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Revelation 5

KJV · Chapter 5/22

1And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.

2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.

4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6And I beheld, and, 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 earth.

7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.

8And 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 saints.

9And they 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 people, and nation;

10And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

11And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

12Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

13And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

14And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A scroll sealed with seven seals appears in God's hand, and no one is found worthy to open it until the Lamb appears, looking as though it had been slain, yet alive. All of heaven's creation bursts into praise of the Lamb, recognizing him as worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and glory.

Explanation

The 'scroll sealed with seven seals' likely represents God's plans and purposes for history, something that must be 'opened' and progressively revealed throughout the chapters that follow. The book's central and most striking image appears here: the Lamb who was slain yet is alive, uniting the symbols of the Lion of Judah (power and kingship) with the sacrificed Lamb (suffering and redemption) in the same figure of Jesus. The new song sung by the heavenly beings declares that the Lamb is worthy because he was slain and with his blood purchased people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation — a vision of universal, multiethnic redemption. Today's practical application is that Christ's true power is revealed precisely through sacrifice, not in spite of it.

Fun facts

  • The combination of the image of the 'Lion of the tribe of Judah' with the 'Lamb who was slain' (5:5-6) in the same vision is considered by scholars one of the richest symbolic fusions in the entire book, uniting messianic royal strength with redemptive sacrifice in the same person of Christ.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Revelation 5:1Important documents of the time, such as wills or land deeds, were sealed with several seals, and only someone with legal authority could break them. A scroll sealed with seven seals shows that what is written there is something decisive, which no one yet has the right to open.
  2. Revelation 5:2An angel issues an open challenge: who has enough authority to open the sealed scroll and reveal its contents? The question sets up the dramatic answer that comes only a few verses later.
  3. Revelation 5:3No one anywhere in the universe - not in heaven, not on earth, not under it - can either open the scroll or even look inside it, a way of showing just how much authority that act would require.
  4. Revelation 5:4John's weeping expresses the anguish of a revelation that seems stuck, with no one worthy to access it; that tension is only resolved in the next verse.
  5. Revelation 5:5The two titles come from ancient prophecies, Genesis 49 and Isaiah 11, about a king who would come from the line of David. This is how the text presents Jesus for the first time in this scene: using the same royal titles Jewish readers already expected of a messiah.
  6. Revelation 5:6Horns were a common symbol of total strength, and the eyes here represent the Spirit of God sent to every place - nothing literal. The scene deliberately joins two images that seemed opposite: a lamb, weak and slain, and at the same time the most powerful victor in the room.
  7. Revelation 5:7After being presented as “Lion” and “Lamb” in the previous verses, He finally acts: He takes the scroll directly from the hand of Him who sits on the throne, resolving the impasse of verses 3 and 4.
  8. Revelation 5:8In temple worship, the smoke of incense rose visibly upward, which is why it became the natural image for prayers rising up to God. The text itself explains this symbol directly, saying that the incense represents the prayers of those who belong to God, leaving no doubt about it.
  9. Revelation 5:9The “new song” celebrates the reason the Lamb is worthy: not for military power, but for having been slain, purchasing people from “every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” - redemption language that expands to the whole world the idea of deliverance already used in Exodus for the people of Israel.
  10. Revelation 5:10This repeats the same expression from the greeting in chapter 1, “kings and priests,” which originally comes from Exodus 19 about Israel, now applied to this multitude redeemed from every nation.
  11. Revelation 5:11The scene expands with a countless number of angels around the throne, an image of a multitude that also appears in the vision of the throne in Daniel 7.
  12. Revelation 5:12The list of seven qualities attributed to the Lamb - power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing - mimics the kind of acclamation the Roman world gave to the emperor, only here redirected to the slain Lamb.
  13. Revelation 5:13The worship expands even further, including literally every creature in every place of the known universe, uniting praise to God and to the Lamb in a single celebration.
  14. Revelation 5:14This closes the scene with the “Amen” of the four living creatures and another act of falling down by the elders, repeating the same gesture of reverence already seen in chapter 4.

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