Revelation 21 · Verse 2

Revelation 21:2

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:2, King James Version

Revelation 21:2 in other translations

BSBI saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
WEBI saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
ASVAnd I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.
YLTand I, John, saw the holy city--new Jerusalem--coming down from God out of the heaven, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband;
DARBYAnd I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
BBEAnd I saw the holy town, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, like a bride made beautiful for her husband.
WebsterAnd I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

What does Revelation 21:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. And I John--"John" is omitted in A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and Andreas; also the "I" in the Greek of these authorities is not emphatic. The insertion of "I John" in the Greek would somewhat interfere with the close connection which subsists between "the new heaven and earth," Re 21:1, and the "new Jerusalem" in this verse. Jerusalem ... out of heaven--(Re 3:12; Ga 4:26, "Jerusalem which is above"; He 11:10; 12:22; 13:14). The descent of the new Jerusalem out of heaven is plainly distinct from the earthly Jerusalem in which Israel in the flesh shall dwell during the millennium, and follows on the creation of the new heaven and earth. John in his Gospel always writes [Greek] Hierosoluma of the old city; in the Apocalypse always Hierousaleem of the heavenly city (Re 3:12). Hierousaleem is a Hebrew name, the original and holy appellation. Hierosoluma is the common Greek term, used in a political sense. Paul observes the same distinction when refuting Judaism (Ga 4:26; compare Ga 1:17, 18; 2:1; He 12:22), though not so in the Epistles to Romans and Corinthians [Bengel]. bride--made up of the blessed citizens of "the holy city." There is no longer merely a Paradise as in Eden (though there is that also, Re 2:7), no longer a mere garden, but now the city of God on earth, costlier, statelier, and more glorious, but at the same time the result of labor and pains such as had not to be expended by man in dressing the primitive garden of Eden. "The lively stones" were severally in time laboriously chiselled into shape, after the pattern of "the Chief corner-stone," to prepare them for the place which they shall everlastingly fill in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. On the phrase "new Jerusalem," Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22. Here it refers to the residence of the redeemed, the heavenly world, of which Jerusalem was the type and symbol. It is here represented as "coming down from God out of heaven." This, of course, does not mean that this great city was literally to descend upon the earth, and to occupy any one part of the renovated world; but it is a symbolical or figurative representation, designed to show that the abode of the righteous will be splendid and glorious. The idea of a city literally descending from heaven, and being set upon the earth with such proportions--three hundred and seventy miles high, (Rev 21:16,) made of gold, and with single pearls for gates, and single gems for the foundations--is absurd. No man can suppose that this is literally true, and hence this must be regarded as a figurative or emblematic description. It is a representation of the heavenly state under the image of a beautiful city, of which Jerusalem was, in many respects, a natural and striking emblem.

Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Isa 49:18; 61:10. The purpose here is, to represent it as exceedingly beautiful. The comparison of the church with a bride, or a wife, is common in the Scriptures. Rev 19:7-8; Isa 1:21. It is also common in the Scriptures to compare a city with a beautiful woman, and these images here seem to be combined. It is a beautiful city that seems to descend, and this city is itself compared with a richly attired bride prepared for her husband.

(b) "holy city" Isa 52:1, Heb 11:10,12,22 (a) "bride" Isa 54:5 (b) "adorned" Ps 45:9-14

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 And I John - The writer of this book; whether the evangelist and apostle, or John the Ephesian presbyter, has been long doubted in the Church. New Jerusalem - See the notes on Gal 4:24-27 (note). This doubtless means the Christian Church in a state of great prosperity and purity; but some think eternal blessedness is intended. Coming down from God - It is a maxim of the ancient Jews that both the tabernacle, and the temple, and Jerusalem itself, came down from heaven. And in Midrash Hanaalem, Sohar Gen. fol. 69, col. 271, Rab. Jeremias said, "The holy blessed God shall renew the world, and build Jerusalem, and shall cause it to descend from heaven." Their opinion is, that there is a spiritual temple, a spiritual tabernacle, and a spiritual Jerusalem; and that none of these can be destroyed, because they subsist in their spiritual representatives. See Schoettgen.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 21:1-8

The new heaven and the new earth will not be separate from each other; the earth of the saints, their glorified, bodies, will be heavenly. The old world, with all its troubles and tumults, will have passed away. There will be no sea; this aptly represents freedom from conflicting passions, temptations, troubles, changes, and alarms; from whatever can divide or interrupt the communion of saints. This new Jerusalem is…

Read the full comment on Revelation 21:1-8 →

Revelation 21:2 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
ἸωάννηςIōannēsJohnG2491
τὴνtēntheG3588
πόλινpolincityG4172
τὴνtēn<the>G3588
ἁγίανhagianholyG40
ἸερουσαλὴμIerousalēmJerusalemG2419
καινὴνkainēnnewG2537
εἶδονeidonI sawG1492
καταβαίνουσανkatabainousancoming downG2597
ἐκekout ofG1537
τοῦtou<the>G3588
οὐρανοῦouranouheavenG3772
ἀπὸapofromG575
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouGodG2316
ἡτοιμασμένηνhētoimasmenēnpreparedG2090
ὡςhōsasG5613
νύμφηνnumphēna brideG3565
κεκοσμημένηνkekosmēmenēnadornedG2885
τῷtōfor theG3588
ἀνδρὶandrihusbandG435
αὐτῆς.autēsof her.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 21:2

  • Hebrews 11:10

    For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

  • Revelation 3:12

    Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

  • Revelation 21:10

    And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

  • Isaiah 61:10

    I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

  • Hebrews 13:14

    For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.

  • Hebrews 12:22

    But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

  • Revelation 19:7-8

    Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

  • Revelation 22:19

    And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

  • 2 Corinthians 11:2

    For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

  • Ephesians 5:25-27

    Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

  • Isaiah 54:5

    For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

  • Isaiah 52:1

    Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I.
1:1,4,9
the holy.
3:12; Ps 48:1-3; 87:3; Isa 1:21; 52:1; Jer 31:23; Heb 11:10; 12:22
Heb 13:14
coming.
10; Ga 4:25,26
as.
19:7,8; Ps 45:9-14; Isa 54:5; 61:10; 62:4; Joh 3:29; 2Co 11:2
Eph 5:25-27,30-32

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Revelation 21:1

    And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

  • Revelation 21:2

    And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

  • Revelation 21:3

    And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Read all of Revelation 21

Revelation 21:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y yo Juan vi la santa ciudad, Jerusalem nueva, que descendía del cielo, de Dios, dispuesta como una esposa ataviada para su marido.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je vis la sainte cité, nouvelle Jérusalem, descendant du ciel d’auprès de Dieu, préparée comme une épouse ornée pour son mari.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich sah die heilige Stadt, das neue Jerusalem, aus dem Himmel herniederkommen von Gott, bereitet wie eine für ihren Mann geschmückte Braut.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et ego Joannes vidi sanctam civitatem Jerusalem novam descendentem de cælo a Deo, paratam sicut sponsam ornatam viro suo.