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.
Parallel translations
- WEB having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
- KJV 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:
- NKJV Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
- NASB It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written on the gates, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.
- NLT The city wall was broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The city has a great wall with twelve gates, twelve angels, and the names of Israel's twelve tribes. God's redeemed are rooted in his covenant people.
Overview
The twelve gates bearing the tribes' names link the new creation to God's covenant with Israel (cf. Ezekiel 48:30-34). The high wall signifies security and the holiness that excludes all evil. Together with the apostles' names in v. 14, this shows one unified people of God across both covenants.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ezek 48:31–34the 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.
- Rev 21:17–21And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.
- Rev 7:4–8And I heard the number of those who were sealed, 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel:
- Isa 54:12I will make your pinnacles of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
- Rev 21:25Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
- Ps 122:7May there be peace within your walls, and prosperity inside your fortresses.”
- Ps 51:18In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.
- Isa 60:18No 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.
- Num 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.
- Neh 12:27At 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.
- Ezra 9:9Though 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.
- Luke 15:10In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
- Heb 1:14Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Acts 26:7the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to realize as they earnestly serve God day and night. It is because of this hope, O king, that I am accused by the Jews.
- Matt 18:10See that you do not look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father in heaven.
- Luke 16:22One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 21:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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