Revelation 19:6

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Revelation 19:6-8. And I heard, &c. — Upon this order from the oracle, the whole church, in obedience to it, began to praise God with loud voices; which might be compared to the sound of many waters, or of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent — The Almighty Maker and Upholder of universal nature; reigneth — Among men, more eminently and gloriously than ever before. Let us be glad, &c. — Χαιρωμεν και αγαλλιωμεθα, let us rejoice and exult with transport, and ascribe to him the glory which is so justly due; for the marriage of the Lamb is come — Is near at hand, and will be speedily solemnized. His true church, his faithful servants, are now about to receive public and peculiar marks of his affection in a state of happiness and dignity suitable to their relation to him. The ancient prophets frequently express the favour of God to his people by the affection of a bridegroom to his spouse. See Isaiah 62:5; Hosea 2:19-20; Zephaniah 3:17. And the Church of Christ in the New Testament is often represented under the same similitude of a bride. See Romans 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25, &c. And as marriages used to be celebrated with great joy, this is a proper emblem to show the state of prosperity and happiness to which God will raise his church, after all its sufferings for the sake of truth and righteousness. And his wife hath made herself ready — Even while upon earth, being acquitted from all guilt, purified from all pollution, and adorned with all those graces and virtues which are most excellent in themselves, and most agreeable to him. As if he had said, She is not a harlot tainted with idolatry, but a spouse prepared for her heavenly husband. And to her was granted — By God, from whom all her good qualities proceed; that she should be arrayed in fine linen — Expressive of her purity and holiness; for the fine linen is an emblem of the righteousness of the saints — Including both their justification and sanctification. Thus St. Paul, (Ephesians 5.,) Christ gave himself for his church, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, and present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

19:1-10 Praising God for what we have, is praying for what is yet further to be done for us. There is harmony between the angels and the saints in this triumphant song. Christ is the Bridegroom of his ransomed church. This second union will be completed in heaven; but the beginning of the glorious millennium (by which is meant a reign of Christ, or a state of happiness, for a thousand years on earth) may be considered as the celebration of his espousals on earth. Then the church of Christ, being purified from errors, divisions, and corruptions, in doctrine, discipline, worship, and practice, will be made ready to be publicly owned by him as his delight and his beloved. The church appeared; not in the gay, gaudy dress of the mother of harlots, but in fine linen, clean and white. In the robes of Christ's righteousness, imputed for justification, and imparted for sanctification. The promises of the gospel, the true sayings of God, opened, applied, and sealed by the Spirit of God, in holy ordinances, are the marriage-feast. This seems to refer to the abundant grace and consolation Christians will receive in the happy days which are to come. The apostle offered honour to the angel. The angel refused it. He directed the apostle to the true and only object of religious worship; to worship God, and him alone. This plainly condemns the practice of those who worship the elements of bread and wine, and saints, and angels; and of those who do not believe that Christ is truly and by nature God, yet pay him a sort of worship. They stand convicted of idolatry by a messenger from heaven. These are the true sayings of God; of Him who is to be worshipped, as one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude - In Revelation 19:1 he says that he "heard a great voice of much people"; here he says he "heard as it were a voice of a great multitude." That is, in the former case he heard a shout that he at once recognized as the voice of a great multitude of persons; here he says that he heard a sound not distinctly recognized at first as such, but which resembled such a shout of a multitude. In the former case it was distinct; here it was confused - bearing a resemblance to the sound of roaring waters, or to muttering thunder, but less distinct than the former. This phrase would imply:

(a) a louder sound; and,

(b) that the sound was more remote, and therefore less clear and distinct.

And as the voice of many waters - The comparison of the voices of a host of people with the roar of mighty waters is not uncommon in the Scriptures. See the notes on Isaiah 17:12-13. So in Homer:

"The monarch spoke, and straight a murmur rose,

Loud as the surges when the tempest blows;

That dash'd on broken rocks tumultuous roar,

And foam and thunder on the stony shore."

And as the voice of mighty thunderings - The loud, deep, heavy voice of thunder. The distant shouts of a multitude may properly be represented by the sound of heavy thunder.

Saying, Alleluia - See the notes on Revelation 19:1. This is the fourth time in which this is uttered as expressive of the joy of the heavenly hosts in view of the overthrow of the enemies of the church. The occasion will be worthy of this emphatic expression of joy.

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth - Yahweh - God Almighty - the true God. The meaning is, that as the last enemy of the church is destroyed, he now truly reigns. This is the result of his power, and therefore it is proper that he should be praised as the "omnipotent" or "Almighty God" - for he has shown that he can overcome all his enemies, and bring the world to his feet.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. many waters—Contrast the "many waters" on which the whore sitteth (Re 17:1). This verse is the hearty response to the stirring call, "Alleluia! Praise our God" (Re 19:4, 5).

the Lord God omnipotent—Greek, "the Omnipotent."

reigneth—literally, "reigned": hence reigneth once for all. His reign is a fact already established. Babylon, the harlot, was one great hindrance to His reign being recognized. Her overthrow now clears the way for His advent to reign; therefore, not merely Rome, but the whole of Christendom in so far as it is carnal and compromised Christ for the world, is comprehended in the term "harlot." The beast hardly arises when he at once "goeth into perdition": so that Christ is prophetically considered as already reigning, so soon does His advent follow the judgment on the harlot.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

By this multitude most understand the church. Some understand the Jews as well as the Gentiles, supposing that they shall be before this time converted and added to the church. Others think their conversion is the marriage spoken of in the next verse. The saints do not rejoice in the ruin of their adversaries, but in the glory of God advanced by it, and as his kingdom is by it promoted.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude,.... Even of all the servants of the Lord, and them that fear him, small and great; a vast multitude of converted Jews and Gentiles, in the several parts of the world, who in answer to the voice out of the throne, which came with great power and energy, lift up their voices in praise to God, both for their own conversion, and for the downfall of Babylon:

and as the voice of many waters: falling down in a descent, or in rough and rocky places, which make a great noise, and is heard afar off; and such must be the united voice of so great a multitude of converts as will be gathered together everywhere at this time: the same metaphor is used of the voice of Christ in Revelation 1:15

and as the voice of mighty thunderings; violent claps of it, which are sometimes so loud that they rend the very heavens, and strike the inhabitants of the earth with the utmost consternation: these are the same voices which will be heard in the church when the seventh angel sounds his trumpet, Revelation 11:15

saying, Alleluia; or praise ye the Lord; they will call upon one another to celebrate the praises of God, on account of the above things, in the same manner, and using the same word the people in heaven, and the four and twenty elders and four living creatures, do; and this is the fourth time the word is used in this context, and confirms the observation that has been made, that this vision refers to the conversion of the Jews, which will quickly follow the destruction of Rome: and the Jews themselves have a notion, that when Rome is destroyed the Messiah will come; and so he will in his spiritual reign. They say (o),

"our redemption will be immediately upon the destruction of Rome.''

And again (p),

"the root of our redemption depends upon the destruction of Rome.''

The reason for their saying "hallelujah" follows,

for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; by whom is meant the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, and God over all, blessed for ever, and is the Almighty; and though he was set up as King over the holy hill of Zion, and has reigned over the church in every age, and came as King into this world, though his kingdom was not of it, and at his resurrection was declared Lord and Christ, and his kingdom was then more manifest, and he has ever since displayed his kingly power in defending his church, and defeating the enemies of it; yet now will he reign more visibly and gloriously, his kingdom will be enlarged from one end of the earth to the other, and he will be King over all the earth, which will occasion great joy to Jews and Gentiles; see Psalm 47:1 and See Gill on Revelation 11:17.

(o) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 148. 1.((p) Tzeror Hammor, fol. 163. 4.

Geneva Study Bible

And I heard {6} as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

(6) Outside the temple in heaven.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Revelation 19:6-8. The final chorus, which is likewise opened with hallelujah, passing by the judgment in which already the adorable glory of God has been occupied, points forward especially to the marriage of the Lamb, and, therefore, to the revelation of the glory of God, whereby—after all enemies have been judged—believers are to be beatified. Thus, therefore, the point carried to the full end appears in the pause in the Apocalyptic development marked by the ascriptions of praise (Revelation 19:1 sqq.).

ὡς φωνὴν, κ.τ.λ. The explanation given at Revelation 19:1 is here established by the fact that the comparison is satisfied not with the ὄχλ. πολλ., but introduces still other things in the same sense.[4038]

λέγοντες. The nom. stands still more out of construction than the ace. See Critical Notes, and cf. Revelation 4:1, Revelation 5:13.

ὅτι ἐβασίλευσεν. The ὅτι specifying the reason as in Revelation 19:2. On the conception ἐβασίλ., cf. Revelation 11:17.

ὅτι ἧλθεν ὁ γάμος του ἀρνίου. As the foundation of the present joy, this is likewise to be understood proleptically, like the ἡλθεν, Revelation 11:18.[4039] So, correctly, De Wette.[4040] Vitr. is mistaken in his opinion of the state of affairs described, as he even states that the expression ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου is synonymous with τὸ δεῖπνον τοῦ γάμου τ. ἀρν., in order that both may in the same way[4041] refer to the glorious state of the Church still to be expected within this temporal life. In the directly opposite interest, Züll. reaches the statement that ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου is like τὸ δεῖπν. τ. γάμ. τ. ἀρν., and that both expressions designate, not the future marriage itself,[4042] but “the preliminary festival of the Messiah’s marriage,” i.e., the one thousand years’ reign.[4043] But the marriage of the Lamb with his bride, i.e., the entire assembly of believers,[4044] is, in fact, nothing else than the distribution of the eternal reward of grace on the part of the coming Lord to his believers, who then enter with Him into the full glory of the heavenly life.[4045] What the final promises of the epistles, chs. 2 and 3, proclaim under various figures with respect to individuals,[4046] is represented as pertaining to the entire Church as the bride of the coming Lord, under the figure of the marriage of the Lamb, and, therefore, as the most intimate and eternally uninterrupted fellowship with Him who has redeemed the Church with his own blood.[4047] An application to individuals follows also in Revelation 19:9. The proleptical (ὴλθεν, ἡτοίμασεν, ἐδόθη) allusion to the blessed fulfilment of the mystery of God,[4048] that has now not yet, in fact, occurred, is here the more suitable in the mouths of the heavenly beings, since, in fact, an act already of the final judgment—viz., the destruction of the great harlot—has been executed, and, consequently, the actual beginning of that fulfilment has been made.

ἠ γννὴ αὐτ. The expression is entirely appropriate to the bride,[4049] so that the alteration ἡ νύμφη αὐτ.[4050] appears groundless.

ἡτοίμασεν ἑαυτήν. As becomes the bride who with joy awaits the coming of her bridegroom.[4051] An important part of her is expressly emphasized in Revelation 19:8, in conformity with the figure ΚΑῚ ἘΔΌΘΗ ΑὙΤῇ, Κ.Τ.Λ., and then interpreted by John, ΤῸ ΓᾺΡ ΒΎΣΣΙΝΟΝ, Κ.Τ.Λ.

On ἘΔΌΘΗ ΑὐΤῆ ἽΝΑ, cf. Revelation 6:4.

ΒΎΣΣ. ΛΑΜΠΡῸΝ ΚΑΘΑΡΌΝ. Excellently, Grot.: “You see here the dignified garb, as that of a matron, not ostentatious, like that of the harlot previously described.” That really distinct references are intended by ΛΑΜΠΡΌΝ and ΚΑΘΑΡΌΝ,[4052] is not to be inferred at all events from the interpretation that follows. Cf. also Revelation 7:14. Meanwhile, it is in itself correct to distinguish the negative innocency of the life from the positive practice of virtue.

ΤᾺ ΔΙΚΑΙΏΜΑΤΑ ΤῶΝ ἉΓΊΩΝ ἘΣΤΊΝ. Cf. a similar interpretation, Revelation 5:8. The form of the expression,[4053] and the real parallel,[4054] suggest only just deeds in which the saints have maintained their fidelity. On the contrary, Ew. ii.: declaration of righteousness; also Meyer, on Romans 5:16 : the divine sentence of justification which the saints have received. But the plural form resists this mode of exposition, which, so far as the subject itself is concerned, refers to the writer of the Apocalypse a thought of so peculiarly a Pauline stamp as does not occur elsewhere in the Apoc. Of course, an allusion to the grace bestowed by God, as the ground and source of the δικαιώματα belonging to the saints, is contained in a delicate way in the ἘΔΌΘΗ ΑὐΤῇ ἽΝΑ, Κ.Τ.Λ.; but just this reference to the Divine giving prevents us, on the other hand, from defining the ΔΙΚΑΙὩΜΑΤΑ as a Divine activity, but allows us to think only of the just deeds of saints.[4055] In this result Gebhardt[4056] and Klief. also harmonize. [See Note LXXXIV., p. 461.]

[4038] Cf. Revelation 1:15.

[4039] Cf. Revelation 14:7.

[4040] Cf. also Hengstenb.

[4041] Cf. Revelation 21:9 sqq.

[4042] Revelation 21:9 sqq.

[4043] Revelation 20:4 sqq.

[4044] Revelation 21:9. Revelation 22:17. Cf. Revelation 12:1; Isaiah 54:1 sqq.; Hosea 2:19 sq.; Ezekiel 16:7 sqq.; Ephesians 5:25.

[4045] Cf. Revelation 11:18, Revelation 22:12.

[4046] Cf. especially Revelation 3:20.

[4047] Cf. Revelation 5:6; Revelation 5:9, Revelation 7:17, Revelation 14:1.

[4048] Cf. Revelation 10:7.

[4049] Genesis 29:20; Deuteronomy 22:24;

Expositor's Greek Testament

Revelation 19:6. S ingeniously but awkwardly punctuates after “Hallelujah,” connecting ὅτι κ.τ.λ., with the subsequent χαίρωμεν.—ἐβασίλευσε κ.τ.λ. A sublimated version of the old watchword ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ΑΥΤΟΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΗΜΩΝ which had been the rallying cry of pious Jews and especially of the Pharisees (e.g., Ps. Sol. 17:1, 2, 38, 51, 2:34–36, 5:20, 21) during the conflict with Roman aggression. This divine epithalamium is the last song of praise in the Apocalypse. At this point also the writer reverts for a moment to the Lamb, absent since Revelation 17:14 from his pages, and absent again till Revelation 21:9.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. great multitude] Revelation 19:1, where the words rendered “much people” are the same.

many waters] Revelation 1:15, Revelation 14:2.

mighty thunderings] Revelation 6:1, Revelation 14:2.

the Lord God Omnipotent] Read, the Lord our God: and the last word is that usually rendered “Almighty”—rather a name “the Almighty” than an epithet—see on Revelation 1:8.

reigneth] The only translation that will give the sense without cumbrousness; though “hath taken the kingdom” might express the tense of the original more accurately.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude. This is the response to the invitation just uttered in ver. 5. Again "the voice of a multitude," as in ver. 1. And as the voice of many waters. That is, in its suggestiveness of great power and magnitude (cf. Revelation 1:15; Revelation 14:2; Psalm 93:3; Jeremiah 51:16). And as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying. A repetition of the idea contained in the preceding clause. The case of the participle is doubtful; A, P, and others have λεγόντων; many cursives א has ' λεγόντας; λεγούσων; the nominative λέγοντες is found in B and others. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (On "Hallelujah," see ver. 1.) These words connect the present passage with Revelation 17:14. They exhibit, as it were, the culminating reason for this adoration of God. He has exhibited his almighty power in the overthrow of Babylon, who said, "I sit a queen;" and in the overthrow (which has yet to be narrated more fully) of the kings of the earth. Revelation 19:6