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Rev_5:8. ὅτε ἔλαβεν (“when he had taken it).”[1924] The aor. is to be understood just as in Rev_6:1; Rev_6:3, etc.[1925] Simultaneousness[1926] would have been expressed by the impf.[1927] Naturally, upon the act of the Lamb, which displays the glory belonging exclusively to him, there follows the song of praise, in which the glory just evinced is celebrated.
As in ch. 4, the four beings, the representatives of the entire living creation, and the twenty-four elders, the representatives of redeemed humanity, have worshipped the enthroned God in alternate songs of praise, so here there sounds their united song of praise to the Lamb, before whom they together fall down in adoration; for the Lamb shares in the divine glory of the Enthroned One.[1928] This song of praise finds a response first in Rev_5:12, in the angelic hosts, and then, in Rev_5:13, is taken up by all creatures everywhere, and that, too, so that at the close a doxology, in a manner concentrated, sounds forth at the same time to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb, and finally dies away in the amens of the four beings who had begun the praise of the enthroned God (Rev_4:8); and, at the same time with the twenty-four elders, that of the Lamb (Rev_5:9).
ἔχοντες ἔκασιος
ἁγῖων belongs only to οἱ πρεσβύτ .: for this is indicated, first, by the masc. form ( ἔχοντες ἔκαστος ); secondly, the unnaturalness of ascribing to beings as fashioned in Rev_4:7, harps and vials; and thirdly, the incongruence which would result if the representatives of the creation had the office of offering the prayers of saints. The latter is suitable only to elders.[1929]
The elders have each a harp, the instrument with which they accompany their song of praise,[1930] and “golden vials full of frankincense,” viz., as is self-evident, each one a vial, so that we possibly are to think of a vial in the right hand, while the left holds the harp.[1931] The vials filled with frankincense have a symbolical meaning corresponding to the emblem of the harp: ΑἽ ΕἸΣΙΝ ΑἹ ΠΡΟΣΕΥΧΑῚ ΤῶΝ ἉΓΊΩΝ . The ΑἹ may, by attraction, be referred to the ΘΥΜΙΑΜΆΤΩΝ ,[1932] yet the formally more simple reference to ΦΙΆΛΑς may be adopted, as the vials are just such as are filled with incense. Concerning the symbolical meaning “its,” cf. Rev_8:3; Psa_141:2; Eze_8:11. Arbitrarily and against the meaning of the context, Hengstenb. understands by the prayers symbolically offered only intercessory prayers, whose chief subject is the protection and perfection of the Church, and judgment upon enemies; while he regards the harps as referring to prayers of adoration and thanksgiving.[1933]
ΤῶΝ ἉΓΊΩΝ , i.e., of Christians.[1934] Cf. Rev_8:3-4, Rev_13:7; Rev_13:10, Rev_11:18, Rev_18:20. The misunderstanding of this as referring to saints already in heaven[1935] is inapplicable for the reason that the idea that the prayers of the saints are offered to God by the elders[1936] presupposes the fact that the saints themselves are not present with God. With this agrees the mode in which the elders, Rev_5:9, speak of the saints.
The remark of C. a Lap.: “Note here against Vigilantius, Luther, Calvin, and other Hagiomachoi, that the saints pray for vs, and offer our prayers to God,” is, in other respects, entirely wrong: because, first, the “elders” are in no way identical with the saints who are meant; secondly, while, on the Lutheran side, it is not at all denied that the members of the Church triumphant pray for those of the Church militant [see Note XLVI., p. 217], there is no allusion whatever to the invocation of saints contended against on the Lutheran side; and, finally, it is entirely incorrect to regard the forms of the twenty-four elders included in the plan as real personages, and without any thing further to construct a dogmatical statement upon the act symbolically ascribed to them. Erroneous also is De Wette’s conjecture that John appears to know nothing of a mediatorial office of Christ. Of this, nothing can be expressly said in the present passage, although of course the entire Christology of the Apoc. essentially includes that fundamental Christian thought.
[1924] De Wette.
[1925] Cf. Mat_7:28; Mat_9:25.
[1926] “Als er nahm,” Luth.
[1927] 1Co_13:11.
[1928] Cf. Rev_5:13; Rev_22:1.
[1929] In other respects the λέγοντες , Rev_5:9, has a different relation.
[1930] Cf. Rev_14:2 sqq., Rev_15:2; Psa_146:7; Psa_150:3.
[1931] Vitr., Ebrard.
[1932] Vitr.
[1933] Cf. De Wette, Ebrard, etc.
[1934] De Wette, Ew. ii.
[1935] Hengstenb.; cf. Beng.
[1936] Cf. Tob_12:2.
XLVI. Rev_5:8. αἵ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων