Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, Give praise to our God, all ye his servants, ye that fear him, the small and the great." — Revelation 19:5 (ASV)
And a voice came out of the throne. A voice seemed to come from the very midst of the throne. It is not said by whom this voice was uttered. It cannot be assumed, however, that it was uttered by God himself, for the command which it gave was this: Praise our God, etc. For the same reason, it seems hardly probable that it was the voice of the Messiah, unless it is assumed that he here identifies himself with the redeemed church and speaks of God as his God and hers.
It would seem, rather, that it was a responsive voice that came from those nearest the throne, calling on all to unite in praising God in view of what was done. The meaning then will be that all heaven was interested in the triumph of the church, and that one portion of the dwellers there called on the others to unite in offering thanksgiving.
Praise our God. The God that we worship.
All you his servants. All in heaven and earth; all have occasion for thankfulness.
And you that fear him—that is, those who reverence and obey him. The fear of the Lord is a common expression in the Scriptures to denote true piety. Both small and great. This includes all of every class and condition: the poor and the rich, the young and the old; those of humble, and those of exalted rank. Compare to Psalm 148:7-13.