Albert Barnes Commentary Revelation 1:15

"and his feet like unto burnished brass, as if it had been refined in a furnace; and his voice as the voice of many waters." — Revelation 1:15 (ASV)

And his feet like to fine brass. Compare Daniel 10:6, And his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass. See also Ezekiel 1:7, And they [the feet of the living creatures] sparkled like the colour of burnished brass. The word used here—calkolibanw—occurs in the New Testament only here and in Revelation 2:18. It is not found in the Septuagint. The word properly means white brass (probably compounded of calkov, brass, and libanos, whiteness, from the Hebrew to be white).

Others regard it as from calkov, brass, and liparon, clear. The metal referred to was undoubtedly a species of brass distinguished for its clearness or whiteness. Brass is a compound metal, composed of copper and zinc. The colour varies much according to the different proportions of the various ingredients.

The Vulgate here renders the word aurichalcum, a mixture of gold and of brass—perhaps the same as the hlektron—the electrum of the ancients, composed of gold and silver, usually in the proportion of four parts gold to one part silver, and distinguished for its brilliancy. (See Robinson, Lexicon, and Wetstein, in loco.) The kind of metal referred to here, however, would seem to be some compound of brass—of a whitish and brilliant colour. The exact proportion of the ingredients in this metal cannot now be determined.

As if they burned in a furnace. That is, his feet were so bright that they seemed to be like a beautiful metal glowing intensely in the midst of a furnace. Anyone who has looked upon the dazzling and almost insupportable brilliancy of metal in a furnace can form an idea of the image presented here.

And his voice as the sound of many waters. This is like the roar of the ocean, or of a cataract. Nothing could be a more sublime description of majesty and authority than to compare the voice of a speaker with the roar of the ocean. This comparison often occurs in the Scriptures. See Ezekiel 43:2: And behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. So also Revelation 14:2 and 19:6. (Compare Ezekiel 1:24 and Daniel 10:6.)