood, Gen 9:9-16. The appearance of the rainbow, therefore, around the throne, was a beautiful emblem of the mercy of God, and of the peace that was to pervade the world as the result of the events that were to be disclosed to the vision of John. True, there were lightnings and thunderings and voices, but there the bow abode calmly above them all, assuring him that there was to be mercy and peace.
In sight like unto an emerald – The emerald is green, and this color so predominated in the bow that it seemed to be made of this species of precious stone. The modified and mild color of green appears to everyone to predominate in the rainbow. Ezekiel (Eze 1:28) has introduced the image of the rainbow, also, in his description of the vision that appeared to him, though not as calmly encircling the throne, but as descriptive of the general appearance of the scene. As is the appearance of the bow that is on the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. Milton, also, has introduced it, but it is also as a part of the coloring of the throne:
Over their heads a crystal firmament,
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure.
Amber, and colors of the showery arch.
– Paradise Lost, b. vii.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. And he that sat] There is here no description of the Divine Being, so as to point out any similitude, shape, or dimensions. The description rather aims to point out the surrounding glory and effulgence than the person of the almighty King. See a similar description Nu 24:10, &c., and the notes there.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This is all but a description of the glory of God, as he appeared to John in this vision. The
jasper stone is famous for its transparency, and variety of colours it offereth to the eye, and may signify the various and infinite perfections of God. The
sardine stone is red, and of a bloody colour, which may signify the power, justice, and terror of God. The
rainbow was the sign of Gods covenant with Noah, signifying his being so far reconciled to the world, as that he would not again destroy it by water, Gen 9:13. The
emerald is green, and pleasant to the eye. So as this vision of God represents God powerful, just, and good, and of various and infinite perfections.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. wasomitted in the twooldest manuscripts but supported by Vulgate and Coptic.
to look uponGreek,“in sight,” or “appearance.”
jasperFrom Re21:11, where it is called most precious, which the jasperwas not, EBRARD infers itwas a diamond. Ordinarily, the jasper is a stone of variouswavy colors, somewhat transparent: in Re21:11 it represents watery crystalline brightness. The sardine,our cornelian, or else a fiery red. As the watery brightnessrepresents God’s holiness, so the fiery red His justice executingfiery wrath. The same union of white or watery brightness and fieryredness appears in Rev 1:14;Rev 10:1; Eze 1:4;Eze 8:2; Dan 7:9.
rainbow round about thethroneforming a complete circle (type of God’s perfection andeternity: not a half circle as the earthly rainbow) surrounding thethrone vertically. Its various colors, which combined form one puresolar ray, symbolize the varied aspects of God’s providentialdealings uniting in one harmonious whole. Here, however, thepredominating color among the prismatic colors is green, the mostrefreshing of colors to look upon, and so symbolizing God’sconsolatory promises in Christ to His people amidst judgments on Hisfoes. Moreover, the rainbow was the appointed token of God’s covenantwith all flesh, and His people in particular. Hereby God in typerenewed to man the grant originally made to the first Adam. Theantitype will be the “new heavens and the new earth”restored to redeemed man, just as the earth, after the destruction bythe flood, was restored to Noah. As the rainbow was first reflectedon the waters of the world’s ruin, and continues to be seen only whena cloud is brought over the earth, so another deluge, namely, offire, shall precede the new heavens and earth: the Lord, as here, onHis throne, whence (Re 4:5)proceed “lightnings and thunderings,” shall issue thecommission to rid the earth of its oppressors: but then, amidstjudgment, when other men’s hearts fail them for fear, the believershall be reassured by the rainbow, the covenant token, round thethrone (compare DE BURGH,Exposition of Revelation). The heavenly bow speaks of theshipwreck of the world through sin: it speaks also of calm andsunshine after the storm. The cloud is the regular token ofGod’s and Christ’s presence, for example, in the tabernacle’s holiestplace; on Mount Sinai at the giving of the law; at the ascension (Ac1:9); at His coming again (Re4:7).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper,…. For the brightness, glory, and majesty of his countenance, and for his being light itself, clothed with it, and dwelling in it; see Re 21:11; and for the various perfections of his nature, as eternity, infinity, immutability, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, wisdom, power, goodness, truth, love, grace, and mercy; for the jasper, at least one sort of them, is of various colours, and spotted with divers spots; that which is most valued is the green, spotted with red or purple h: hence this stone, which is the twelfth in the high priest’s breastplate, and on which the name of “Benjamin” was written, is called, by the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos on Ex 28:20, “Pantere”, and of ben Uzziel, on the same place, “Apanturin”, and on So 5:14, “Apantor”, because some are variegated and spotted like panthers.
And a sardine stone; the same with the “Sardius”: and so read here the Alexandrian copy, the Syriac and Arabic versions, as in
Re 21:20, and in Ex 28:17 on which Reuben’s name was written; this is of a red, or blood colour as its name , in Hebrew, shows, and the same that is called a cornelian; and is expressive of the fiery indignation of God whose fury is poured out like fire, and who nakedly and absolutely considered, is a consuming fire to the wicked, his enemies, and the enemies of his church and people. Some jaspers being white and sky coloured and the white colour being most agreeable to deity, as Cicero says i, and the sardine being red, and a gem of the ruby kind make up the description of the church’s beloved; So 5:10; and may denote in general his purity, glory, and excellency, and in particular good will to his people, and wrath to his enemies. And to the comfort of the former it is added,
and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne; which signifies the covenant of grace; see Ge 9:12. The rainbow is a reverberation, or a reflection of the beams of the sun upon a thin watery cloud; and the covenant of grace is owing to Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness; it is he that has formed it, and filled it with blessings and promises; he is the Mediator, surety, and messenger of it, and who in Re 10:1 is represented as clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow on his head: the rainbow is of, various colours and fitly expresses the various promises and blessings, in the covenant of grace, and the various providences, both prosperous and adverse, with respect to soul and body; and as the rainbow was an emblem of mercy, peace, and reconciliation in God to man, after he had destroyed the world by a flood, so the covenant is a covenant of grace and mercy; it springs from it, and is full of it, and provides for the peace and reconciliation of the people of God, by the blood of Christ; whence it is called a covenant of peace: and as the rainbow is a security to the world, and the inhabitants of it, from a destruction by a flood any more, so the covenant is a security to those who are interested in it, from eternal destruction, and wrath to come; herein lies all their salvation, and this is the security of it: to which may be added, that God calls it my bow, as he often calls the covenant of grace my covenant, in distinction from man’s; see Ge 9:12; and this being round about the throne of God, shows that the covenant of grace does, as it were, include and enclose God in his persons, and in his perfections; all the three divine Persons have a concern in it, and all the divine perfections are glorified by it; and it being around it, it is always in his view; he is ever mindful of it, and constantly remembers it for the good of his people, and faithfully keeps it; and it being in this form denotes, that in whatsoever way he comes forth unto his people, it is always in a covenant way, whether it be in things temporal or spiritual, in adversity or prosperity, with regard to the things of time and eternity; nor is there any coming to him with comfort, but as he is encompassed with the rainbow of the covenant; stripped of this, he is like the jasper and sardine stones, full of sparkling majesty, dread and terror, so that there is no coming nigh him; but being encircled with the rainbow, he may be approached as a covenant God, as the God of all grace, seated on a throne of grace, whither believers may come with boldness, freedom, and cheerfulness: and this rainbow was
in sight like unto an emerald; the stone on which Judah’s name was written, in the high priest’s breastplate; this is of a green colour, which colour is the prevailing one in the rainbow; it is of an exceeding fine green, very delightful to the eye, and gives pleasure to the mind to look upon it: and what a lovely and delightful sight is the covenant of grace to a believer! to see God as a covenant God, Christ as the Mediator of it, the exceeding great and precious promises and blessings, both of grace and glory, which are in it, yields an unspeakable pleasure to such persons; the covenant of grace, like the emerald, is ever green, it is always new; its promises and blessings are always fresh, and, like that, it is durable; it is sure, and cannot be broken, and is more immovable than rocks and mountains: the emerald is very bright, clear, and transparent; it is reported of Nero k, that he could see in his emerald the combat of the gladiators in the theatre; in the covenant of grace, as in a glass, may be seen the glory of all the three Persons in the Godhead, for it is ordered in all things for the glory of each Person; as also all the perfections of the divine nature; here God appears abundant in goodness and truth; here mercy and truth meet together; and righteousness and peace kiss each other: to which may be added, that the emerald is said l to help and refresh the memory; now though God stands in no need of any thing to bring things to his remembrance, yet such is his condescension to men, that he sets the rainbow in the cloud, to look at, that he might remember his everlasting covenant; and so he allows his people to put him in remembrance, by making mention of the covenant of grace, and pleading the promises of it. The Alexandrian copy and the Ethiopic version, instead of , “a rainbow”, read , “priests”.
h Albert. Magn. de Reb. Metall. l. 2. c. 8. Ruaeus de Gemmis, l. 2. c. 1. i De Legibus, l. 2. k Ruaeus de Gemmis, l. 2. c. 4. l Ruaeus, ib. & Albert. Magn. de Reb. Metall. l. 2. c. 17.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
To look upon (). Locative case of , old word (from , to see) for appearance (in appearance) as in Ezek 1:5; Ezek 1:26.
Like a jasper stone ( ). Associative-instrumental case of , old word (Persian), used for stones of different colors, one opaque like opal, one translucent (Rev 21:11; Rev 21:18, possibly here, only N.T. examples), one a red or yellow stone (Isa 54:12). Some even take it for the diamond. Certainly not our cheap modern jasper.
A sardius (). Old word, in N.T. only here and 21:20. The carnelian or other red stone, derived from Sardis (Pliny).
Rainbow (). Old word, in N.T. only here and 10:1. From Eze 1:28.
An emerald (). Adjective (from , Re 21:19), of emerald (supply ), in associative instrumental case after . John sees no form for God (Ex 24:10), but only the brilliant flashing gems. “In the vision the flashing lustre of the and the fiery red of the are relieved by the halo () of emerald which encircled the Throne” (Swete). A complete circle.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Jasper stone. The last of the twelve stones in the High Priest ‘s breastplate (Exo 28:20; Exo 39:13), and the first of the twelve enumerated in the foundation of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:19). Also the stone employed in the superstructure of the wall of the Heavenly City (chapter Rev 21:18). The stone itself was of different colors, the best being purple. According to chapter Rev 21:11, it represents a crystalline brightness. Sardine. Rev., Sardius. The sixth foundation – stone of the Heavenly Jerusalem in chapter Rev 21:20. A red stone, supposed to answer to our cornelian. Pliny derives its name from Sardis where it was discovered. Others from the Persian sered, yellowish red. The exact meaning of the symbolism must remain uncertain, owing to our ignorance of the precise meaning of “jasper,” a name which seems to have covered a variety of stones now known under other classifications. Some interpreters, assuming the jasper to be sparkling white, find in it a representation of the holiness of God, and in the fiery sardius a representation of His wrath. Rainbow [] . Only here and chapter Rev 10:1. The word is identical, and seems to have had some original connection with Iris, the deity known as the messenger – goddess of Olympus. In Homer the word is used in both senses.
“And if thou wishest now to ask of me, No dream I am, but lovely and divine : Whereof let this be unto thee a sign, That when thou wak’st, the many – colored bow Across the world the morning sun shall throw. But me indeed thine eyes shall not behold. Then he, awaking in the morning cold, A sprinkle of fine rain felt on his face, And leaping to his feet, in that wild place, Looked round, and saw the morning sunlight throw Across the world the many – colored bow; And trembling knew that the high gods indeed Had sent the messenger unto their need.” William Morris, “Jason,” 11, 190 – 200.
In classical Greek the word is used of any bright halo surrounding another body; of the circle round the eyes of a peacock’s tail, and of the iris of the eye.
“And I beheld the flamelets onward go, Leaving behind themselves the air depicted, And they of trailing pennons had the semblance, So that it overhead remained distinct With sevenfold lists, all of them of the colors Whence the sun’s bow is made, and Delia’s girdle.” 80 Dante, “Purgatorio,” xxix, 73 – 78.
“Within the deep and luminous subsistence Of the High Light appeared to me three circles, Of threefold color and of one dimension, And by the second seemed the first reflected As Iris is by Iris, and the third Seemed fire that equally from both is breathed.” ” Paradiso, ” 33, 115 – 120.
On this passage, which belongs to the description of Dante’s vision of the Eternal Trinity, Dean Plumptre remarks : “One notes, not without satisfaction, that Dante shrinks from the anthropomorphism of Byzantine and early Western art, in which the Ancient of Days was represented in the form of venerable age. For him, as for the more primitive artists, the rainbow reflecting rainbow is the only adequate symbol of the” God of God, Light of Light “of the Nicene Creed, while the fire of love that breathes from both is that of the Holy Spirit,” proceeding from the Father and the Son. ”
Round about the throne. Compare Eze 1:26, 28.
Emerald [] . The stone is first mentioned by Herodotus, who describes a temple of Hercules which he visited at Tyre. He says : “I found it richly adorned with a number of offerings, among which were two pillars, one of pure gold, the other of emerald [ ] , shining with great brilliancy at night” (ii., 44). Also in his story of Polycrates of Samos, the signet – ring which Polycrates cast into the sea, was an emerald set in gold (iii., 41). It is claimed, however, that the real emerald was unknown to the ancients. Rawlinson thinks that the pillar in the Tyrian temple was of glass. The bow was not wanting in the other colors, but the emerald was predominant.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And he that sat,” (kai ho kathemenos) “And the one sitting, – or he that sat (upon the throne); The Lord God himself sits in ward and watches over his people, but never directly interfering with their affairs, awaiting the judgment, 1Ki 22:19.
2) “Was to look upon like a jasper and sardine stone,” (homoios horasei litho iaspidi kai sardio) “Was in appearance similar to a jasper or sardine stone,” Eze 1:26-27; Rev 21:11. The light and glory, reflected from the throne of God, are here compared with the brilliance of precious stones.
3) “And there was a rainbow round about the throne,” (kai iris kuklothen tou thronou) “And (there was also) a rainbow around (encircling) the throne,” Gen 9:13-17; Eze 1:28. The (Gk. iris) rainbow or halo round about the throne was green or like an emerald, the symbol of God’s covenant. This signified that God had not forgotten His rainbow covenant He sits and reigns to carry out His purpose and covenants.
4) “In sight like unto an emerald,” (homoios horasei smaragdino) “in appearance like (resembling) an emerald,” as it appears Rev 21:19, a precious stone, that symbolizes precious vows or covenants.
AUDIENCE CHAMBER OF THE GREAT KING.
Everything as yet speaks of royalty, and of royal majesty, power, and judgment. The jasper stone, as we learn from a later passage of this book, in which it is said to be “clear as crystal,” was of a bright, sparkling whiteness; and it filly represents the holiness of Him of whom the seraphim in Isaiah cry one to another, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,” and who in this very chapter is celebrated by the unresting cherubim with the words, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord, God the Almighty, which was and which is and which is to come.” The Sardis, again, was of a fiery red color, and can denote nothing but the terror of the Almighty’s wrath. Out of the throne itself – proceed lightnings and voices and thunders, always throughout the Apocalypse emblems of judgment.
-Wm. Milligan
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(3) And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone.In determining the significance of these emblems we must be guided partly by the analogy of Bible imagery elsewhere, and partly by our knowledge of precious stones. The sardian, or sardine, is admitted to be a stone of fiery red colour; the emerald, to which the bow round the throne is compared, is almost certainly a bright green; the hue of the jasper is the difficulty. The jasperthe last stone in the high-priests breastplate, and first of the twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem (Exo. 28:20, and Rev. 21:19)is described by the best authorities as a dark, opaque green. Such a colour is quite in harmony with the colours of the other stones in the breastplate, and particularly with the foundation stones, which seem to be arranged in shades of colour (see Notes on Rev. 21:19 et seq.); but the dark opaque green would be an ill combination with the red sardius and the green emerald in the vision of the present chapter. Is there no further light? We have a jasper stone spoken of in Rev. 21:11; Rev. 21:18, with the descriptive phrase, clear as crystal! Does not this point to a stone somewhat different in appearance from that spoken of simply as jasper? Such a clear crystal stone would be the most natural companion to the sardine, and the combination of the sparkling brightness and fiery red suits the union of brightness and flame which appears elsewhere in the Bible (comp, Rev. 1:14; Rev. 11:1; Eze. 1:4; Eze. 8:2; Dan. 7:9), and is best understood of the holiness and righteousness of God. The latter half of this verse shows us these surrounded by the emerald-coloured bow, the evident symbol of the divine mercy. The allusion to the bow in the cloud (Gen. 9:12-16) is obvious; the bow completely encircled the throne, as mercy encompassing judgment. It was a covenant token, bearing witness to Gods faithfulness in dark times, Gods care for the ark of His Church, and His mercy shining forth after storm.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Like a jasper Not in solidity, but in picturesque hue. The jasper is a species of quartz, of various colours, and sometimes transparent as crystal, Rev 21:11. Alford says, “It represents a watery crystalline brightness.” The sardine, or carnelian, is, says Epiphanius, “fire-red and blood-red.” Meyer, quoted by Hengstenberg, says: “The red colour is light in its intrinsic unfolding, light in warmth, light in love, or in its opposite, anger.” The crystalline jasper thus represents the purity of the divine nature; the red carnelian its sensibility its wrath and its love exercised toward sin or holiness in responsible beings. The rainbow symbol of the covenant with its seven prismatic hues, yet with the soft green like unto an emerald predominant, represents the divine mercy.
Round about the throne Horizontally, says Hengstenberg; vertically, says Alford. We think the former clearly right. Around the nebulae of jasper and carnelian hues there circled a horizontal halo of soft green, in which the seven streaks of the rainbow were visible, leaving the throne somewhat visible, but no form of its Occupant. Thus far we have picture of the divine Presence; now for the attendants.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he who sat (on the throne) was to look on like a jasper stone (green) and a sardius (red), and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald (green) to look on.’
The rainbow ties in with Eze 1:28, although there it is rainbow coloured. It may be seen as a reminder of God’s covenant made to Noah (Gen 9:13-17) and thus that God remembers His covenants made with the world and His people. The stones were among those depicted in the High Priests breastplate, but only as two among many, and the same applies to these stones as adorning the foundations of the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:19-20). It would appear therefore that John’s main aim is to depict what he saw in terms which described it physically. Compare ‘amber’ in Eze 1:27. John makes no attempt to depict the likeness of God. He avoids the descriptions in Ezekiel and Daniel. What he saw he considered to be indescribable.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rev 4:3. And he that sat was to look upon, &c. Many interpreters have observed a mystical meaning in the colours and properties of the precious stones here mentioned. Thus, in the jasper, which Grotius supposes a diamond, he finds an emblem of the invincible power of God. Daubuz, who considers it only as a stone of a white and bright shining colour, looks upon it as a symbol of good-will and favour. Thus again, the Sardine stone, which is of a red colour, with some, signifies the active power of God; with others, it is a symbol of anger and displeasure in God, and therefore of destruction; to teach men, that if they obey his oracle, he will shew them the brightness of his countenance; but if they despise it, he will at last shew them the redness of it, or his fiery anger: and thus the beautiful green of the emerald is supposed to signify great good-will and favour. But the application of these mystical meanings seems, to say the least of it, extremely uncertain. We may observe, concerning the prophetical stile of scripture, what L’Abbe Fleury has justly remarked concerning the poetical: “We are not to imagine that each circumstance has a particular application; the whole figure generally tends to one point only, or directly means but one thing; the rest is added, not to make a part of the comparison, but to point, in a more lively manner, the thing whence the comparison is taken.”We have sufficient reason, however, with the whole body of commentators, to consider the rainbow here as a representation of God’s faithfulness to his covenant and promise; God himself having appointed it as a standing and perpetual token of his covenant with man. See Gen 9:13-15.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rev 4:3 . . Dative of manner: [1686] “in appearance,” cf. , . . . , Rev 1:16 , and the with the following gen. of the object compared in the LXX. Eze 1:4 ; Eze 1:26 sqq., Rev 8:2 .
. The [1687] is, as the Heb. name indicates, a red, [1688] particularly flesh-colored gem, our carnelian. Ebrard understands by it the dazzling ruby.
More difficult is the determination of the . The LXX. thus render the Heb. ; [1689] yet in this passage, as well as also in Rev 21:11 , where the is designated as , and , it is scarcely possible to think of the not very costly and not transparent, sometimes greenish, sometimes reddish gem, which the Romans called, as we also call it, jasper. Cf. Pliny: [1690] “A gem, which, although surpassed by many, yet retains the glory of antiquity.” Nevertheless, the most of the expositors adhere firmly to the simple expression. Andr., Areth., N. de Lyra, Aretius, etc., think of the green jasper, and understand it, just as the emerald mentioned immediately afterwards, as a symbol of divine consolation, since green is agreeable to the eye. [1691] A symbolical reference has been discovered even to baptism, [1692] and the judgment of the flood; [1693] for the red sardius denotes the final judgment in fire. Others think of the red jasper, as they either regard it, like the sardius, a symbol of the divine anger, [1694] or, without any such significance, [1695] as only a description of the dazzling appearance of God. Beng., Stern., Hengstenb., [1696] presuppose a white, crystal-clear species of jasper, and find in this color the image of the divine holiness and unclouded glory. This sense of the brightness of color is indicated partly by emblematic descriptions, as Eze 1:4 ; Eze 8:2 ; Dan 7:9 sq.; and partly by parallels, as Rev 1:14 sqq., Rev 10:1 . [1697] The brilliancy of light and fire is, in Ezekiel; the appearance of God. In Daniel, also, the bright white raiment and the dazzling white hair of the Ancient of days belong with the fire of his throne; for both the holy glory and the consuming anger of God [1698] must be represented. Upon the same view depends the description of the Lord, [1699] and of the angel, who in Rev 10:1 appears invested with divine attributes, while, e.g., Rev 4:4 , Rev 7:9 , the heavenly beings, because they have attained to a holiness and glory like that of God, appear indeed in white garments, yet not also with the fiery signs of divine judgment, but with crowns and palms. If now the red appearance of the recalls the ardor of the divine wrathful judgment, we expect the to represent the bright light, which elsewhere is displayed along with the divine glimmering of fire, in a different way. But now the very bright or crystal-clear jasper, stated by Beng. and Hengstenb., does not actually exist. Hence we must believe, either that John imagined an ideal kind of jasper, [1700] or, as is more probable, because of Rev 21:11 , that by the he wished to designate the diamond. [1701] The LXX., in whose vocabulary John was instructed, do not have the term . [1702] The Heb. , which probably designates the diamond, is not accurately translated by the LXX. in Zec 7:12 ; Eze 3:9 . [1703] It is, besides, to be observed, that the LXX. render not only , but also , Isa 54:12 , [1704] by . But if the description (Rev 4:3 ) depends upon Eze 8:2 and similar passages, it yet in no way follows that here, as there, [1705] the brilliancy of the two gems is to be regarded as different parts of the form of God, the bright light of the jasper above, the red appearance of the sardius beneath: [1706] rather, the double brilliancy of the two stones shining through one another [1707] is to be regarded a profound designation of the essential unity of the holiness and righteousness of God. The free treatment of the ancient prophetic view expresses, as to the subject itself portrayed, a deepening of the thought; while the beauty of the likeness gains rather than loses, as the divine appearance to John maintains a pictorial unity. The entire form of the enthroned one appears in the twofold, yet united, brilliancy of the jasper and the sardius, just as the entire form of the Lord was in appearance like intense light of the sun. [1708]
. Concerning as an adjective of two terminations, cf. Winer, p. 66.
Against the wording ( . . ) is the idea of Vitr., that the surrounded the head of the one enthroned like a crown; [1709] Beng. and Hengstenb. unnaturally and unfairly regard the as surrounding the throne in breadth horizontally.
Hengstenb. infers, besides, from the formula . . . recurring from Rev 4:4 , that also the thrones of the elders appear within the ; but it is the only natural and, in a pictorial respect, conceivable way, to regard the as surrounding the shining form upon the throne on high. [1710]
Without any basis is the controversy as to whether the were a “rainbow,” [1711] or a “bow;” [1712] nor does it in any way correspond to the poetical character of the description, if, in order to explain the rainbow, mention is made of God’s appearing, Psa 18:12 ; Psa 104:3 , surrounded by darkness of rain and thick clouds, [1713] or that the green color here named is only the principal color, [1714] as the hues of the jasper and sardius are regarded as combined with the brilliancy of the emerald, attributed to the , in order to bring out the three chief colors of one common rainbow. What John saw about the throne had the form of a rainbow, hence he says , although not the seven colors of an actual rainbow are represented, but only the emerald green. Yet this in itself, and the emerald appearance especially, [1715] are not without symbolical significance, possibly in a mere optical contrast with the blending brilliancy of the jasper and sardius; [1716] but in symmetry with the symbolical significance of this twofold brilliancy, the mild emerald-green of the bow, which is already in itself the clear sign of divine grace, [1717] notes the gentle and quickening nature of this grace. [1718] But it follows neither from the gen., nor from the pragmatism of this passage, that the grace recurring after the divine punishments [1719] is described; it would be more correctly interpreted with Grot.: “God in his judgments is always mindful of his covenant.” Yet we dare not precipitately limit the description here presented, in its particular connections, to the judgments of God in their relation to divine grace which are to be beheld only later: it is sufficient that here where the eternal and personal foundation of all that follows is portrayed, the holy glory and righteousness of God appear in most intimate union with his immutable and kind grace, so that thus the entire impending development of the kingdom of God and the world unto its last end, as it is determined by that wonderful, indivisible nature of the holy, just, and gracious God, as well in its course as in its goal, must correspond to this threefold glory of the living God. Consequently this fundamental vision contains every thing that serves the terror of enemies, and the consolation of friends, of the one enthroned.
[1686] Erasm.
[1687] Rev 21:20 . Cf. Eze 28:17 ; Eze 39:10 ; LXX. for .
[1688] (“fiery in appearance, and blood-red”), Epiphanius in Vitr.
[1689] Exo 28:20 ; Exo 39:13 ; Eze 28:13 .
[1690] N. H ., xxxvii. 37.
[1691] N. de Lyra, etc.
[1692] Aret.
[1693] Victorin, Ticon., Primas, Beda.
[1694] Vitr.
[1695] Ew., De Wette, Ebrard.
[1696] Cf. also Ew. ii.
[1697] Cf. Hengstenb.
[1698] Cf. also Deu 4:24 .
[1699] Rev 1:14 sqq.
[1700] Cf. Rev 21:21 .
[1701] Ebrard.
[1702] Yet, at the time of John, the was not unknown. Cf. Plin., H. N ., xxxvii. Revelation 15 : “Among human things, not only among gems, the adamas , known only to kings, and these very few, had the greatest value. Now six kinds of it are known: That of India, of a resemblance to crystal, since, also, it does not differ in translucency; the Cyprian, verging to the color of brass.”
[1703] Jer 17:1 is lacking in the LXX.
[1704] i.e., the probable ruby,
[1705] Cf. also Rev 10:1 .
[1706] Zll., Hengstenb.
[1707] Ebrard.
[1708] Rev 1:16 .
[1709] Cf. Rev 10:1 .
[1710] Ebrard, and my exp.
[1711] So translated by most.
[1712] Ebrard.
[1713] De Wette.
[1714] Grot., Eichh., Stern, Hengstenb., etc.
[1715] Cf. Plin., N. H. , xxxvii. Revelation 5 : “Nay, even from another intention, the dimmed sight is refreshed by the sight of the emerald; and, to those cutting gems, there is no more grateful treat to the eyes, than thus to soothe their weariness by its green mildness.”
[1716] Ebrard. Cf. Ew., De Wette.
[1717] Gen 9:12 sqq.
[1718] Cf. N. de Lyra, Aret., Grot., Calov., Beng., Herd., Hengstenb., etc. [On the spiritual significance of the rainbow, see the beautiful poem of Carl Gerock, In his Die Symphonie der Farben of his Der letzte Strauss , 1885.]
[1719] Stern, Hengstenb.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Ver. 3. Like a jasper and a sardine ] God is here resembled (saith Mr Cotton) by three precious stones, holding forth the three persons in Trinity. A jasper having (as they say) a white circle round about it, representing the eternity of the Father. A sardine stone of a fleshy colour representing Jesus Christ, who took our flesh upon him. An emerald, being of a green colour, refreshing the eyes of them that look upon it, representing the Spirit, who is (as the rainbow) a token of fair weather, and is a comfortable refresher, wheresoever he cometh.
And there was a rainbow ] Which is signum gratiae et foederis, a sign of grace and of the covenant of mercy, which is always fresh and green about Christ’s throne of grace.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rev 4:3 . The sources of the general conception lie far back in passages like Isa 6:1 f., Eze 1:26 f., Dan 7:9 f., Enoch xxxix., xl., xlvi., mediated by rabbinical interpretations. But it should be noted that in the palace-temple of Hatra, the Parthian capital, one well-known frieze contained a row of figures including the griffin, the eagle, the human face, the head of an ox, and an emblem on the cornice apparently representing the sun. With a sublime restraint, the author leaves the royal presence undefined, though he is more definite and explicit on the whole than (say) Ezekiel. The latter’s advance in this respect upon his predecessors was explained by the rabbis ( cf. Streane’s Chagiga , p. 73) as a needful counteractive to the Jewish belief that visions were impossible outside Canaan, and as a help to men of the captivity who needed “special details to support them in their trials” ( cf. above, Rev 1:9 f.). The , a flesh-coloures, semi-transparent, often golden or ruddy gem, answers to our red jasper or cornelian, so-called perhaps from Sardis, whence the stone was originally exported, , adj. only here with two terminations. “The striking simile . . . . . . recalls the portrait statues of Roman emperors and others, in which the raiment is worked out in hard-coloures stones a fashion introduced in the last years of the republic from Ptolemaic Egypt” (Myres, E. Bi. , 4812). . The nimbus or halo round the throne is green, . ( cf. Deissm. 267) being malachite or more probably an emerald (Rev 21:19 ), to which the ancients attributed a talismanic power of warding off evil spirits. “Thou hast made heaven and earth bright with thy rays of pure emerald light” (hymn to Ra, E. B. D. 8). The. rabbis ( Chagiga , 16 a ) discouraged any study of the rainbow, as it symbolised the glory of God. As the symbol of God’s covenant, it may be here a foil to the forbidding awe of Rev 4:5 a (which develops 3 a , as 5 b develops 3 b 4); “Deus in judiciis semper meminit foederis sui” (Grotius.) But, like the parabolic details of Jesus, these traits are mainly descriptive. The association of jasper, sardius, and emerald is a genuinely Hellenic touch: cf. Phaedo , 110, where Plato describes the real earth under the heavens of paradise as a place where in perfection lie such things as exist here but in fragmentary beauty for example, the pebbles esteemed here, . Flinders Petrie, taking . as rock-crystal, argues that the rainbow here is of the prismatic colour which a hexagonal prism of that colourless stone would throw (Hastings, D. B. iv. 620).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
look upon. Compare App-133.
jasper = jasper stone. According to Pliny, this stone was translucent.
sardine stone = sardius stone. A precious stone from Sardis, red in color.
rainbow. Greek. iris. Only here and Rev 10:1. In Gen 9:13; Eze 1:28, &c, the Septuagint uses toxon, bow, for the Hebrew kesheth.
insight. Same words as “to look upon”, above.
unto = to.
emerald. Only here. A kindred word in Rev 21:19, and in Exo 28:18 with Exo 39:8 (Septuagint)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 4:3. , a jasper) While the Sardine stone is of a fiery colour, and resembles the appearance of blood, the Jasper expresses a WHITISH red.-Lampe on this passage.-) Erasmus, with the inferior Latin editions, have : the others correctly, . are substantives: comp. ch. Rev 21:20; but () is an adjective, and of the feminine gender also, from which, in consequence of the rhythm, that word was interpolated unawares by the copyist, although Wolf thinks that the termination is confirmed by the word .[57]
[57] AB read : Rec. Text, without good authority, -E.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
like a: Rev 21:11, Rev 21:19, Rev 21:20, Exo 24:10, Eze 1:26, Eze 28:13
a rainbow: Rev 10:1, Gen 9:13-16, Isa 54:9, Isa 54:10, Eze 1:28
like unto: Rev 21:19, Exo 28:18, Exo 39:11, Eze 28:13
Reciprocal: Exo 28:20 – a jasper 1Ki 22:19 – I saw the Lord Eze 1:22 – the likeness Eze 10:1 – in the Mat 23:22 – by the Act 10:10 – he fell Rev 5:1 – that sat Rev 5:7 – out Rev 5:13 – him Rev 7:10 – sitteth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
LESSONS FROM THE RAINBOW
And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:3
A storm is an awful phenomenon whenever it rages, because it is a convulsion of nature. But it has its meet set-off. If it happen in the daytime, when the rain is falling and the sun is shining, it is relieved by the bow, which is an object of supreme beauty.
Just as the rainbow appears and vanishes in the natural world, so it does in that of the inspired. It spans the sky in the first book of the Bible, and reappears round the throne in the last. It is a token of good both on earth and in heaven.
I. As the rainbow owes its all to the natural sun, so the Divine covenant owes its all to the Sun of Righteousness.
II. As the rainbow contains a variety of perfect colours, so the Divine covenant contains a variety of perfect blessings.
III. As the rainbow is fixed round about the throne, so the Divine covenant is established for ever with man.
IV. As the rainbow adorns the throne, so the Divine covenant glorifies its Maker.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Rev 4:3. The description of Him that sat upon the throne is given: He was like unto a jasper stone and a sardine. It has been noticed that the two stones here mentioned are the first and the last in the breastplate of judgment (Exo 28:17; Exo 28:20); but it is difficult to attach any importance to this circumstance, for the order is reversed, the sardius being there the first, and the jasper the last. The analogy of Eze 1:27 seems to warrant the inference that the colours of the two stones were not mixed throughout, but that the upper part of the body was marked by the one and the lower part by the other. There can be little doubt, though some interpreters dispute the fact, that the colours of these stones, as well as of the emerald to which the rainbow round about the throne was like, are to be understood symbolically. From chap. Rev 21:11 we learn that the colour of the jasper was a bright sparkling whiteness, while that of the sardius was a fiery red. The first, therefore, can hardly denote anything but that holiness of God which this very chapter shows to be the feature of His character mainly in view of the sacred writer at the time (Rev 4:8); the second most naturally expresses the wrath with which He consumes His enemies, and which is represented in the lightnings, etc., of Rev 4:5 (comp. Psa 1:3, etc.; Eze 1:4).
The colour of the rainbow is described as that of the emerald, or green. Not that the other colours are awanting, but that they are subordinate to, or lost in, that green colour, which of all others is the most pleasing to the eye. The object itself, its colour, its Old Testament history, and even the mode of its formation in nature, combine to suggest the meaning of the rainbow,the holiness and wrath of God encompassed by His covenant grace. It is difficult to say whether we are to think of this rainbow as a half or a whole circle spanning the throne. The mere fact that it is called a rainbow is not conclusive in favour of the former, for the Seer employs his figures with great freedom (comp. Rev 1:13, Rev 2:17, and the green colour in this verse); while the words round about the throne, and the language used in chap. Rev 10:1, suggest the latter. We are probably to think of the rainbow as either floating above the throne or as encompassing it in a vertical plane. For the rainbow comp. Eze 1:28.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The jasper stone may have been a diamond (21:11) and the sardine a ruby, but we cannot be sure. The rainbow gave the appearance of a velvety green emerald. The meaning of all this is unclear. We can conclude God’s radiance is beautiful and the rainbow around his throne awe-inspiring. The rainbow does remind us that God’s faithful are kept safe and can count on his covenant to be kept without deviation.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Rev 4:3. He that sat was to look upon like a jasper Shone with a visible lustre, like that of sparkling precious stones, such as those which were of old on the high-priests breast-plate, and those placed as the foundations of the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:19-20. If there be any thing emblematical in the colours of these stones, possibly the jasper (one species, at least, of which, according to Pliny, is milky white, and according to Daubuz, of a white and bright shining colour) might be a symbol of Gods purity, with various other perfections which shine in all his dispensations. The sardine-stone, of a blood-red colour, or with white and red strata, may be an emblem of his justice, and of the vengeance he was about to execute on his enemies. An emerald, being green, may betoken favour to the penitent and pious; and the rainbow, of an emerald colour, was undoubtedly intended to express the everlasting covenant of grace and peace, of which the rainbow was to Noah an appointed token. And this rainbow, being round about the whole breadth of the throne, fixed the distance of those who stood or sat round it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Verse 3
A rainbow–like unto an emerald; that is, a splendid appearance of irised colors, in which green, the color of the emerald, was predominant. These, and all the remaining images in this chapter, are intended, apparently to present an imposing picture of a magnificent regal palace, according to the ideas of the time. We are not, probably, to attempt, as some commentators have done in vain, to give to the several parts a distinct and special significance.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
4:3 {4} And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
(4) By his nature, in that he is the Father, most glorious in his own person, and with his glory outshining all other things.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
In what sense is God like jasper and sardius (carnelian, NIV) stones? The jasper gem that John saw was evidently a diamond (cf. Rev 21:11), not what we identify as a jasper today. [Note: Charles, 1:114; Beasley-Murray, p. 113; Mounce, p. 134.] The sardius, named for the town of Sardis where it was discovered, is fiery red. These colored gems probably symbolize the holiness and justice of God (cf. Rev 1:14; Rev 10:1; Eze 1:4; Eze 1:26-28; Eze 8:2; Dan 7:9).
"Perhaps it is better to think of this resemblance as denoting His anger as a reaction of His holy nature in view of the prevailing sinfulness of man and in consequence of which He is about to send judgment upon the earth, that ’the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.’" [Note: Smith, A Revelation . . ., p. 103.]
The "rainbow" around the throne was apparently the shape of a rainbow rather than the color of one since this one was green. This bow completely encircled the throne, perhaps resembling a halo. It evidently symbolizes God’s mercy that surrounds His rule (cf. Gen 9:8-17; Eze 1:28). This rainbow may have been various shades of green suggesting the variegated mercy and grace of God. [Note: Swete, p. 68; Alford, 4:596; Bullinger, p. 217; Homer Hailey, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, p. 168.] Another possibility is that the emerald (Gr. smaragd) was a crystal that served as a prism and so yielded a rainbow of colors. [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. 113.]
"Usually, a rainbow appears after the storm; but here, we see it before the storm." [Note: Wiersbe, 2:582.]