SECTION II.

The Sealed Book; the Lamb who opens it; and the Praises sung by the heavenly Choir.

ἁπλὰ σφραγίδας αὐτ 6 τῦ. Καὶ εἶδον, [και ἰδὲ] ἐν μέσω το θρόνε καὶ τῶν τεσσάρων ζώων, καὶ ἐν μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβυλέζων, ἀρνίον έση. κός, ὡς ἐσφαλμένον, ἔχον κέρατα ἑπτὰ, καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς ἑπλά, οἱ εἰσι τὰ ἑπτὰ τὸ Θεῷ πνεύματα τὰ ἀπεςαλμένα εἰς πᾶ 7 σαν τὴν γῆν. Kai ἦλθε, καὶ εἴληφε [τὸ βιβλίον] ἐκ τῆς δε ξιᾶς τὸ καθημένες 8 ἐπὶ τῇ θρόνε· Καὶ ὅτε ἔλαβε τὸ βιβλίον, τὰ τέσσαρα ζῶα καὶ οἱ εἰκοσι τέσ σαρες πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεσον ἐνώπιον το ἀρνία, ἔχοντες ἕκα τα κιθάρας, κ φιάλας χρυσάς, γε μέσας θυμιαμάτων,

αὖ εἰσιν αἱ προσει καὶ τῶν ἁγίων. Ο Καὶ ἄδωσιν ᾠδὴν καινὴν, λέγοντες. *Αξιῶ εἶ λαβεῖν τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ ἀνοίξαι τὰς σφραγίδας αυτ τὸ ὅτι ἐσφάτης, και ἀγόρασας τῷ Θεῷ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ αἵμαλί σκ, ἐκ πάσης φυλής καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαβ OTUs. Kai

10

I beheld, [and lo]
in the midst of the
throue, and of the
four living-creatures,
and in the midst of
the elders, a lamb,
standing, as if smitten
for the sacrifice, hav-
ing seven horns, and
seven eyes, which are
the seven Spirits of
God, sent forth into
And
7 all the earth.
he came and received
[the book] from the
right hand of him who
was sitting upon the
8 throne. And when he
had received the book,
the four living-crea-
tures and the twenty-
four elders fell pro-
strate before the Lamb,
having each of them
harps, and golden vials.
full of incense, which
are the prayers of the
9 Saints. And they sing
a new song, saying,

Worthy art thou to
"receive the book,
"and to
open its
"seals, because thou

"wast sacrificed, and "hast redeemed us to "God by thy blood, "out of every tribe, "and language, and "people, and nation; 10" And hast made them

lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the 7 earth. And he came aud took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upS on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts, and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having

every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which

are the prayers of 9 saints. Athey sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and peo10 ple, and nation; And

hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on 11 the earth. And I be held, and I heard the

Ver. 1. A book.] The books of the ancients were generally skins of parchment, not reduced by repeated duplication, and bound together, as in modern days, but rolled up; whence in Latin they are called volumina, volumes or rolls. Frequent mention is made in Scripture, of the "roll of the book," and the book when opened for reading, is said to be spread*. When closed, it is called "the volume rolled up †.' To a roll or volume of this form, a seal might be easily affixed, so as to conceal its contents. And that this was the usual method, by which the contents of a book were kept secret, among the ancient Jews, is apparent from Isaiah xxix. 11. where "men deliver a "sealed book to one that is learned, saying, Read this, "I pray thee, and he saith, I cannot, for it is "sealed §."

The prophecies delivered to Daniel concerning Christ's kingdom, which were then dark, and only to be unfolded by additional prophecy, (such as is contained in this Revelation,) are said to be "sealed;" or, which is synonymous, to be "closed, to be shut up for many days." And in chap. x. 4. of this book, the prophet is commanded not to write certain predictions which were uttered, but to seal them up; which evidently means that they were not to be disclosed at that time.

66

Ezek. ii. 10.

+ Βιβλιον ειλισσομενον. Rev. vi. In Josephus, Antiq. Jud. lib. xv. c. 6, Herod rolls and seals a letter.

§ The Jews are said to use such rolls of parchment in their Syna. gogues, to this day. Such also was the custom with the Greeks and Romans; Horace addressing his book, as desirous of publication, says,

Odisti claves, et grata sigilla pudico. (Ep. lib. ii. 20.)

Ch. viii. 26, 27. ix. 24. xii. 4. 9.

Ib. Written within and without.] Such also was the book of prophecy unfolded before Ezekiel*; it was written within and without," that is, on both sides of the roll; whereby is intimated the abundance of its important matter.

Ver. 5. One of the elders saith unto me.] The distinguished characters of the ancient church, prior to the Christian times, (whom I suppose to be represented by the elders, see note ch. iv. 4.) had "en"quired and searched diligently †," yet had seen but imperfectly the "mystery of Christ, which had been "for ages and generations ." They had felt the inquietude, which Saint John now expresses, at the book being sealed, and that none should be found worthy to open it. Therefore one of that body was a proper instrument of consolation to the lamenting prophet.

Ib. The lion who is of the tribe of Judah.] The lion is represented by the most ancient authors, by Moses and Job among the scriptural, by Hesiod and Homer of the heathen writers, as the most terrible of animals. He has been accordingly regarded as the emblem of fortitude and strength. Under this description, it pleased the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of the dying Patriarch §, to foretel the victorious superiority of the tribe of Judah; which was seen to take place partially and typically, in the person of David and of his successors, but was to receive a more sublime and final completion in Christ. For David is declared to be a type of Christ: and in this sense, as well as on account of his pre-existence

Chap. ii. 10. § Gen. xlix. 9.

† 1 Pet. i. 10.

↑ Col. i. 26,

Ezek. xxxvii. 24, &c. Acts ii. 25. 30, &c.

and