And I wept much ( ἔκλαιον ); I burst into tears, and continued weeping. A strong expression in the imperfect tense. Because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereo n. The words, "and to read? should be omitted. They are found in few manuscripts. The equivalent phrase follows, "neither to look thereon." read more
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not . One of the elders, as representing the Church (see on Revelation 4:4 ), bids St. John to take heed to him who was about to disclose to some extent the future of that Church. There is, of course, no indication that any particular individual is signified, though some have striven to identify the elder. Thus De Lyra mentions St. Peter, who was already martyred; others, referred to by De Lyra, say St. Matthew, who, in his Gospel, declares... read more
The mediatorial power of Christ. "And one of the elders saith," etc. St. John is first shown Christ as Head of his Church, ruling here on earth. This his first vision. Then he is transported to heaven, and sees the throne set there, and its attendants and their worship. Then the coming forth of the Son of God, and the representation of his mediatorial sovereignty. But first there is the vision of the throne of God, for he is the Source and End of all authority. God was and shall be "all in... read more
And I beheld . Again a new feature of the vision is indicated (see on Revelation 5:1 ). And, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders . For a description of the position of the throne and the living beings and the elders, see Revelation 4:6 . The passage would, perhaps, be more plainly rendered, "Between the throne and the four living creatures on the one hand, and the elders on the other, stood," etc. The repetition of "in the midst" is a... read more
The goings forth of the Holy Ghost. "The seven Spirits of God which are sent forth," etc. In all possible ways the Church declares her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and his redemption. By the name, Christian; by the sacrament of the Holy Supper; by symbols—the cross everywhere; by her literature, etc. And all this is right; the example of it is given in Scripture, for Christ is the Alpha and Omega of the Bible: "Him first, him last, him midst, and without end." But this is not all the... read more
And I saw a strong angel - An angel endowed with great strength, as if such strength was necessary to enable him to give utterance to the loud voice of the inquiry. “Homer represents his heralds as powerful, robust men, in order consistently to attribute to them deep-toned and powerful voices” (Prof. Stuart). The inquiry to be made was one of vast importance; it was to be made of all in heaven, all on the earth, and all under the earth, and hence an angel is introduced so mighty that his voice... read more
And no man in heaven - No one - οὐδεὶς oudeis. There is no limitation in the original to man. The idea is, that there was no one in heaven - evidently alluding to the created beings there - who could open the volume. Is it not taught here that angels cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come? Are not their faculties limited in this respect like those of man?Nor in earth - Among all classes of people - sages, divines, prophets, philosophers - who among those have ever been able... read more
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy ... - Greek, as in Revelation 5:3, no one. It would seem as if there was a pause to see if there were any response to the proclamation of the angel. There being none, John gave way to his deep emotions in a flood of tears. The tears of the apostle here may be regarded as an illustration of two things which are occurring constantly in the minds of people:(1) The strong desire to penetrate the future; to lift the mysterious veil which shrouds what... read more
And one of the elders saith unto me - See the notes on Revelation 4:4. No particular reason is assigned why this message was delivered by one of the elders rather than by an angel. If the elders were, however (see the notes on Revelation 4:4), the representatives of the church, there was a propriety that they should address John in his trouble. Though they were in heaven, they were deeply interested in all that pertained to the welfare of the church, and they had been permitted to understand... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 5:3
And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon ; no one in the heaven, or on the earth (Revised Version). That is, no one in all creation—in heaven, or on earth, or in the place of departed spirits. No one was able "to look thereon" (that is, "to read therein") as a consequence of no one being fit to open the book. read more