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Rev_4:4. The twenty-four elders whom John sees sitting[1720] on the twenty-four thrones standing about the throne of God[1721] are, in like manner, the heavenly representatives of the entire people of God; as, in Isa_24:23, the elders are regarded the earthly heads and representatives of the entire Church.[1722] For, that these twenty-four elders are human, and not a “selection of the entire host of heaven,”[1723] nor angels,[1724] is decided by their designation, that which is ascribed to them (white robes and crowns), and the entire mode of their employment.[1725] They are neither the “bishops” or “prefects of the entire church,”[1726] nor priests,[1727] nor “the entire assembly of ministers of the word,”[1728] nor “all true rectors and faithful pastors of the N. T. Church,”[1729] nor Christian martyrs;[1730] but simply the representatives of the entire congregation of all believers, to whom, as to these elders, belong the holiness and glory indicated by the white robes,[1731] and the royal dominion by the thrones and crowns.[1732] The number twenty-four is not derived from the orders of priests, 1 Corinthians 16,[1733] for the question here is in no respect concerning priests; and still less[1734] is it to be regarded as a type of the elders of the church at Jerusalem, for the idea that this church had just twenty-four elders is without any foundation. All those expositors are in the right way who, proceeding from the number twelve, attempt to indicate a doubling of it. As now, undoubtedly, the simple as well as the doubled twelve[1735] has particular reference to the twelve tribes of the O. T. Church, the twenty-four elders cannot be twelve apostles and twelve martyrs;[1736] but also the explanation that from each of the twelve tribes two representatives are regarded as standing, one on the right, the other on the left of the throne of God,[1737] is of itself unimportant and arbitrary. It is possible[1738] only to regard the twofold twelve, either the representatives of the O. and the N. T. Church,[1739] or the representatives of the Church gathered not only from the Jews, but also from the Gentiles.[1740] Against the latter, Hengstenb. and Ebrard incorrectly say that the mode of view in the Apoc. is not conformable to that of the entire N. T.; for also in Rev_7:9 sqq., those saved from the heathen are distinguished from those from the twelve tribes (Rev_7:4 sqq.), and that, too, without detriment to the view according to which the heathen are added to Israel. Yet the former explanation of the twelve representatives of the churches of the O. and N. T. is to be preferred, because this in itself, and according to intimations like Rev_15:3 (the song of Moses and the Lamb), is more immediate, and because, by this mode of statement, the twenty-four elders appearing in personal definitiveness can the more appropriately represent the O. and N. T. Churches. To wit, not “the twelve tribes,” as De Wette inconsistently explains, but the twelve personal heads of the Church of the O. T., composed of twelve tribes, i.e., the twelve patriarchs, are comprised in thought together with the twelve apostles, the N. T. antitypes to the patriarchs[1741] [See Note XLII., p. 202.] The objections made against the holiness of the twelve patriarchs[1742] are in no way pertinent,—as they could also be urged against the apostles,—because the patriarchs come into consideration not according to their own conduct or individual worth, but as the favored chiefs of the tribes of the O. T. people.
[1720] Cf. Rev_11:16, ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ .
[1721] The acc. πρεσβυτέρους depends upon a self-evident εἶδον (De Wette).
[1722] In reference to this passage, the Tanchuma, p. 48, 1 (in Schöttg.), says: “In the future, God ascribes glory to the elders.—Our rabbins also have said: ‘God will make for himself an assembly of our elders.’ ” So, too (at p. 52 in Hengstenb.), according to Dan_7:9, “In the future, God will sit, and the angels will give seats to the magnates of Israel, and they sit. And God sits with his elders, as the president of a senate, and will judge the Gentiles.”
[1723] Rinck.
[1724] Hofm.
[1725] Cf. Rev_5:5, Rev_7:13.
[1726] N. de Lyra, who, in their twenty-four seats finds, at the same time, all the cathedral churches portrayed.
[1727] Zeger.
[1728] Calov.
[1729] Vitr.
[1730] Eichh.
[1731] Cf. on Rev_4:3.
[1732] Rev_20:4, Rev_1:6, Rev_3:21. Cf. Primas, Aret., C. a Lap., Beng., Herd., De Wette, Stern, Hengstenb., Ebrard, etc.
[1733] Zeger, Vitr., Eichh., Ew. i., Hilgenf.
[1734] Grot.
[1735] Or, elsewhere, the quadruple. Cf. Rev_7:4 sqq., Rev_14:3.
[1736] Joachim.
[1737] Heinr.
[1738] The explanation of Volkm., that the subject here is the representation of teacher and hearer as parts of the Christian Church having an equal title., is very remote. Klief.: The number twelve, the sign of the people of God, is doubled “because the blessed people of God assembled in heaven have increased, and daily increase, by those added to believers from all nations.” But, in connection with this, he rejects the distinction between Jewish and Gentile Christianity, made only by modern theologians in violation of Scripture.
[1739] Andr., Areth., Aret., C. a Lap., Bossuet, Stern, Hengstenb., Ebrard.
[1740] Bleek, De Wette. Cf. also Heinr.
[1741] Cf. Rev_21:12; Rev_21:14; Andr., Areth., Hengstenb., Ebrard.
[1742] De Wette, according to Joach.
XLII. Rev_4:4. εἴκοσι τέσσαρας πρεσβυτέρους