Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 5:9

"And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood [men] of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation," — Revelation 5:9 (ASV)

The three hymns interpret the symbolism of the scroll and the Lamb. The number of singers increases from twenty-eight in v.8 to every creature in all creation in v.13. The first two hymns are songs of praise to the Lamb, whereas the last is praise to both the one on the throne and the Lamb (v.13). The first hymn (vv.9–10) is called a “new” song because there was never any like it before in heaven (cf. comment on 14:3).

“You are worthy” (lit., “equal to,” “deserving”; GK 545) refers to the qualifications of this person who alone has won the right to take the scroll and open its seals. His worthiness for this task was won by his loving sacrifice on the cross—a direct reference to the earthly death of the human Jesus of Nazareth. Like other NT writers, John views the death of Jesus as a redeeming death.

The death of Jesus broke the stranglehold of the “powers and authorities” over the creation and produced a great victory of liberation for humankind (Colossians 2:15). It is this victory, obtained through suffering and death, that entitles Christ to execute the unfolding of the mystery of God’s consummation of history. The centrality of the Cross and its meaning as a redemptive act comes repeatedly to the fore and should dominate our understanding throughout Revelation (1:5; 5:12; 7:14; 12:11; 13:8; 14:4; 15:3; 19:7, 21:9, 23; 22:3; et al.). Jesus’ death secured a salvation universally applied to all classes and peoples of the earth (cf. 7:9).

The fifth seal changes the metaphor of horsemen and discloses a scene of martyred saints under the altar crying out for justice upon those who killed them. They are told to wait a little longer until their fellow servants are also killed. Who are these martyrs (cf. 13:15, “all who refused to worship the image of the beast [were] killed”; 8:24, “all who have been killed on the earth”; 20:4, “those who had been beheaded”? The question arises as to why the martyrs alone receive so much attention rather than all suffering or persecuted Christians.

Perhaps John is referring to all those who faithfully follow Christ as forming a group that may be characterized as “the slain of the Lord.” They may or may not actually suffer physical death for Christ, but they have (like John) so identified themselves with the slain Lamb that they have in effect already offered up their lives “because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained” (cf. 1:2, 9).

John says that he saw the “souls” (GK 6034) of those slain (v.9). This is generally understood to mean the disembodied souls of these saints. However, the word “soul” has various meanings and probably stands here for the actual persons who were killed. John sees them as persons who are very much alive, even though they have been killed by the beast. “Under the altar” sets the scene as occurring in the temple of heaven. This is most likely the golden altar of incense (see 8:3, 5; 9:13) that stood in the tabernacle either in or before the Most Holy Place (Exodus 30:1ff.; Hebrews 9:4). The other references in Revelation to “altar” also seem to refer to this altar of incense (11:1; 14:18; 16:7). In accord with this sense, the prayers of the saints would be for God’s vindication of the martyrs of Christ (cf. Lk 18:7-8).

The martyred address God as “Sovereign Lord” (GK 1305). This term implies “ownership” and is used elsewhere in the NT to denote slave masters (1 Timothy 6:1; 1 Peter 2:18), God (Acts 4:24), or Jesus Christ (2 Peter 2:1;Jude 4). (On the phrase “holy and true,” see comment on 3:7.) The martyrs cry for God’s vengeance on evildoers. The word “avenge” (GK 1688) relates everywhere in Scriptures to the idea of punishment or retribution. These saints follow the teaching of Paul in Ro 12:19 about leaving vengeance to the Lord. Though believers are forbidden to take revenge, God will vindicate his elect by punishing those who killed them (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

The martyrs were each given a “white robe” as an evidence of their righteousness and victory before the Judge of all the earth, who will speedily avenge their deaths. The wait of a “little longer” is in God’s estimate but a fleeting moment, though for us it may stretch out for ages (cf. 12:12; 20:3; cf. Psalms 90:4). The expression “until the number of their fellow servants... was completed” means either that the number of the martyred or their companions on earth who will be killed will be completed, or that their fellow servants on earth will fulfill their Christian calling, which will involve martyrdom. In any event, what constitutes the essence of Christian discipleship in John’s eyes should not be overlooked: every believer should be prepared for martyrdom.

“A great multitude... from every nation, tribe, people and language” might well describe the crowds common to the agora or the quay of a seaport in firstcentury Asia. Similar fourfold descriptions of the members of the Christian community or of the inhabitants of the world occur in 5:9: 11:9; 13:7; 14:6: 17:15. “Standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb” signifies their position of acceptance and honor as God’s true servants (cf. v.15) and reminds us of the continuity of this vision with the earlier vision of the throne and the Lamb (chs. 4–5). This group seems to complete the full circle of participants before the throne begun in ch. 4. Their “white robes” impress John and are an important feature of the vision (vv.9, 13–14). We cannot fail to connect them with the white robes given the martyrs under the fifth seal (6:11). The white robes symbolize salvation and victory (v.10), and their possessors obtained them by “[washing] their robes and [making] them white in the blood of the Lamb” (v.14). This implies that they were true recipients of Christ’s redemption in contrast to others who, though professing belief in Christ, were not genuine overcomers (cf. 3:5–6, 18). “The blood of the Lamb” connotes here more than the profound reference to the sacrificial death of Jesus (5:9); it also suggests faithful witness in following Jesus in his death (2:13; 12:11). “Palm branches” are referred to only one other time in the NT , where they are connected with the Passover. Moses provided that palms should be used at the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:40). Later they were used on other Jewish festal occasions . Jewish coins of the period 140 B. C. to A. D. 70 frequently contain palms and some have the inscription “the redemption of Zion.” Palms were emblems of victory. In Jn 12 they denote the triumph of Christ, while here in Revelation the reference is to the victory of the servants of Christ.