Translation commentary on Revelation 21:22

No temple: this can be said “no place for worship” or “no building (or, house) in which to worship God.”

Its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb: a temple is a special place for worshiping the God who is in heaven. In the new Jerusalem God and Jesus Christ are always present in the whole city, and no separate place for worshiping them is needed. In some languages one will say, for example, “Because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb take the place of a temple.”

Lord God the Almighty: see 1.8; 4.8; 11.17; 15.3; 16.7.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Revelation 21:22

Paragraph 21:22–27

21:22a

But I saw no temple in the city: This sentence indicates that no temple existed in the city. Your translation should not imply that there was a temple hidden somewhere so that John did not see it. For example:

There was no temple ⌊anywhere⌋ in the city
-or-
Nowhere in the city did I see a temple

temple: The word temple refers to a building where God, or another deity, is believed to be present in a special way. People worship there. See how you translated this word in 3:12 or 16:17.

21:22b

because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple: Here the word temple refers figuratively to a place where people worship God. God and Jesus will live in the city and the people can worship them at any time and any place in the city. Other ways to translate this clause are:

the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb were themselves the temple (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are present in the city as its temple
-or-
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are there and everyone worships in their presence

Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord means “the one who has authority over (something),” or “owner.” God has authority over everyone. See how you translated this word in 4:8 or 19:6.

Almighty: This word is a title which means, “ the one with the power to do anything.” For example:

the All-Powerful (NET Bible)

See how you translated this word in 1:8 or 19:6.

the Lamb: This is a title for Jesus. Jewish people killed a lamb at the Passover as a sacrifice to God. The lamb has symbolic meaning as a special sacrifice and is a symbol for the Christ. See how you translated this title in 21:9.

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