And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
And he came and took the book out of the right hand … – As if it pertained to him by virtue of rank or office. There is a difficulty here, arising from the incongruity of what is said of a lamb, which it is not easy to solve. The difficulty is in conceiving how a lamb could take the book from the hand of Him who held it. To meet this several solutions have been proposed:
(1) Vitringa supposes that the Messiah appeared as a lamb only in some such sense as the four living beings Rev 4:7 resembled a lion, a calf, and an eagle; that is, that they bore this resemblance only in respect to the head, while the body was that of a man. He thus supposes, that though in respect to the upper part the Saviour resembled a lamb, yet that to the front part of the body hands were attached by which he could take the book. But there are great difficulties in this supposition. Besides that nothing of this kind is intimated by John, it is contrary to every appearance of probability that the Redeemer would be represented as a monster. In his being represented as a lamb there is nothing that strikes the mind as inappropriate or unpleasant, for he is often spoken of in this manner, and the image is one that is agreeable to the mind. But all this beauty and fitness of representation is destroyed, if we think of him as having human hands proceeding from his breast or sides, or as blending the form of a man and an animal together. The representation of having an unusual number of horns and eyes does not strike us as being incongruous in the same sense; for though the number is increased, they are such as pertain properly to the animal to which they are attached.
(2) Another supposition is that suggested by Prof. Stuart, that the form was changed, and a human form resumed when the Saviour advanced to take the book and open it. This would relieve the whole difficulty, and the only objection to it is, that John has not given any express notice of such a change in the form; and the only question can be whether it is right to suppose it in order to meet the difficulty in the case. In support of this it is said that all is symbol; that the Saviour is represented in the book in various forms; that as his appearing as a lamb was designed to represent in a striking manner the fact that he was slain, and that all that he did was based on the atonement, so there would be no impropriety in supposing that when an action was attributed to him he assumed the form in which that act would be naturally or is usually done. And as in taking a book from the hand of another it is wholly incongruous to think of its being done by a lamb, is it not most natural to suppose that the usual form in which the Saviour is represented as appearing would be resumed, and that he would appear again as a man?
But is it absolutely certain that he appeared in the form of a lamb at all? May not all that is meant be, that John saw him near the throne, and among the elders, and was struck at once with his appearance of meekness and innocence, and with the marks of his having been slain as a sacrifice, and spoke of him in strong figurative language as a lamb? And where his seven horns and seven eyes are spoken of, is it necessary to suppose that there was any real assumption of such horns and eyes? May not all that is meant be that John was struck with that in the appearance of the Redeemer of which these would be the appropriate symbols, and described him as if these had been visible? When John the Baptist saw the Lord Jesus on the banks of the Jordan, and said, Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world Joh 1:29, is it necessary to suppose that he actually appeared in the form of a lamb?
Do not all at once understand him as referring to traits in his character, and to the work which he was to accomplish, which made it proper to speak of him as a lamb? And why, therefore, may we not suppose that John in the Apocalypse designed to use language in the same way, and that he did not intend to present so incongruous a description as that of a lamb approaching a throne and taking a book from the hand of Him that sat on it, and a lamb, too, with many horns and eyes? If this supposition is correct, then all that is meant in this passage would be expressed in some such language as the following: And I looked, and lo there was one in the midst of the space occupied by the throne, by the living creatures, and by the elders, who, in aspect, and in the emblems that represented his work on the earth, was spotless, meek, and innocent as a lamb; one with marks on his person which brought to remembrance the fact that he had been slain for the sins of the world, and yet one who had most striking symbols of power and intelligence, and who was therefore worthy to approach and take the book from the hand of Him that sat on the throne. It may do something to confirm this view to recollect that when we use the term Lamb of God how, as is often done in preaching and in prayer, it never suggests to the mind the idea of a lamb. We think of the Redeemer as resembling a lamb in his moral attributes and in his sacrifice, but never as to form. This supposition relieves the passage of all that is incongruous and unpleasant, and may be all that John meant.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. He came and took the book] This verse may be properly explained by John, Joh 1:18. No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath DECLARED him. With Jesus alone are all the counsels and mysteries of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, having been slain, and having prevailed with his Father to open this book, mentioned Rev 5:1, of all the secrets, counsels, and purposes of God relating to his church, he came and took it of his Father, in whose right hand it was, as Rev 5:1.
From hence to the end of this chapter, are nothing but songs sang by the living creatures which John saw, and the twenty-four elders which he saw, and an innumerable company of angels, to the honour and glory of Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer of man, and the Head of the church, upon this taking of the book from the right hand of his Father.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. The book lay on the open handof Him that sat on the throne for any to take who was found worthy[ALFORD]. The Lamb takesit from the Father in token of formal investiture into His universaland everlasting dominion as Son of man. This introductory vision thuspresents before us, in summary, the consummation to which all theevents in the seals, trumpets, and vials converge, namely, thesetting up of Christ’s kingdom visibly. Prophecy ever hurries to thegrand crisis or end, and dwells on intermediate events only in theirtypical relation to, and representation of, the end.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he came,…. He drew nigh to the throne of God, he engaged his heart to approach unto him, and came up even to his seat, which a mere creature, without a Mediator, cannot do:
and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne; [See comments on Re 5:1]; it being given unto him, as in Re 1:1; and a commission and authority to open it, and make it manifest to others, and to accomplish the several events, in the several periods of time, it points unto.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He taketh (). Perfect active indicative of , not used for the aorist (cf. , he came), but vivid dramatic picture of the actual scene, “he has taken it.”
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Took [] . Lit., hath taken. The perfect, alternating with the aorist, is graphic.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And he came,” (kai elthen) “And he came,” the Lamb that had been slain approached, of his own choice, will, and accord; His Father who sat upon the throne holding the seven seal book, Rev 5:1. He came because He was worthy!
2) “And took the book out of the right hand,” (kai eilephen ek tes deksias) “And has taken the scroll out of the right hand; the hand of strength and power and authority of reigning over and judging the earth, which the Father had by title-deed -pledge of inheritance, granted to the Son, from the foundation of the world, Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; Joh 3:35; Joh 5:22. God has “appointed” Jesus “heir”, and heritage possessor of “all things”, that in all things he might have the preeminence, Heb 1:2; Col 1:18-19.
3) “Of him that sat upon the throne,” (tou kathemenou epi tou thronou) “of the one sitting upon the throne;” why did he take the book? Because it was his title-deed to the earth and the testimony of the restitution of all things to the Father. “He that typically possessed his possession”; Let it be recalled that Rev 4:1 to Rev 5:14 are an heavenly vision of things to occur “hereafter”, after the church age is over, beginning with the throne vision of the church, Israel, and the righteous dead from among Gentiles of all nations, before the throne of God, where positional rewards are given to all the redeemed, including kings and priests to rule and reign with Christ on earth, during the coming Golden Millennial era. It is before the Throne in heaven that the marriage of the Lamb occurs, the judgment seat of Christ is set, and Jesus Christ prepares to return to the earth as king of kings and Lord of Lords to put an end to the then raging 42 months of the tribulation the great, 1Co 15:24-28; Mat 22:44.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(7) And he came . . .Better, And He came, and He has taken (omit the words the book, and supply) it (i.e., the roll) out of the right hand of Him that sitteth upon the throne. There is a change of tense (came, has taken), which seems to be due to the rapt attention of the seer, whose narrative trembles with his own intensity of feeling. He wept awhile ago; now he need not weep. The Lamb conquered; He came; He has taken the roll. He is the wisdom of the Church; among all pre-eminent; all things will be reconciled in Him; the purpose and meaning of all lifes mysteries and sorrows will be made plain in Him. (Comp. 1Co. 1:24; Eph. 1:9-10; Col. 1:18.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Took the book Stuart, after Vitringa, and more persistently, raises the question, How could the Lamb take the roll without hands? And this question, Dusterdieck rejects as “unnothig und geschmacklos,” needless and tasteless. But Ezekiel did not think it geschmacklos to tell us that his cherubim “had the hands of a man,” Eze 1:8. And the query of Stuart raises the question, What was the real form of the Lamb? and that is quite as legitimate as the question, What were the forms of the cherubim? which is much discussed by these critics. Alford argues that the cherubim were in human form, because they fall down in worship; and it seems as legitimate for us to argue that the Lamb could not have held a quadruped form in sitting on his “throne.” Stuart well discusses this perfectly necessary and aesthetic question. He rather favours the idea that the Lamb, at the first view of the seer, wore the quadruped form, but with the transformability of a dream-image, gradually changed to the form of the “Son of man,” as he approached to take the roll. Or, we may suppose that with visional liberty the two forms of lamb and man transparently enfolded and enclosed one the other, (as amber may enclose a diamond,) so as both to be recognisable by the seer’s eye. Nevertheless we rather prefer Stuart’s view; and holding the form of the Lamb with seven horns to be a transient symbol to the seer’s eye, we do not think it in connexion with the word Lamb as used in the rest of John’s twenty-seven instances.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sing a new song, saying “You are worthy to take the scroll and to break its seals, for you were slain and purchased for God with your blood those of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are reigning (or shall reign) on the earth.’
The release of the scroll by the One on the throne demonstrated the authority and rightness of the Lion of Judah and Lamb of God for the task in hand. The Lamb is recognised as having the right and authority to open the scroll, for it is released into His care. Thus the One worthy to open the scroll had to be extremely powerful, and yet have been offered as a sacrifice on behalf of the world which the scroll will affect.
And at this the living creatures and the elders fall down and worship Him, and the elders, the representatives of the church on earth, break into singing holding each in their hands a harp and golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of God’s people. Here we see their priestly function. They are represented as presenting men’s worship before God.
The idea of prayers as incense is taken from the words of the psalmist, ‘Let my prayer be set forth as incense before you, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice’ (Psa 141:2). The golden bowls were those used in the Holy place and the Holy of Holies (e.g. Exo 25:29; 1Ki 7:50 contrast v. 45) for the use of the priests. It is clearly the elders’ responsibility to gather the prayers of God’s people and pass them on to Him (compare Dan 10:12-13). But there is no suggestion that we should pray to them, and John is later admonished for doing such a thing. The harp was associated with joy, thanksgiving and worship (1Ch 25:1; 1Ch 25:6; Psa 71:22; Psa 92:3; Psa 149:3). The description ‘of every tribe and tongue and people and nation’ is an amplification of a phrase in Dan 3:29.
‘They sing a new song’. Compare Isa 42:9-10 where singing a new song occurs because something new is about to happen. The presence and actions of the Lamb produce a different song from the elders than that of Rev 4:11. It is a new song, the song of redemption. The one thing that has fitted the Lamb for His task is that He has bought for God, through the offering of Himself, people from every nation under Heaven. He has further made them a kingdom, and priests to God (i.e. a kingdom of priests: see on Rev 1:5-6). They are His kingdom, and His priestly kingdom, given the task of making offerings of praise and thanksgiving (Heb 13:15; compare Psa 107:22; Psa 116:17) and of presenting God’s truth to all.
‘And they are reigning on the earth’. The manuscripts, which are somewhat lacking in Revelation, tend to favour the present tense, but some have the future tense. The present tense, which is most probable, and ties in with the fact that they are enjoying the present position as a kingdom of priests, (note that in 1Pe 2:9 we are a royal priesthood), stresses that through Christ His people are already reigning, as described in Eph 1:20-21 with Rev 2:6. Compare Rom 5:17, Col 3:1. They share with Christ His present reign.
If we prefer the future tense it really says the same. It says that because they are a kingdom of priests they will reign on earth in the forthcoming days. It is a statement of confident assurance in the wellbeing of God’s people. They will reign on earth, as one day they will be resurrected and reign with Christ over the universe (2Ti 2:12: Rev 22:5).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rev 5:7. And he came and took the book, Daubuz understands the delivering of this book into the hands of Christ, as an act of inauguration or investiture into his regal power and authority, as mediatorial King; and shews that many of the expressions here used, are taken from the ceremonies of solemn investitures. But it should seem that his plan of interpreting does not well suit with the date of this vision, which was given to St. John many years after the period of our Lord’s ascension, at which time this learned commentator supposes it to commence.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rev 5:7 . . The perf. has, [1919] as also elsewhere among those later, [1920] the sense of the aor., which is the easier here because an aor. precedes.
The Lamb “took” it (the book) out of the hand of God offering it. [1921] Ebrard wishes to translate it “ received ,” because “the active taking does not suit the Son’s position with respect to the Father.” But while of course it is self-evident that no one, not even the Lamb, can take the book if God do not give it, yet the idea of the active taking on the part of the Lamb lies more in the course of the entire connection, as it presents the glory of the Lamb eminent above all creatures, and not the possible subordination of the same to God. The Lamb can take the book for the reason indicated already in Rev 5:5 , [1922] but in no way because of having meanwhile received from God permission which had been previously asked. [1923] To consider with Vitr. as to whether the Lamb also had hands, etc., is unnecessary and without point.
[1919] Cf. Rev 8:5 .
[1920] Winer, p. 255.
[1921] Cf. Rev 5:1 .
[1922] Cf. Rev 5:9 .
[1923] Ew. i.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Ver. 7. And he came and took ] As Mediator he took it, as God he gave it. All things are delivered unto him of the Father; and no man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son revealeth him,Mat 11:27Mat 11:27 . See Trapp on “ Mat 11:27 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
7 .] The Lamb takes the Book . And he (or, it ) came and took (not, ‘ received ,’ as Ebrard. The book lay on the open hand of Him that sat on the throne, for any to take who was found worthy. That “ das Buch userreichen ” which Ebrard insists on, is found not here, but in the previous description: and to introduce it here, confuses the distinctness of the symbolism.
The perfect apparently cannot be pressed: see reff.) it (i. e. the Book; cf. next verse) out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne (Vitringa’s enquiry, whether we are to imagine the Lamb to have had partly a human form and hands, is rightly dismissed by Dsterd. as “ unnthig und geschmacklos ”).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Rev 5:7 . A realistic symbol of the idea conveyed in Joh 3:35 ; Joh 12:49 , etc.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
took = hath taken.
the book. The texts read “it”.
out of. App-104.
upon. App-104.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
7.] The Lamb takes the Book. And he (or, it) came and took (not, received, as Ebrard. The book lay on the open hand of Him that sat on the throne, for any to take who was found worthy. That das Buch userreichen which Ebrard insists on, is found not here, but in the previous description: and to introduce it here, confuses the distinctness of the symbolism.
The perfect apparently cannot be pressed: see reff.) it (i. e. the Book; cf. next verse) out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne (Vitringas enquiry, whether we are to imagine the Lamb to have had partly a human form and hands, is rightly dismissed by Dsterd. as unnthig und geschmacklos).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
came
Cf. Dan 7:13; Dan 7:14. The two visions are identical; the Revelation adding that which was hidden from Daniel, that the kings and priests of the church-age are to be associated with the “Son of Man,” the “Lamb as it had been slain,” in His reign “on the earth” Rev 2:9; Rev 2:10.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
out: Rev 5:1, Rev 4:2, Rev 4:3
Reciprocal: Isa 6:1 – sitting Rev 7:10 – sitteth
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 5:7. He (this Lion and Lamb) came to the throne to get the book. Him that sat upon the throne means God, and in giving the book to the Lamb signifies that God gave his Son the ability to reveal the future events. This fact is stated literally in the first verse of the book of Revelation.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 7.
3. “He came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne”–Rev 5:7.
The Lamb took the book from him on the throne. The One on the throne is God. The One who took the book is Christ–the Lamb “in the midst of the throne.”
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rev 5:7. And he came, and he hath taken it out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. The change of tense is worthy of observation, for it is impossible to agree with those who urge that the two tenses used are simply equivalent to each other. In the very next verse the Seer returns to the tense of the verb came when he says took, and not hath taken The latter word therefore implies more than took. St. John sees the Lamb not merely take the roll, but keep it. It is His,His by right of the victory He has won; His as Immanuel, God with us; His not as the Divine Eternal Son only, but as our Redeemer, the Head of His Church; His to unfold in all its meaning for the Church for which He died.He hath taken it, He is worthy to open it, and it shall be opened. Therefore the song of praise and joy begins, gradually widening until it embraces all creation.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
From the fact that He appeared newly slain and that he sat down on the throne, we conclude Jesus took the scroll after his death and resurrection. ( Act 2:22-36 ; Heb 2:8-9 ; Psa 110:1-7 )
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Verse 7
And took the book. The image of a lamb taking a book and successively opening the seals, is an example of the incongruity alluded to above. For other cases, see Revelation 8:10,9:1,10:9,19:12,22:1.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
5:7 {8} And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
(8) The fact of Christ the Mediator: that he comes to open it. That he opened it is first expressed Rev 6:1 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Next John saw God the Father on the throne and the Lamb (evidently now in human form) coming and taking the scroll out of His right hand. This is evidently a dramatic use of the perfect tense of the verb eilephen ("took"). [Note: Robertson, 6:335.] Clearly this symbolizes a transfer of authority from the Father to the Son to reveal the future and to execute judgment (cf. Rev 1:1).
"It has been frequently recognized that the vision of chapter 5 gives us a Christian prophet’s version of the enthronement ceremony known to the ancient world, when its potentates ascended their thrones. Here the king is the Christ, his domain the universe, and his throne the throne of God [cf. Php 2:6-11]. . . . The steps of the ancient enthronement are commonly described as exaltation, presentation, enthronement. If we apply these to chapter 5, the exaltation must be seen in the conquest of the Lamb referred to in Rev 5:5, the presentation in Rev 5:6, and the bestowal of authority in Rev 5:7." [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. 110.]