Revelation 15


Revelation 15 is the fifteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. This chapter includes the hymn of Moses and the Lamb and introduces the seven angels who appear with seven plagues.

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 8 verses; it is the shortest chapter in the book.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are among others:
Those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark, and over the number of his name, sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb, because "they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb".

Verse 1

Verse 2

For "mingled with fire", the New International Version suggests "glowing with fire". A sea of glass, like crystal, has previously appeared in chapter 4, although German theologian Johannes Ebrard suggests they are different seas of glass.
Heinrich Meyer notes that the "harps of God" are "such as serve only for the praise of God".

Verses 3–4

The wording O King of the saints! appears in the Textus Receptus, but Meyer argues that this reading is "almost without any testimony" in the early manuscripts. Alternative readings are:
It is a continuation of 'the anticipatory vision' of [|Revelation 15:1], which states that these seven plagues are the last ones.

Verse 5

ο ναος της σκηνης του μαρτυριου εν τω ουρανω, may also be translated as "the temple of the tabernacle of witness in the heaven". Acts 7 records St Stephen's contrast between the tabernacle or tent of witness in the wilderness and the real home of the Most High:
This verse echoes, showing the relationship with the seventh trumpet, just as the seven trumpets are related to the seventh seal.

Verse 6