Revelation 4:11 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

O Lord. A B 'Aleph ('), Vulgate, Syriac, add, 'and our God.' 'Our' by creation, especially by redemption. B, Syriac, insert, 'the Holy One.'

Glory ... - `the glory, the honour, the power.'

Thou - emphatic: 'it is THOU who didst create.'

All things - `the all things:' the universe. For, х dia (G1223) to (G3588) theleema (G2307)] - 'on account of:' 'for the sake of thy pleasure.' It was because of thy will, that 'they were' (so A, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, instead of "are." B, 'they were not, and were created,' out of nothing) - i:e., were existing, contrasted with their previous non-existence. With God, to will is to effect. So in Genesis 1:3, "Let there be light, and there was light" х yªhiy (H1961) 'owr (H215) wayªhiy (H1961) 'owr (H215)], expressive tautology, the same word, tense, and letters for "let there be" and "there was:" simultaneity and identity of the will and the effect. D. Longinus ('On the Sublime,' sec. 9), pagan, praises this description of God's power, by 'the lawgiver of the Jews, no ordinary man,' as one worthy of the theme.

Were created - aorist: by thy definite act at a definite time.

Revelation 4:11

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.