OffenbarungKapitel 5

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Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll, written on both sides and sealed with seven seals.

And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or even to look at it.

I wept bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look at it.

Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Look: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

Then I saw a Lamb standing in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, and among the elders, looking as though it had been slain, with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one seated on the throne.

And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each of them held a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you purchased for God people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

You have made them a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders. Their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,

and they said with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: "To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever!"

And the four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

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Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 5

Main Theme: The Lamb who was slain is alone worthy to open the sealed scroll and receives worship from all creation.

Content: John sees a scroll with seven seals in God's right hand, and no one in all creation is found worthy to open it. One of the elders reveals that the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. John sees a Lamb looking as if it had been slain, which takes the scroll and receives worship. The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sing a new song about the worthiness of the Lamb, because with its blood it purchased people from every nation and made them a kingdom and priests. Finally, countless angels and all creation unite in praising the One seated on the throne and the Lamb.

Key Words/Images:

The scroll with seven seals: Represents God's hidden plan and salvation history that only the Lamb can reveal.
The Lamb who was slain: Christ as the sacrificed Passover lamb, with seven horns (perfect power) and seven eyes (the seven spirits of God/perfect insight).
The Lion of Judah/Root of David: Messianic titles connecting Jesus to the promises given to the tribe of Judah and the royal line of David.
The new song: Celebration of the Lamb's work of salvation that has created a new people from all nations.
Universal worship: All creation—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—unites in praising God and the Lamb.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Revelation 5

Key Terms

Βιβλίον (biblion) – The Scroll: This Greek word here describes a scroll written "inside and on the back" (ἔσωθεν καὶ ὄπισθεν). This was unusual, as papyrus scrolls were normally only written on the inside. Such a double-written scroll was called an opisthograph and was used when the content was very extensive. In Roman legal practice, wills were sealed with seven seals by seven witnesses—an image that could suggest the scroll represents God’s testamentary plan for creation.

Ἀρνίον (arnion) – The Lamb: This diminutive form of "lamb" is characteristic of Revelation (used 28 times) and differs from the common word amnos used elsewhere in the New Testament. The image combines two seemingly contradictory concepts: the Lamb that was "slain" (ἐσφαγμένον) simultaneously bears seven horns (a symbol of perfect power) and seven eyes (perfect insight). The perfect participle "slain" indicates a lasting state—the sacrifice has permanent effect.

Ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα (the Lion from the tribe of Judah): This title draws from Genesis 49:9-10, Jacob’s blessing over Judah. In intertestamental Judaism (4 Ezra, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs), the Lion of Judah was interpreted messianically. "The Root of David" (ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ) alludes to Isaiah 11:1,10 and reinforces the Davidic messianic expectation.

Events and Customs

Incense and Prayer: Verse 8 explicitly identifies the golden bowls full of incense (θυμιαμάτων) with "the prayers of the saints." This reflects Jewish temple practice where the incense offering in the Holy Place symbolized prayers rising to God (Psalm 141:2). In the Second Temple, the incense offering was brought morning and evening on the golden altar before the veil. The image of the twenty-four elders carrying these bowls suggests a heavenly liturgy that mirrors and perfects the earthly temple worship.

Ἠγόρασας (you have purchased): The verb in verse 9 draws from slave market terminology and the practice of ransom in antiquity. Slaves could be bought free by another master or by a deity (sacred manumission). The phrase "with your blood" (ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου) combines this marketplace metaphor with sacrificial terminology from covenant rituals.

Chapter-Specific Insights

Archaeological finds of sealed documents from antiquity illuminate the scroll imagery. At Wadi Murabba'at near the Dead Sea, legal documents from the Bar Kokhba period were found rolled, tied, and sealed. The Rosetta papyri from Egypt show wills sealed by multiple witnesses. Pliny the Elder (Naturalis Historia 13.80) describes how important documents were sealed to ensure authenticity and prevent forgery. Thus, the seven seals in Revelation 5 truly reflect legal practice of the time and emphasize the document’s absolute authority and inaccessibility until the right person breaks the seals.

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