Revelation 21:16
New International Version
The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long.

New Living Translation
When he measured it, he found it was a square, as wide as it was long. In fact, its length and width and height were each 1,400 miles.

English Standard Version
The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.

Berean Standard Bible
The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height.

Berean Literal Bible
And the city lies foursquare, and its length the same as also the width. And he measured the city with the reed at twelve thousand stadia. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

King James Bible
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

New King James Version
The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

New American Standard Bible
The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length, width, and height are equal.

NASB 1995
The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

NASB 1977
And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal.

Amplified Bible
The city is laid out as a square, its length being the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod—twelve thousand stadia (about 1,400 miles); its length and width and height are equal.

Christian Standard Bible
The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The city is laid out in a square; its length and width are the same. He measured the city with the rod at 12,000 stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.

American Standard Version
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the city was laid out four-sided, and its length like its width. And he measured The City with the reed, with 12,000 stadia its length; its width and its height are equal.

Contemporary English Version
The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about 2,400 kilometers high and 2,400 kilometers wide.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the city lieth in a foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the golden reed for twelve thousand furlongs, and the length and the height and the breadth thereof are equal.

English Revised Version
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length thereof is as great as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs: the length and the breadth and the height thereof are equal.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The city was square. It was as wide as it was long. He measured the city with the stick. It was 12,000 stadia long. Its length, width, and height were the same.

Good News Translation
The city was perfectly square, as wide as it was long. The angel measured the city with his measuring stick: it was fifteen hundred miles long and was as wide and as high as it was long.

International Standard Version
The city was cubic in shape: its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with his rod, and it measured at 12,000 stadia: Its length, width, and height were the same.

Literal Standard Version
and the city lies square, and the length of it is as great as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed—twelve thousand stadia; the length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal.

Majority Standard Bible
The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal—12,000 stadia in length and width and height.

New American Bible
The city was square, its length the same as [also] its width. He measured the city with the rod and found it fifteen hundred miles in length and width and height.

NET Bible
Now the city is laid out as a square, its length and width the same. He measured the city with the measuring rod at fourteen hundred miles (its length and width and height are equal).

New Revised Standard Version
The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width; and he measured the city with his rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

New Heart English Bible
The city lies foursquare, and its length is as great as its breadth. He measured the city with the reed, one thousand three hundred eighty miles. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the hight of it are equal.

Weymouth New Testament
The plan of the city is a square, the length being the same as the breadth; and he measured the city furlong by furlong, with his measuring rod--it is twelve hundred miles long, and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

World English Bible
The city is square. Its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.

Young's Literal Translation
and the city lieth square, and the length of it is as great as the breadth; and he did measure the city with the reed -- furlongs twelve thousand; the length, and the breadth, and the height, of it are equal;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The New Jerusalem
15The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, with its width the same as its length. And he measured the city with the rod, and all its dimensions were equal— 12,000 stadia in length and width and height. 17And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.…

Cross References
Ezekiel 42:20
So he measured the area on all four sides. It had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred cubits wide, to separate the holy from the common.

Ezekiel 48:16
and will have these measurements: 4,500 cubits on the north side, 4,500 cubits on the south side, 4,500 cubits on the east side, and 4,500 cubits on the west side.

Revelation 21:15
The angel who spoke with me had a golden measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and walls.

Revelation 21:17
And he measured its wall to be 144 cubits, by the human measure the angel was using.


Treasury of Scripture

And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

four square.

Ezekiel 48:17,18,20,35
And the suburbs of the city shall be toward the north two hundred and fifty, and toward the south two hundred and fifty, and toward the east two hundred and fifty, and toward the west two hundred and fifty…

twelve.

Ezekiel 48:8-19
And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side: and the sanctuary shall be in the midst of it…

Jump to Previous
Breadth City Equal Five Found Foursquare Four-Square Furlongs Great Height Hight Hundred Large Lies Measure Measured Measuring Miles Plan Reed Rod Square Stadia Thereof Thousand Twelve Wide
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Breadth City Equal Five Found Foursquare Four-Square Furlongs Great Height Hight Hundred Large Lies Measure Measured Measuring Miles Plan Reed Rod Square Stadia Thereof Thousand Twelve Wide
Revelation 21
1. A new heaven and a new earth.
10. The heavenly Jerusalem, with a full description thereof.
23. She needs no sun, the glory of God being her light.
24. The kings of the earth bring their riches unto her.














(16) And the city lieth foursquare . . .--The city is foursquare, because the length and breadth are equal; but it is added that the height also is equal to the length and breadth, the city thus presents the symbol of perfect symmetry; this is all that is needed. Many interpreters are nervously anxious about the monstrous appearance of a city whose walls measured three thousand stadii (the word rendered "furlongs" is properly stadii); but there is no need to be nervous about the symbols; the city is not designed, any more than the vision of Revelation 4, or the vision of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1) to be represented by painting to the eye: the attempt to do so only ends in the production of grotesque and profane pictures. It is not needful, however, in this case to suppose the actual wall to have been 3,000 stadii in height; the city is placed on a hill, the foundations are upon the holy hill, and the deep strong mountain foundations may be included in the measurement. The main thought, however, is to realise the harmony and proportion of that community, in which broad and low and high will meet, and in which no truth will be exaggerated or distorted; in which no disproportioned adjustments will mar its social order; in which all those who are inbuilt as living stones will be measured, not by the false estimates of worldly thoughts (comp. James 2:4), but by the golden reed of the sanctuary.

Verse 16. - And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth. The shape is doubtless typical of that which is complete and symmetrical, to which nothing is wanting to render the shape perfect. The word τετράγωνος, "foursquare," is thus used by Greek philosophic writers. And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. That is, in each direction. (On στάδιον, "furlong," see Revelation 14:20.) The number twelve thousand, which is the number of the sealed in each tribe (Revelation 7.), is typical of

(1) a large number,

(2) a complete number (see on ver. 12).

There seems to be in this description a designed reference to the literal Babylon (see Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible,' art. "Babylon"). The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. The plain meaning seems to be that the city forms a vast cube, and this is typical of its perfect nature. The account given is that of a vision, and not of a reality, and therefore there is no need to attempt to reduce the enormous dimensions given here, as is done by some writers. The holy of holies was thus cubical in shape (1 Kings 6:20).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
The
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

city
πόλις (polis)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.

lies
κεῖται (keitai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2749: To lie, recline, be placed, be laid, set, specially appointed, destined. Middle voice of a primary verb; to lie outstretched.

foursquare,
τετράγωνος (tetragōnos)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5068: Square, four-cornered. From tessares and gonia; four-cornered, i.e. Square.

with
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[its]
τὸ (to)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

width
πλάτος (platos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4114: Breadth. From platus; width.

the same as
ὅσον (hoson)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3745: How much, how great, how many, as great as, as much. By reduplication from hos; as As.

its
αὐτῆς (autēs)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

length.
μῆκος (mēkos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3372: Length. Probably akin to megas; length length.

And
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

he measured
ἐμέτρησεν (emetrēsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3354: To measure (out), estimate. From metron; to measure; by implication, to admeasure.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

city
πόλιν (polin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.

with the
τῷ (tō)
Article - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

rod,
καλάμῳ (kalamō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2563: A reed; a reed-pen, reed-staff, measuring rod. Or uncertain affinity; a reed; by implication, a pen.

[ and all its dimensions ] were
ἐστίν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

equal—
ἴσα (isa)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 2470: Equal, equivalent, identical. Probably from eido; similar.

12,000 {}
δώδεκα (dōdeka)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 1427: Twelve; the usual way in which the Twelve apostles of Jesus are referred to. From duo and deka; two and ten, i.e. A dozen.

stadia
σταδίων (stadiōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 4712: Or masculine stadios from the base of histemi; a stade or certain measure of distance; by implication, a stadium or race-course.

in
τὸ (to)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

length
μῆκος (mēkos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3372: Length. Probably akin to megas; length length.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

width
πλάτος (platos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4114: Breadth. From platus; width.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

height.
ὕψος (hypsos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5311: Height, heaven; dignity, eminence. From a derivative of huper; elevation, i.e. altitude, the sky, or dignity.


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NT Prophecy: Revelation 21:16 The city lies foursquare and its length (Rev. Re Apocalypse)
Revelation 21:15
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