Revelation 7:11

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) And all the angels . . .—Translate, And all the angels were standing round the throne, and the elders, and the four living beings . . . saying, Amen. The great concourse of angels—those among whom there has been joy in heaven when a sinner has repented—now add their “Amen” to the cry of the redeemed, and then raise the seven-fold ascription of praise—

“Amen!

The blessing, and the glory, and the wisdom,

And the thanksgiving,

And the honour, and the power, and the strength,

(Is) unto our God Unto the ages of the ages.

Amen!”

The seven-fold form of the doxology, which implies a divine completeness, is appropriate to this vision, which shows us the close of the Church’s agony, and is in itself a slight indication that the view which would limit the seals to some short period of Church history is incorrect, as it is assuredly inadequate.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:9-12 The first fruits of Christ having led the way, the Gentiles converted later follow, and ascribe their salvation to God and the Redeemer, with triumph. In acts of religious worship we come nigh to God, and must come by Christ; the throne of God could not be approached by sinners, were it not for a Mediator. They were clothed with the robes of justification, holiness, and victory; and they had palms in their hands, as conquerors used to appear in their triumphs. Such a glorious appearance will the faithful servants of God make at last, when they have fought the good fight of faith, and finished their course. With a loud voice they gave to God and the Lamb the praise of the great salvation. Those who enjoy eternal happiness must and will bless both the Father and the Son; they will do it publicly, and with fervour. We see what is the work of heaven, and we ought to begin it now, to have our hearts much in it, and to long for that world where our praises, as well as our happiness, will be made perfect.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And all the angels stood round about the throne - notes on Revelation 5:11.

And about the elders - notes on Revelation 4:4.

And the four beasts - notes on Revelation 4:6. The meaning is, that the angels stood in the outer circle, or outside of the elders and the four living creatures. The redeemed, it is manifest, occupied the inner circle, and were near the throne, though their precise location is not mentioned. The angels sympathize with the church redeemed and triumphant, as they did with the church in its conflicts and trials, and they now appropriately unite with that church in adoring and praising God. They see in that redemption new displays of the character of God, and they rejoice that that church is rescued from its troubles, and is now brought triumphant to heaven.

And fell before the throne on their faces - The usual position of profound adoration, Revelation 4:10; Revelation 5:8.

And worshipped God - notes on Revelation 5:11-12.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. The angels, as in Re 5:11, in their turn take up the anthem of praise. There it was "many angels," here it is "all the angels."

stood—"were standing" [Alford].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

And all the angels stood round about the throne; the good angels, who always in heaven behold the face of their and our heavenly Father.

And about the elders; and about the twenty-four elders, mentioned Revelation 4:4.

And the four beasts; and the living creatures, mentioned Revelation 4:6.

And fell before the throne on their faces; the angels, elders, and living creatures, all fall down on their faces, in a reverential sense of the infinite distance between them and their Creator.

And worshipped God; thus paying an homage to God fitted to their glorified state, in consideration of his excellency.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And all the angels stood round about the throne,.... The holy and elect angels, even all of them, the ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, the innumerable company of them, who are represented in the same position; See Gill on Revelation 5:11;

and about the elders, and the four beasts; the churches and ministers; yea, round about the great multitude before mentioned, the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; whose guardians they will be, and to whom they will always be ministering spirits.

And fell before the throne on their faces: in token of submission and reverence:

and worshipped God; by celebrating the perfections of his nature, and ascribing to him the glory of all his works.

Geneva Study Bible

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Revelation 7:11-12. All the angels,[2335] in response, continue the ascription of praise, Revelation 7:10.

ΕἹΣΤΉΚΕΙΣΑΝ

ΚΑῚ ἝΠΕΣΑΝ, Κ.Τ.Λ. They stood already (“had stationed themselves”) during the scene described in Revelation 7:9-10; now they fall down.[2336]

ΑΜΉΝ. The angels, first of all, conclude man’s song of praise, Revelation 7:10,[2337] in order then, in their own way, to carry it farther: Ἡ ΕὐΛΟΓΊΑ, Κ.Τ.Λ. This doxology is formally distinguished from that in Revelation 5:12 by the fact that in this passage every particular item appears distinctly marked by the article attached as being in complete independence. Beng. remarks, arbitrarily, that the sevenfold ascription of praise has in view the seven trumpets, and therefore in the trumpet of the first angel, ΕὐΛΟΓΊΑ, and in that of the second angel, ΔΌΞΑ, prevails, etc. With equal arbitrariness, Hengstenb.: the ΕὐΛΟΓΊΑ, which concludes Revelation 5:12, here precedes as a sign that the present ascription of praise is connected with the former,—but what a distance between Revelation 5:12 and Revelation 7:12! The particular explanation of Grot. on Revelation 7:11 : “For both the apostles who were at Jerusalem, and the elders, had gone forth together,” in connection with his reference of Revelation 7:9 sqq. to the multitude of Christians in Syria, is to be understood only when his observations on Revelation 4:4; Revelation 4:6 sqq., are recalled.

[2335] Cf. Revelation 5:11, where, in a similar way, an innumerable multitude appears.

[2336] Cf. Revelation 5:14, Revelation 11:16.

[2337] C. a Lap., Beng., Heinr., Ew., Hengstenb.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Revelation 7:11-12. The angels standing around once again adore God, catching up the previous praise with “Amen,” and uttering a sevenfold ascription of praise upon their own behalf, closed with another “Amen”. The article is repeated before each substitute, as in Revelation 5:13. The divine “wisdom” is shown in the means devised by the divine power to redeem (Revelation 5:12) and deliver (Revelation 7:14) men, in straits where no human prudence could prevail. See Clem. Rom. 60. and Ps. Sol. 17:25.

Bengel's Gnomen

Revelation 7:11. πάντες, all) This word is not yet found in ch. Revelation 5:11 [where mention is made of “many angels,” not “all”].—V. g.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts; were standing... the four living beings. (For a consideration of the positions here indicated, see on Revelation 5:11.) The throne in the centre with the four living beings was surrounded by the elders, having the Lamb in the midst, between the throne and the elders. Forming a circle round the whole were the angels. (On the elders as representing the Church, and the four living creatures as symbolical of creation, see on Revelation 4:4, 6.) And fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God. As in Revelation 5:14 and Revelation 11:16, 17, praise is accompanied by adoration and worship. Revelation 7:11

Vincent's Word Studies

Stood (ἑστήκεσαν)

Rev., more correctly, were standing. The tense is the pluperfect, used in this verb as an imperfect.