Revelation 21 · Verse 3

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.
Revelation 21:3, King James Version

Revelation 21:3 in other translations

BSBAnd I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
WEBI heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
ASVAnd I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God:
YLTand I heard a great voice out of the heaven, saying, ‘Lo, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them--their God,
DARBYAnd I heard a loud voice out of the heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall tabernacle with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, their God.
BBEAnd there came to my ears a great voice out of the high seat, saying, See, the Tent of God is with men, and he will make his living-place with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God.
WebsterAnd 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 will be with them, and be their God.

What does Revelation 21:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
3. out of heaven--so Andreas. But A and Vulgate read, "out of the throne." the tabernacle--alluding to the tabernacle of God in the wilderness (wherein many signs of His presence were given): of which this is the antitype, having previously been in heaven: Re 11:19; 15:5, "the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven"; also Re 13:6. Compare the contrast in He 9:23, 14, between "the patterns" and "the heavenly things themselves," between "the figures" and "the true." The earnest of the true and heavenly tabernacle was afforded in the Jerusalem temple described in Eze 40:1-42:20, as about to be, namely, during the millennium. dwell with them--literally, "tabernacle with them"; the same Greek word as is used of the divine Son "tabernacling among us." Then He was in the weakness of the flesh: but at the new creation of heaven and earth He shall tabernacle among us in the glory of His manifested Godhead (Re 22:4). they--in Greek emphatic, "they" (in particular). his people--Greek, "His peoples": "the nations of the saved" being all peculiarly His, as Israel was designed to be. So A reads. But B, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read, "His people": singular. God himself ... with them--realizing fully His name Immanuel.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven. As if uttered by God himself, or the voice of angels.

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. The tabernacle, as that word is commonly used in the Scriptures, referring to the sacred tent erected in the wilderness, was regarded as the peculiar dwelling-place of God among his people--as the temple was afterwards, which was also called a tabernacle. Heb 9:2. The meaning here is, that God would now dwell with the redeemed, as if in a tabernacle, or in a house specially prepared for his residence among them. It is not said that this would be on the earth, although that may be; for it is possible that the earth, as well as other worlds, may yet become the abode of the redeemed. 2Pet 3:13.

And he will dwell with them. As in a tent, or tabernacle--σκηνωσει. This a common idea in the Scriptures.

And they shall be his people. He will acknowledge them in this public way as his own, and will dwell with them as such.

And God himself shall be with them. Shall be permanently with them; shall never leave them.

And be their God. Shall manifest himself as such, in such a manner that there shall be no doubt.

(c) "tabernacle of God" 2Cor 6:16 (d) "his people" Zech 8:8

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 The tabernacle of God is with men - God, in the most especial manner, dwells among his followers, diffusing his light and life everywhere.

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 21:3 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
ἤκουσαēkousaI heardG191
φωνῆςphōnēsa voiceG5456
μεγάληςmegalēsgreatG3173
ἐκekfromG1537
τοῦtoutheG3588
θρόνουthronouthroneG2362
λεγούσης·legousēssaying:G3004
ἰδοὺidouBeholdG2400
ἡhētheG3588
σκηνὴskēnētabernacleG4633
τοῦtou<the>G3588
θεοῦtheouof GodG2316
μετὰmeta[is] withG3326
τῶνtōn<the>G3588
ἀνθρώπων,anthrōpōnmen,G444
καὶkaiandG2532
σκηνώσειskēnōseiHe will tabernacleG4637
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτῶν.autōnthem.G846
καὶkaiandG2532
αὐτοὶautoithey themselvesG846
λαοὶlaoipeoplesG2992
αὐτοῦautouof HimG846
ἔσονται,esontaiwill be,G1510
καὶkaiandG2532
αὐτὸςautosHimselfG846
ὁho<the>G3588
θεὸςtheosGodG2316
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτῶνautōnthemG846
ἔσταιestaiwill beG1510
αὐτῶνautōn[as] theirG846
θεός.theosGod.G2316

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

Cross references for Revelation 21:3

  • Ezekiel 37:27

    My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • 2 Corinthians 6:16

    And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • John 14:23

    Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

  • Leviticus 26:11-12

    And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.

  • Zechariah 8:8

    And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.

  • Hebrews 8:10

    For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

  • Jeremiah 31:33

    But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

  • Jeremiah 32:38

    And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

  • Hebrews 11:16

    But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

  • Zechariah 13:9

    And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

  • Genesis 17:7-8

    And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

  • Revelation 7:15

    Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
a great.
10:4,8; 12:10
Behold.
7:15; Le 26:11,12; 1Ki 8:27; 2Ch 6:18; Isa 12:6; Eze 37:27; 43:7
Joh 1:14; 14:23; 2Co 6:16
they shall.
7; Ge 17:7,8; Jer 31:33; 32:38; Zec 13:9; 2Co 6:18; Heb 8:10; 11:16
God himself.
Zec 8:8

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Revelation 21:4

    And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Read all of Revelation 21

Revelation 21:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y oí una gran voz del cielo que decía: He aquí el tabernáculo de Dios con los hombres, y morará con ellos; y ellos serán su pueblo, y el mismo Dios será su Dios con ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et j’entendis une grande voix venant du ciel, disant: Voici, l’habitation de Dieu est avec les hommes, et il habitera avec eux; et ils seront son peuple, et Dieu lui-même sera avec eux, leur Dieu.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich hörte eine laute Stimme aus dem Himmel sagen: Siehe, die Hütte Gottes bei den Menschen! Und er wird bei ihnen wohnen, und sie werden sein Volk sein, und Gott selbst wird bei ihnen sein, ihr Gott.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et audivi vocem magnam de throno dicentem: Ecce tabernaculum Dei cum hominibus, et habitabit cum eis. Et ipsi populus ejus erunt, et ipse Deus cum eis erit eorum Deus: