Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 4:7

"And the first creature [was] like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature [was] like a flying eagle." — Revelation 4:7 (ASV)

“A sea of glass, clear as crystal” adds to the magnificence of the scene (15:2). Its mirrorlike reflecting quality could symbolize the fact that before the sight of God all is revealed: “Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

The “four living creatures” (cf. 5:6, 8, 14; 6:1ff.; 7:11; 14:3; 15:7; 19:4) should be linked with Isaiah’s seraphim and Ezekiel’s cherubim (cf. Isaiah 6:3; Ezekiel 1:5–25; Ezekiel 10:1–22). They, like the elders and angels, are heavenly creatures of the highest order involved with the worship and government of God. “Covered with eyes” may give the impression of their exceeding knowledge of God, while the faces of a “lion,” “ox,” “man,” and a “flying eagle” suggest qualities that belong to God, such as royal power, strength, spirituality, and swiftness of action. Each of the creatures mentioned is the chief of its species. Together they embody the reflection of God’s nature as the fullness of life and power. Their six wings (cf. Isaiah 6:2) give the impression of unlimited mobility in fulfilling God’s commands. Their position “in the center, around the throne” suggests that one might be before and one behind the throne with one on either side.

The four living creatures ceaselessly proclaim the holiness of God in a hymn: “Holy, holy, holy” (GK 41; cf. Isaiah 6:3). In Hebrew, the double repetition of a word adds emphasis, while the rare threefold repetition designates the superlative and calls attention to the infinite holiness of God—the quality of God felt by creatures in his presence as awesomeness or fearfulness (Psalms 111:9). The living creatures celebrate God’s holiness and power as manifested in his past, present, and future activity. Such holiness cannot tolerate the presence of evil (21:27). For the titles of God in the rest of the hymn, see comments on 1:4, 8.

This hymn is the first not only of the five sung by the heavenly choirs in chs. 4–5 but also of a number of other hymns in Revelation (4:11; 5:9–10, 12, 13; 7:12, 15–17; 11:15, 17–18; 12:10–12; 15:3–4; 16:5–7; 18:2–8; 19:2–6). These hymns relate to the interpretation of the visions and provide a clue to the literary structure of Revelation. In the sequence of chs. 4–5, the first two hymns are addressed to God, the next two to the Lamb, and the last one to both. There is also a gradual enlargement in the size of the choirs. The internal movement builds as the last hymn is sung by “every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth” to “him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (5:13).