In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed;
Parallel translations
- WEB Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there),
- KJV And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
- BSB Its gates will never be shut at the end of the day, because there will be no night there.
- NKJV Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
- NLT Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there.
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's gates are never shut, for there is no night there. God's people enjoy perfect, unending peace and security.
Overview
Open gates signify perfect safety, since no enemy threatens (contrast the closed gates of a city under siege). The absence of night points to the constant presence of God's light (v. 23) and the end of all darkness. This pictures the unbroken peace and welcome of the new creation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Isa 60:11Your gates also shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, and their kings led captive.
- Zech 14:7It will be a unique day which is known to Yahweh; not day, and not night; but it will come to pass, that at evening time there will be light.
- Rev 22:5There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
- Isa 60:20Your sun will not go down any more, nor will your moon withdraw itself; for Yahweh will be your everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will end.
- Rev 21:23The city has no need for the sun, neither of the moon, to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
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 21:25 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.