Revelation of John 4:4

seats--rather as the Greek is translated in this very verse, "thrones," of course lower and smaller than the grand central throne. So Rev 16:10, "the seat (rather, throne) of the beasts," in hellish parody of God's throne. four and twenty elders--Greek, "the four and twenty (or as one oldest manuscript, 'twenty-four') elders": the well-known elders [ALFORD]. But TREGELLES translates, "Upon the twenty-four thrones (I saw: omitted in two oldest manuscripts) elders sitting": which is more probable, as the twenty-four elders were not mentioned before, whereas the twenty-four thrones were. They are not angels, for they have white robes and crowns of victory, implying a conflict and endurance, "Thou hast redeemed us": they represent the Heads of the Old and New Testament churches respectively, the Twelve Patriarchs (compare Rev 7:5-8, not in their personal, but in their representative character), and Twelve Apostles. So in Rev 15:3, "the song of Moses, and of the Lamb," the double constituents of the Church are implied, the Old Testament and the New Testament. "Elders" is the very term for the ministry both of the Old and New Testament, the Jewish and the catholic Gentile Church. The tabernacle was a "pattern" of the heavenly antitype; the holy place, a figure of HEAVEN ITSELF. Thus Jehovah's throne is represented by the mercy seat in the holiest, the Shekinah-cloud over it. "The seven lamps of fire before the throne" (Rev 4:5) are antitypical to the seven-branched candlestick also in the holiest, emblem of the manifold Spirit of God: "the sea of glass" (Rev 4:6) corresponds to the molten sea before the sanctuary, wherein the priests washed themselves before entering on their holy service; so introduced here in connection with the redeemed "priests unto God" (compare Note, se…

In this chapter the prophetical scene opens; and, as the epistolary part opened with a vision of Christ (ch. 1), so this part is introduced with a glorious appearance of the great God, whose throne is in heaven, compassed about with the heavenly host. This discovery was made to John, and in this chapter he, I. Records the heavenly sight he saw (Rev 4:1-7). And then, II. The heavenly songs he heard (Rev 4:8 to the end).

4:4 The twenty-four elders on their thrones probably represent all of God’s people. They might correlate to the twelve tribes of the old covenant and the twelve apostles of the new (see 21:12-14), although some have identified them with the twenty-four divisions of the Israelite priesthood (1 Chr 24:1-19). In the drama, they act as an antiphonal chorus (alternating groups of speakers or singers).