Revelation 21:12

Translations

Modern

The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.

Traditional

And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

Literal

…having a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and on the gates twelve angels, and names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

Latin

Et habebat murum magnum, et altum, habentem portas duodecim: et in portis angelos duodecim, et nomina inscripta, quæ sunt nomina duodecim tribuum filiorum Israël:

Original

Greek

English

The city had a great and high wall with twelve gates inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and twelve angels at the gates.

Notes

Revelation 21:12–14

In this vision, the twelve tribes of Israel symbolize God's redeemed people (see Revelation 7:4–8; see also Romans 9:6–7). The twelve apostles of the Lamb form the foundation for this community of God's redeemed. Through Jesus, God has fully fulfilled his promise to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham (Genesis 12:3).

Revelation 21:1–22:9

The final scenes of the new heaven and earth show a new community and home for God's people, created and given by God. These scenes uplift persecuted Christians. John shares his main vision (Revelation 21:1–8) and expands on it in two parts:

In Revelation 21:9–27, he describes the new Jerusalem as a place of holy perfection;
in Revelation 22:1–5, he portrays the new Jerusalem as the ultimate garden of Eden, which Adam and Eve could have experienced if they had not sinned.

Theme notes and profiles

Completion of the Second Temple God’s Justice God’s Promised Kingdom Israel’s Geography as Theology Promised Land Rebuilding of Jerusalem Symbolic Numbers Temple Design as a Picture of God's Truth The Day Is Coming The New Order Visions

Related verses

Ezekiel 48:31–34
…the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. On the north side there will be three gates: the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi.
Revelation 7:4–8
And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
Revelation 21:17–21
And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
Isaiah 54:12
I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
Revelation 21:25
Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
Psalm 122:7
May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
Nehemiah 12:27
At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem, the Levites were sought out from all their homes and brought to Jerusalem to celebrate the joyous dedication with thanksgiving and singing, accompanied by cymbals, harps, and lyres.
Isaiah 60:18
No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders. But you will name your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.
Psalm 51:18
In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Numbers 2:2–32
“The Israelites are to camp around the Tent of Meeting at a distance from it, each man under his standard, with the banners of his family.
Ezra 9:9
Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but He has extended to us grace in the sight of the kings of Persia, giving us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and giving us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.
Hebrews 1:14
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

People

Israel: Patriarch, son of Isaac, father of twelve tribes

Glossary

Abomination Beauty Book of Revelation Bride of Christ Heaven Inscriptions Jasper Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven Land Millennium New Creation, New Creature New Jerusalem Temple Worship

Topics

Gates: Symbolical Israel: Names of, Seen in John's Vision, on the Gates of the New Jerusalem of the Cities Walls of the New Jerusalem Select Readings: The New Heaven and the New Earth

Revelation 21:12

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