1Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. 4Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. 5But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Revelation 5:1-5
Have you noticed what I have done for you? I know some of you have noticed but I suspect most of you haven’t picked up what I have done in order to highlight this introductory passage.
How should the opening statement about the opening of the scroll read?
- [A] “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break the seals?”
- [B] “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?”
“Ian, what are you doing? Why make this subtle difference into a big thing? Does it really matter?” You bet it does. Most translations choose
- [A] “Open and break” found in 27 of the translations I have loaded on E-Sword. Including all Greek text versions.
- [B] “Break and Open” (4) The New Living Translation – I chose the NLT version above, along with the Easy to Read Version [ERV], Good News Bible [GNB] and the Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-hari [BIS] which all have the minority reading [B].
Which is more correct? Well all Greek texts actually record “open” & “break”, hence the majority of versions follow the literal standard order. But a few of the translations change the order to “break” & “open”. By way of explanation, let me contrast this with the English legal term “breaking & entering”. It is not “entering and breaking”; it’s “breaking and entering”. The sequence of actions is important. Think about it. As it is in this case in Revelation. There is debate on the ordering of these actions. The seal needs to be broken before the scroll can be opened. Hence the four translations which run contrary to the rest are attempting to put the two actions in the logical order, thereby drawing attention to the change.
There is a Greek literary term used to describe what is happening here – [ὕστερον πρότερον] hýsteron próteron. You don’t need to remember the Greek literary term. I just want to draw attention to what is going on here. Hýsteron próteron describes when the first key word of the idea refers to something that happens temporally later than the second key word. The goal is to call attention to the more important idea by placing it first. The Opening of the scroll is what is in focus. After all it has been repeated four times in this brief introductory, opening sequence. The emphasis is on the opening of the scroll. But of course before the scroll can be opened, the seals have to be broken. That’s right, seals plural, not just one seal. Another thing in focus here is the nature and the number of the seals. I will deal with that issue in another Gem in order to keep this Gem short and simple.
I like what the NIV translation does with verse 3 which is quite unique among the English versions.
But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. [NIV] Revelation 5:3
When the seal has been broken, the text can be read. The reading of the text is that which reveals the details. A scroll can be opened and the words seen but not taken in or read. John is meaning here that the scroll was opened but not LOOKED at. We can look but without seeing the words of the page or taking them in to read them. Only the LAMB can do that. There is much more to say about it as I unpack all of what is written here, including the fact that the scroll is written on both sides. What does that mean? What is the significance of a scroll written on both sides? Not only that but we have to catch the significance of ONE scroll and SEVEN seals.
Before I get into that, I need to deal with how this chapter has been written. It is really quite brilliant. Note how dramatically the setting of the opening of the scroll has been put. We have the opening of the scroll . . . open the scroll . . . open the scroll . . . open the scroll and its seven seals. But as yet no one has been able to read it or even look inside it.
Enter the Lamb! Notice how the Lamb was introduced in Old Testament terminology.
Having been told in verse 3, “there was no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth who could open the scroll or even look inside it” . . .
That covers all the possibilities doesn’t it?
- no one in heaven – angels
- no one on earth – living beings
- no one under the earth, departed humans or demons
Look! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne.
But there is no Lion depicted in heaven . . . Only the Lamb!
John looked but saw no lion; he saw a Lamb, looking as though it had been slaughtered, standing between the throne and the four living beings and the 24 elders, the chosen representatives of the children of God. How fitting! There’s more to come on that too.
And Who is the One sitting on the Throne? In the initial stages it can be none other than God Himself. But as the scene unfolds it becomes a shared throne. Jesus and the Father. Oh there is more to say about that. What a significantly changing scene we have here!
Tim asked, “Why did John weep when he knew Jesus so well? Jesus is the obvious one to open the seals.” I suspect you don’t know how significant that question was Tim.
Ian
“Is it significant that it was an elder who told John not to weep?” Yes I believe it is very significant.
Ian
We find ourselves in a dramatically unfolding vision which we have to see in our mind’s eye, rather than read about.
Ian
Could it be that John was caught up in the atmosphere of worship in heaven? I think so. I think the purpose of this chapter is so that we might stop and worship too. Join the heavenly throng, people.
Ian
Is the scroll written on both sides a mirror of Paul’s plax?