👑WEB · Revelation 21:11
What does Revelation 21:11 mean?
"having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;"
— Revelation 21:11 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls, who were loaded with the seven last plagues came, and he spoke with me, saying, “Come here. I will show you the wife, the Lamb’s bride.”
He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as if it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
having a great and high wall; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.
On the east were three gates; and on the north three gates; and on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.
Explanation
Revelation 21:11 describes the New Jerusalem, the holy city that John sees descending from heaven, and it tells us two things about this city: it possesses the glory of God, and its radiance is compared to a precious jasper stone, clear as crystal. In plain language, the verse is saying that the city shines with a brilliance that comes directly from God's own presence, and that this brilliance is so pure and translucent that it resembles the finest, most flawless gemstone imaginable—something like a diamond or clear crystal rather than the cloudy, banded jasper we might know today (ancient writers used the term "jasper" more broadly for various brilliant, translucent stones).
The context is the closing vision of the book of Revelation, traditionally attributed to the apostle John, written to persecuted Christian communities in Asia Minor near the end of the first century. Throughout Revelation, John receives visions meant to comfort and strengthen believers facing suffering, exile, and the temptation to compromise with a hostile culture. In chapters 21 and 22, after depicting the fall of corrupt earthly powers and the final judgment, John describes the ultimate hope of the Christian faith: a renewed heaven and earth, and a holy city where God dwells fully with his people. Verse 11 begins the detailed description of this city, echoing earlier passages in the chapter that describe God wiping away tears, ending death and mourning, and making all things new. The imagery draws on Old Testament temple and priestly language, particularly from Isaiah and Ezekiel, where jewels
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