Revelation 5 12

Revelation 5:12 kjv

Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Revelation 5:12 nkjv

saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

Revelation 5:12 niv

In a loud voice they were saying: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

Revelation 5:12 esv

saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

Revelation 5:12 nlt

And they sang in a mighty chorus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered ?
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing."

Revelation 5 verses

Revelation 5 12 Meaning

Revelation 5:12 proclaims the ultimate and absolute worthiness of the Lamb, identified as Jesus Christ. This worthiness is declared with a loud, unanimous voice by an innumerable angelic host in heaven, serving as a cosmic declaration of His supreme authority and unique qualification. The verse directly links the Lamb's worthiness to His past sacrificial act ("who was slain"), establishing His redemptive work as the foundation of His entitlement to receive universal acknowledgment of divine power, boundless spiritual riches, perfect knowledge, inherent strength, highest esteem, magnificent splendor, and all adoration. It signifies that all glory, authority, and praise rightly belong to Him because of His finished work of salvation.

Revelation 5 12 Context

Revelation 5:12 occurs as the climax of an intensely dramatic scene in heaven. Chapter 4 establishes the transcendent majesty of God the Father on His throne, receiving worship as Creator. Chapter 5 shifts focus to a scroll sealed with seven seals, symbolizing God's sovereign plan for redemption and judgment, which no one in the entire cosmos is found worthy to open. This revelation initially causes John to weep in despair. However, an elder comforts him, declaring that "the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered" and is worthy. To John's surprise, instead of a fierce lion, he sees "a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain." This slain Lamb is the only one capable of taking the scroll and opening its seals. The profound declaration of worthiness in verse 12 is an immediate, explosive response by the angelic choir and all creation to the Lamb's unique act of taking the scroll. It contrasts sharply with the earlier universal unworthiness and exalts the Lamb (Jesus Christ) as the uniquely qualified agent of God's redemptive purpose through His sacrificial death. The passage's audience, accustomed to imperial cults demanding worship for emperors, would understand this as a profound counter-declaration: ultimate worship belongs only to Christ.

Revelation 5 12 Word analysis

• Saying with a loud voice (λέγοντες φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, legontes phōnē megalē): This signifies an overwhelming, united, and authoritative declaration. "Loud voice" in Revelation often indicates a profound truth or divine pronouncement heard across creation, underscoring the magnitude and universality of the angelic chorus's worship.
• Worthy (ἄξιος, axios): This Greek word means having weight, value, merit, or deserving. It's an absolute affirmation of inherent righteousness and perfect qualification. The Lamb is intrinsically fitting and has the proper standing for the supreme honor and power He receives.
• is the Lamb (ὁ ἀρνίον, ho arnion): The definite article "the" emphasizes the singular identity of this figure—Jesus Christ. "Lamb" universally denotes sacrifice, connecting Him to the Passover Lamb (Exo 12), the Suffering Servant in Isaiah (Isa 53), and John the Baptist’s declaration (Jn 1:29). It points to His purity, gentleness, and most significantly, His atoning work.
• who was slain (ὁ ἐσφαγμένος, ho esphagmenos): This perfect passive participle ("having been slain" or "slaughtered") indicates a completed past action with ongoing results. It directly identifies the basis of the Lamb's worthiness: His voluntary, sacrificial death on the cross. It is not merely that He died, but that He was slain as a perfect sacrifice, leading to His ultimate victory and glorification.
• to receive (λαμβάνειν, lambanein): This signifies that these seven attributes are justly and rightfully given to the Lamb as His due. It implies entitlement and acknowledgement of His supreme claim, not a deficiency that needed filling.
• power (δύναμις, dynamis): Inherent might, dynamic force, inherent ability, moral vigor. It signifies His absolute authority and ability to act.
• and wealth (πλοῦτος, ploutos): Not material riches in an earthly sense, but spiritual abundance, fullness of divine resources, inexhaustible grace and blessing. It speaks to His divine abundance and sufficiency.
• and wisdom (σοφία, sophia): Perfect, divine knowledge and insight; the ability to apply this knowledge perfectly. Christ embodies the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24).
• and might (ἰσχύς, ischys): Robust strength, inherent power, capability, physical or moral force. It is often paired with dynamis, reinforcing His omnipotence.
• and honor (τιμή, timē): Dignity, esteem, value, recognition, reverence. He deserves the highest respect and adoration from all creation.
• and glory (δόξα, doxa): Splendor, majesty, inherent magnificence, divine radiance. It describes the Lamb’s manifest renown and intrinsic divine splendor.
• and blessing! (εὐλογία, eulogia): Praise, adoration, benediction; an act of speaking well of and conferring highest favor upon. It is the comprehensive sum of all adoration directed toward Him.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb'": This phrase underscores the cosmic nature and unanimous assent of this declaration. It is a resounding proclamation from the heavenly realm, confirming the absolute, unparalleled value and inherent qualification of the Lamb, signaling His preeminence over all creation.
• "the Lamb who was slain": This fundamental identification points directly to Jesus Christ's completed sacrificial act on the cross. It establishes that His worthiness and His right to receive the following attributes are founded entirely upon His unique work of redemption through His self-giving death. His suffering is the path to His glorification.
• "to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!": This sevenfold enumeration is symbolically significant, denoting completeness, perfection, and totality. Each term highlights a distinct aspect of the Lamb's absolute sovereignty, divine nature, and supreme entitlement. These are not capacities He gains but qualities and worship rightfully ascribed to Him due to His atoning sacrifice. The sequence progresses from inherent strength (power, might) through intellect (wisdom), to spiritual abundance (wealth), culminating in recognition (honor, glory, blessing)—a holistic affirmation of His unmatched supremacy.

Revelation 5 12 Bonus section

• The declaration in verse 12 expands upon the four living creatures and twenty-four elders' initial praise in verse 9, now joined by the countless angelic host, showcasing escalating, universal worship directed at Christ.
• The seven attributes listed echo divine attributes in Old Testament and New Testament passages ascribed to God the Father, indicating the co-equal divinity of the Lamb (Jesus Christ).
• The transition from the "Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev 5:5)—the image of conquering Messiah—to the "Lamb as though it had been slain" (Rev 5:6) illustrates the paradoxical truth that Christ's victory and authority are achieved through His suffering and sacrifice, rather than by conventional power.
• This verse undergirds the concept of "worthy is the Lamb" as a core confession of Christian worship, acknowledging Christ's redemptive work as the central truth of the cosmos.

Revelation 5 12 Commentary

Revelation 5:12 is a monumental declaration of Christ's supreme worthiness, issued by a myriad of heavenly angels. This acclamation firmly grounds the Lamb's authority and universal renown not in worldly conquest or brute force, but uniquely in His completed act of self-sacrifice—He "was slain." This specific past action of atonement becomes the foundation for His right to possess and be recognized for absolute power, infinite spiritual wealth, perfect divine wisdom, unparalleled might, ultimate honor, radiant glory, and universal blessing. The seven attributes serve as a comprehensive theological statement affirming His inherent divine nature and His deserved exaltation over all creation. This verse emphasizes that true kingship and dominion are manifested through redemptive suffering, portraying the crucified Lamb as the ultimate victor and deserving recipient of all worship, thereby refuting all competing claims to ultimate sovereignty.