And they sing a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open its seals; because thou hast been slain, and hast redeemed to God, by thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
Heaven's throne room holds a sealed scroll that no one can open, and a Lamb who steps forward and takes it. The song that follows tells us why He alone has the right, and it raises a question commentators still weigh: who are the redeemed it sings about?
An old law in Israel stands behind this scene.
In Israel there was a rule for buying back the inheritance, and also the heir or the person (Leviticus 25). If either an Israelite or his possession had been sold, it was his relative's duty and right to ransom him and it. Now Jesus has proved Himself our kinsman in both ways. The Son of God became the Son of Man, and so showed His kinsman nature. He died to purchase us and our inheritance by blood, and so showed His kinsman love... His blood as the Lamb slain gave Him the title to it. His strength as the Lion of the tribe of Judah must now give Him possession of it.
Why could heaven not sing this song before? Sin changed what praise must rest on.
Now that sin has come into the world, the creative glory of God is not enough, nor even the way He governs the world. Suppose He is to be glorified in some way other than pure judgment of His enemies. Suppose merciful goodness is to be shown in a world like this. Suppose a new song is to be sung in heaven. Then there must be redemption — and not by power only, but by suffering and blood.
Older translations read because where the ESV has for. Either way, the song traces His worthiness to one event.
As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He acts in power, but as the Lamb He was slain. Here the carrying out of God's plans of grace and glory goes back to the cross as its basis. "Because You have been SLAIN." Without the cross, Christ would have entered spheres of glory alone. Without it there could be no redemption for sinners. The cross is the grandest counsel of eternity and the grandest fact of time.
Does this mean the whole human race will be saved? One writer answers with careful distinctions.
There is no redemption of the race, but of persons out of it... Purchase is universal, and means a change of ownership. Redemption is special, and refers to a change of state. "Redeemed to God" — then we are His... Israel's redemption in the past was carried out by power; the redemption of sinners out of the race is by blood.
What divides people here divides them no longer there.
They may speak many languages on earth, but they will sing the one new song in heaven. They may belong to many nations, but they have only one Lord.
Redeemed people have always sung. So what makes this song new?
The praying time is over, the singing time has come... Until now the ransomed of the Lord had been on the way to glory, singing songs of redemption. But those songs looked forward to victory and the reign of glory. They were songs of hope. With the taking of the book their hopes will all be fulfilled, and the songs of hope will be changed to songs of victory... All heaven is occupied with the Lamb — "YOU are worthy," "YOU were slain," "YOU ransomed," and "YOU have made."
Some translations read "redeemed us"; others leave the pronoun out. Commentators differ on what that means. One holds the singers are still the redeemed, kept out of view:
The word "us" should probably be left out. Still, if so, the ones meant are the redeemed, represented by the twenty-four elders. They stay in the background, because they celebrate the worthiness of the Lamb rather than their own blessings in redemption.
Another argues the singers are praising God for a different company altogether:
The elders are so completely at rest about themselves that they can be taken up with others... They are speaking about the saints whose prayers they were offering... They show that in taking the heavenly saints above, He had not finished with His rich mercy. Even while He was judging, He would have a purchased people, who were to share the glory of the kingdom as a royal priesthood.
One difference between angels and the redeemed shows up here.
The angels, as has often been noted, say their praises; they do not sing them. It is only those who are redeemed, as Scripture everywhere shows, who can put their praise into song.
- Slain. The song gives one reason for the Lamb's worthiness, and it is not His power but His death.
- Worthy. His blood gave Him the title to the inheritance; His strength as the Lion will give Him possession of it.
- Bought. Purchase changes who owns you; redemption changes your state. God takes persons out of the race, not the race as a whole.
- Sung. Creation's glory drew worship; only redemption drew a song. Angels say their praise; the redeemed sing it.
- New. Songs of hope become songs of victory the moment the Lamb takes the scroll. Every line points to Him: You are worthy, You were slain, You ransomed, You have made.
and made them to our God kings and priests; and they shall reign over the earth.
The song around the throne moves from the Lamb's blood to what that blood bought. Two questions sit in this verse — who is the song about, and where will the reign happen?
The elders sing about a company on earth, not about themselves. Their own service explains why.
The elders do not sing of their own redemption, but that of a people on earth. Their priestly service was on behalf of others, so here their song is of the redeemed then on earth. They sing and celebrate the blessing of others, not their own. How unselfish! How free from jealousy!
Older Bibles read "us" and "we" here, so commentators differ over the right reading. One writer settles for "them" on the evidence of the copies, yet still ties the song to the redeemed themselves.
Though most manuscripts do read "us", a few copies leave it out — and the next verse supports those few. There the reading is certainly, "And have made them to our God, kings and priests, and they shall reign over the earth." … Who should care so much that men were redeemed to God by His blood, were made kings and priests, or should reign over the earth, as the redeemed themselves?
"Kings and priests" is not one honour said twice. The two words face opposite ways.
In kings, you have the expression of power from God downward; in the priests the privilege of approach to God upwards. As priests we approach God; as kings, we reign over the inheritance.
The words "a kingdom and priests" reach back to an offer God once made to Israel. That offer carried a condition.
Israel was promised, on condition of obedience, "you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). They failed to obey. Levi's special priesthood came in as the result of that failure. And since the priests belonged to this failed people, not even they could pass inside the veil. Grace has now given us as Christians that access to God which was denied to them.
Several writers argue for "over the earth" instead of "on the earth". Their case rests on how the Greek preposition works with words of ruling.
As far as the usage shows, with words of authority or rule the Greek word epi marks the sphere ruled over, and en marks the place where the ruler lived. … In the books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, for example, en usually marks where the king lived, and epi the sphere he ruled. So the true rendering is "over," not "on." … The thousand-year reign is heavenly, but it is over the earth. Israel and the nations do not reign there; they are the ones reigned over.
This is more than a fine point of grammar. A heavenly reign still has a real centre of government on earth beneath it.
Jerusalem will become the capital seat of government on earth in the coming age of blessing (Jer. 3:17). The Jewish people, then all saved, will take the headship of the nations. But the heavenly saints shall reign "over" the earth, not on it. … They are not subjects of the kingdom; they are kings.
The tense matters. Even in heaven, in front of the Lamb, the singers put the reign in the future.
Their language is, "We shall reign," and not "we reign." They are waiting, just as the Lord Jesus Himself is waiting. They wait for one thing to happen: that His enemies be made the footstool for His feet.
And the ones who reign are people, not ideas. Some have tried to reduce the coming kingdom to the triumph of good principles.
It is written "they shall reign" (Rev. 5:10; 20:6); and I cannot confuse principles with persons. If we suffer, we shall reign. We are not principles. When we suffer, is it so that principles may reign? It would be a strange reward for me when I suffer to say that it is so that my principles may reign a thousand years.
The elders' song is not reserved for heaven.
Their new song (5:9) speaks of Christ's person ("you are worthy") and of Christ's work ("you were slain"). It also speaks of what His work has done for God ("you redeemed to God") and for us ("made us … kings and priests; and they shall reign over the earth"). Each of these four themes of the new song is already part of Christian worship today. In this sense the new song has already begun.
- Blood — the song's whole basis is the Lamb slain; every title in this verse is bought, not earned.
- Made — God offered Israel this place on condition of obedience, and Israel lost it. Grace now gives it: a kingdom and priests to God.
- Two directions — kingship is power flowing down from God; priesthood is access going up to God. One gift, both directions.
- Over — the reign is heavenly in place, earthly in sphere. The redeemed are not subjects of the kingdom; they are kings with Christ.
- Shall — the verb is future even in heaven. Real people, not principles, wait with Christ Himself for the day His enemies are put under His feet.