👑WEB · Revelation 21:19
What does Revelation 21:19 mean?
"The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;"
— Revelation 21:19 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
The city is square, and its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.
Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.
The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.
The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.
Explanation
Revelation 21:19 describes the New Jerusalem, the glorified city that John sees descending from heaven as the eternal dwelling place of God with his redeemed people. In plain terms, the verse tells us that the foundations of the massive wall surrounding this city were not plain stone but were decorated with twelve different precious gemstones, each layer a distinct color and type. This particular verse names the first four: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, and emerald. The list continues in the following verses through all twelve foundations, each corresponding to one of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, as stated earlier in the chapter (Revelation 21:14).
The book of Revelation was written by the apostle John, likely near the end of the first century, while he was exiled on the island of Patmos "for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Revelation 1:9). He wrote to seven churches in Asia Minor who were facing persecution, false teaching, and the temptation to compromise with the surrounding pagan culture. Revelation as a whole is apocalyptic literature, rich in symbolic imagery drawn heavily from the Old Testament, meant to encourage believers by unveiling the ultimate victory of Christ and the glorious future awaiting the faithful. The vision of the New Jerusalem in chapter 21 comes after the defeat of evil, the final judgment, and the arrival of the new heaven and new earth—it is the climactic picture of restored, unhindered fellowship between God and humanity.
Theologically, the precious
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