And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
23. no need of the sun &c.] Isa 60:19. It is impossible to say whether it is here meant that the sun and moon do not shine, or only that the city is not dependent on them.
the light thereof ] The word is that commonly rendered candle or lamp. This makes it unlikely that the analogy is meant to be suggested, that the Lord God is the Sun of the city, and the Lamb the Moon.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it – This imagery seems to be derived from Isa 9:19-20. See notes on those verses. No language could give a more striking or beautiful representation of the heavenly state than what is here employed.
For the glory of God did lighten it – By the visible splendor of his glory. See the notes on Rev 21:11. That supplied the place of the sun and the moon.
And the Lamb is the light thereof – The Son of God; the Messiah. See the Rev 5:6 note; Isa 60:19 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 23. No need of the sun] This is also one of the traditions of the ancient Jews, that “in the world to come the Israelites shall have no need of the sun by day, nor the moon by night.”-Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 7, 3. God’s light shines in this city, and in the Lamb that light is concentrated, and from him everywhere diffused.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The sun and the moon are the two great luminaries of the world, which God hath made, the one to rule the day, the other to rule the night; in heaven there will be no need of any of these.
Light, in Scripture, (in its metaphorical notion), signifies knowledge or comfort; there will in heaven be no need of any created beings, to help us to either of these; God and Christ shall there fill the souls of his saints with knowledge and joy not to be expressed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. in itso Vulgate.But A, B, and ANDREASread, “(shine) on it,” or literally, “forher.”
the lightGreek,“the lamp” (Isa 60:19;Isa 60:20). The direct light ofGod and the Lamb shall make the saints independent of God’screatures, the sun and moon, for light.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it,…. Which may be understood either literally of these two luminaries, which all earthly cities need; and which, though they may be in being in the new heavens, yet will not have the use with respect to this city they now have. The Jews say u, the orb of the sun is in this world; and the gloss adds, but not in the future state, for the lights shall be renewed: and they further say w, as here, that
“in the world to come, “Israel , will have no need of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon”, neither by day nor by night,”
as they say x, the Israelites had not in the wilderness. So they represent the Lord speaking to Moses, and saying y,
“thy days shall cease, but thy light shall not cease; for thou shall have no need for ever of the light of the sun, nor of the light of the moon, and of the stars.”
Or else it may be understood mystically, but not of Christ, the sun of righteousness, whom the saints will always need and enjoy; but of the governors and discipline of the church in its present state; and of the written word, which is a light unto them now, and the ministration of it, and the ordinances of the Gospel, by which light and knowledge are conveyed; but in this state all will be immediately taught of God; nor shall everyone teach his neighbour, but all shall know the Lord perfectly; and also of political governors, who will be no more; see
1Co 15:24.
For the glory of God did lighten it; the Shekinah, or glorious presence of God, which filled the temple of Solomon, and shone round about the shepherds at the incarnation of Christ; with the presence of God, who is light itself, which will be enjoyed in a much more glorious manner, will the church now be enlightened; and this will be an everlasting light unto her: and the Lamb is the light thereof; in whose light they will see the face of God, and see God face to face; they will see Christ as he is, and behold his glory; and look upon the angels, those glorious forms of light, and all the glorified saints, and know and converse with each other; and they will look into, and clearly discern all the mysteries and doctrines of grace, and all the various scenes of Providence, which will all be opened and laid before them. And this light will be always without any change and variation; which is no small part of the commendation of this city, which is the inheritance of the saints in light. So the holy blessed God is said by the Jews z to be , “the light of Jerusalem”; he is the light of the new Jerusalem; see Isa 60:19 and the light of, the world to come is, by a them, called “the great light”.
u T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 101. 1. w Raziel, fol. 17. 2. x Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. y Petirat Moseh, fol. 23. 2. z Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 57. 2. & 98. 1. a Ben Gorion apud Aben Ezram in Psal. xlix. 19.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
To shine upon it ( ). Purpose clause with and the present active subjunctive of , to keep on shining. Light is always a problem in our cities. See Isa 60:19ff.
Did lighten it ( ). First aorist active indicative of , to illumine, old verb from (Lu 11:36). If the sun and moon did shine, they would give no added light in the presence of the Shekinah Glory of God. See verse 11 for “the glory of God.” Cf. Rev 18:1; Rev 21:3. “Their splendour is simply put to shame by the glory of God Himself” (Charles).
And the lamp thereof is the Lamb ( ). Charles takes as predicate, “and the Lamb is the lamp thereof.” Bousset thinks that John means to compare Christ to the moon the lesser light (Ge 1:16), but that contrast is not necessary. Swete sees Christ as the one lamp for all in contrast with the many of the churches on earth (Rev 1:12; Rev 1:20). “No words could more clearly demonstrate the purely spiritual character of St. John’s conception of the New Jerusalem” (Swete).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The glory of God did lighten it. Compare Isa 60:19, 20.
The light [ ] . Rev., better, lamp. See on Joh 5:35.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
6) THE NEW LIGHT IS THE LAMB v. 23-27
1 ) “And the city had no need of the sun,” (kai he polis ou chreian echei tou heliou) “And the city has not a need of the sun,” at all, because of the glory and light of God that filled her, Rev 21:11; Isa 60:19-20. The need for the sun and moon shall exist no more.
2) “Neither of the moon,” (oude tes selenes) “Nor even a need of the moon; In the era of time, before, even from creation to the millennial, God used the sun, moon, and stars, even controlling, stopping them, blotting them out, and uncovering them at his will, but their need for existence shall be no more, Gen 1:3-5; Gen 1:14-19; Amo 8:9; Rev 6:12-13; Joe 2:10; Joe 2:31; Joe 3:15.
3) “To shine in it,” (hina phainosin aute) “In order that they might shine in it; The New Jerusalem shall have no need of these former ruling lights of the universe because the maker, sustainer, powerhouse of them shall be there for light himself, Mat 24:29; Act 2:20.
4) “For the glory of God did lighten it,” (he gar doksa tou theou ephotisen auten) “For the glory of God did cause it to be light,” enlightened it, gave it light. The Holy city will have God and His Eternal Son as the central Power Station, Powerhouse; There will be no lack of illumination and no blackouts, and no fear of darkness, or torment of pain from fear at all, Rev 21:4; Rev 21:11; 1Jn 4:18.
5) “And the Lamb is the light thereof,” (kai ho luchnos autes to arnion) “And the Lamb is, exists as, the lamp (light) of it The new city, the new Jerusalem, the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife has the Lamb as her light, her radiance, her beauty, and her overshadowing influence, Joh 8:12. Where the Lamb is there comes no night, no darkness, and no shadows fall; Joh 3:19; Joh 9:5; He becomes the true light of the world, to drive eternal darkness, danger, death, and fear from the soul of everyone who will believe in him, even today, Joh 12:35-36; Joh 12:46.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(23) And the city had no need of the sun . . .Rather, And the city hath not need of the sun, nor of the moon that they should shine on (or, for) her; for the glory of God enlightened her, and her lamp is the Lamb. The Shechinah is again alluded to. Light is the emblem of knowledge and holiness. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1Jn. 1:5). Christ the Lamb, came as the Light of the World. Now in the heavenly Jerusalem is the light seen as a lamp that burneth. The imagery is drawn from Isaiah. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory (Isa. 60:19). No more will there be needed subsidiary or intermediate luminaries. He who makes the righteous to shine like stars, and causes His churches to shine like lights in the world, will be Himself the Light and Sun of His people: they shall see Him as He is. It is again to be noticed that the emblem of the Lamb is used to describe our Lord in this verse, and in the last, as it was also in Rev. 21:14. The memory of Christs work on earth is never obliterated: still in the intense splendour and joy of that city of light the remembrance of Him who was led as a lamb to the slaughter gives depth and fulness to its joy.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. The lighting of a city it is very important to know. And no city was ever lighted like this city. It is lighted by the very Light of all lights. No candle (Rev 22:5) needed to relieve its darkness; no gas, no calcium, no electricity, no luminiferous ether dispersed its night; no sun, no moon, created its day. The very glory of God did lighten it, being in itself one perpetual day.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Ver. 23. And the city had no need ] He saith not there shall be no sun or moon, but there shall be no such need of them as is now; for the Lamb shall outshine them, shine they never so gloriously, as they shall in that new heaven, Isa 30:26 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Another fulfilment of the O.T. ideal (Isa 60:19-20 ). It is a Jewish-Christian symbol for Paul’s thought God shall be all and in all . So in 4 Ezra 7 :[42] at the last judgment there is neither sun nor moon nor any natural light, “but only the splendour of the glory of the Most High”. “As the sun of righteousness Christ has been able to vanquish the sol inuictus of the Roman Csar-cultus” (Usener, Gtternamen , p. 184). A cruder form of the idea occurs in the pseudo-Philonic Biblic. Antiquit . where “non erat necessarium lumen (for the night-march), ita exsplendebat genuinum lapidum lumen” ( i.e. , of the jewels on the Amorite idols), jewels which were replaced by twelve precious stones each engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
had = hath.
need, &c. Compare Isa 60:19-20 for the privileges of the millennial reign, foreshadowing the extended ones set forth here.
neither. Greek. oude.
to = in order to. Greek. hina.
shine. App-106.
in it. The texts omit “in”, reading “on (dative case) her”.
lighten. Same as Rev 18:1.
light. App-130.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the city: Rev 21:11, Rev 22:5, Isa 24:23, Isa 60:19, Isa 60:20
for: Rev 21:11, Rev 18:1, Isa 2:10, Isa 2:19, Isa 2:21, Hab 3:3, Mat 16:27, Mar 8:38, Joh 17:24, Act 22:11
the Lamb: Luk 2:32, Joh 1:4, Joh 1:9, Joh 1:14, Joh 1:18, Joh 5:23
Reciprocal: Gen 1:16 – to rule Gen 45:13 – my glory Exo 25:37 – give Exo 29:43 – sanctified Exo 33:18 – General Exo 40:34 – a cloud Deu 10:21 – thy praise Jos 10:13 – So the sun 2Sa 22:29 – lamp 1Ki 8:11 – for the glory 2Ch 7:1 – the glory Psa 3:3 – my Psa 5:4 – evil Psa 13:3 – lighten Psa 15:1 – Lord Psa 17:15 – I shall Psa 27:1 – light Psa 36:9 – in thy Psa 50:2 – God Psa 56:13 – the light Psa 73:25 – Whom Psa 80:1 – shine Psa 84:1 – How Psa 84:11 – a sun Psa 89:15 – in the light Psa 97:11 – Light Psa 132:14 – here will Pro 4:18 – General Pro 15:30 – light Son 5:13 – as a Son 6:10 – clear Isa 2:5 – come ye Isa 10:17 – the light Isa 30:26 – the light of the moon Isa 35:2 – they shall Isa 40:5 – the glory Eze 43:2 – the earth Dan 9:17 – cause Mic 7:8 – the Lord Hab 3:4 – brightness Zec 2:5 – the glory Zec 14:7 – it shall be one day Mat 13:43 – shall Mat 17:4 – it is Joh 1:29 – Behold Joh 5:18 – God was Joh 9:5 – long Joh 13:32 – shall Joh 14:3 – I will Act 9:3 – a light Act 26:13 – above Rom 5:2 – the glory 1Co 13:10 – General 2Co 3:10 – had Col 1:12 – in Col 1:18 – in all 1Th 4:17 – and so 2Th 2:14 – to Jam 1:17 – from the 1Jo 1:5 – that God Rev 5:6 – a Lamb Rev 12:1 – clothed Rev 22:3 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 21:23. TheRev 1:3 on and stars were necessary to give light upon the earth, but that planet will have passed away- The light that would be adapted to glorified residents of the eternal city would need to be more brilliant than a multitude of suns such as we now see. But the city will not be without light for the glory of God and the Son will lighten it- Think of a Being so bright and glorious that its rays would reach from wall to wall in a city 1,500 miles wide. No wonder Moses was not permitted to come within the rays of that glory.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 23.
And there was no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it (verse 23), for God was the light and Christ was the lamp of the New Jerusalem, which had emerged from the darkness of tribulation into the light of deliverance and redemption. Here the same figure was utilized that was used by the prophet in a similar description of Israel’s rEph 2:22 Babylonian exileRev 21:24 n shall no more be thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. The sun shall no more go down; neither shall the moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended”– Isaiah 60:19-20.
Even the casual reader, if not biased by a continuous-history theory, can discern the similarity between these passages and the Revelation descriptions. The prophet Isaiah foretold the deliverance of Israel from exile nearly two hundred years before its occurrence, and he adapted the same figures to describe their restoration to their land that the Seer of RevelatioRev 21:24 to the emergence of the church from the tribulation period.
As of restored Israel in their own land again, so of the New Jerusalem–the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. These are the figuIsa 2:2-5 he souIsa 62:1-2 spiritual knowledge and illumination in the City of the Lamb; there can be no alternation of light and darkness; no mixture of truth and error; for God is the source of the light of truth reflected through Christ in the church. The apostle of the Hebrew epistle (Rev. 1:3) affirmed this vital truth in the reference to this Father and Son relation: “Who being the brightness (effulgence) ofRev 21:4 ry, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by hiIsa 62:1-4 ed our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” It was this presence of God and of Christ in the New Jerusalem that would be its sun, its moon and its light.
In the order of both prophecy and apocalypse the old temple had been destroyed, and its furnishings were no longer recognized. The new temple, the church itself, had no such temporal structure and physical adornment as that which had featured the old; for the old rites were gone with the old city and its temple whRev 11:15 assed away– and Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which represented the church of the Lamb, was spiritual only and was the new “habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rev 21:23. As the city was independent of the outward and ordinary means of grace, so also it was independent of the outward influences which nature supplies for the help of man. It hath no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine upon it. In our present condition all nature is sacramental to the believing eye or ear. All tells of the supernatural behind nature. But now the shadows flee away, and God and the Lamb revealing God lighten the city with their immediate light.
The glory of God spoken of is again the Shechinah, the visible symbol of His presence.
The Lamb is the lamp thereof. It may seem as if mention of the lamp detracted from the loftiness of the imagery; but, when there is neither sun nor moon, we naturally think of the lamp which men use at night. May there not also be an allusion to the lamps of the Golden Candlestick of the Sanctuary?
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
There will be no need for created light because the source of light will be there. There is a continued emphasis placed upon Jesus throughout the book. Here he is the glory of God and a lamp for the Father’s city.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
21:23 {16} And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.
(16) The second form of particular description (as I said) see Geneva “Rev 21:12” from exterior and outward actions which are these, light from God himself, to this verse glory from men, Rev 21:24 . Finally such truth and incorruption of glory Rev 21:26 as can bear and abide with it, nothing that is inglorious, Rev 21:27 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The illumination of the city 21:23-27
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Evidently there will be no sun and moon (and stars) in the new heaven because God’s glory will illuminate the whole earth (cf. Isa 60:19). The need for created light sources will end when the Creator Himself lives among His people. God illuminated the camp of Israel with His presence in the pillar of fire, and He lit the holy of holies with His presence between the cherubim. He will similarly dispel all darkness of all kinds in the new city. The Lamb is the radiance of the Father’s glory (Heb 1:3), but the Father is also the light (Rev 22:5).
"It truly will be the Jesus Christ Light and Power Company then." [Note: McGee, 5:1072.]