And I heard the number of

them . . .

Translate,

And I heard the number of the sealed: there were a hundred and forty and four thousand sealed out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

There are two or three questions which these verses suggest. What are we to understand by the number twelve thousand from each tribe? Who are these who are drawn from the tribes of Israel? Why is there a change of the order and name of the tribes? It may help us to clearer thoughts to take the second of these questions first. (1) Who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand? An answer to this has been partly anticipated in our previous comments; but perhaps a fuller consideration is needed. Some have thought that the sealed ones must be Jewish Christians:

i.e.,

they are disposed to take the twelve tribes literally. The scope of the previous verses seems decisive against this view. The time of judgment and trial is drawing near; we have seen the tokens of the coming storm in the opening of the sixth seal; our wish is to know the lot of the saints of God; this chapter answers this wish: they are safe, having the seal of God. Now, to limit the answer to the Israelitish Christians is to break in abruptly upon the general flow of thought with a bold literalism. The sealed ones are explained to be the servants of God; the description which follows proclaims them to be the “Israel of God.” It would be a strange leap away from the subject to introduce a sudden limitation of thought. Nor is there any necessity for doing so. Israelitish and Jewish names are freely adopted by the sacred writers, and used in a spiritual sense without any explanation of such usage; and the Apostle most emphatically laid down the principle that “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter” (Hosea 10:11;

Names on Gates of Pearl).

. . .

Verse 4.

–

And I heard the number of them which were sealed.

The description of the actual operation of sealing is omitted (cf.

sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand

. Omit “and there were.” This number – the square of 12 multiplied by 1000 – is typical of a large and perfect number. No one has ever said that the number should be taken literally; and there are evident reasons why it could not be so intended. We have, therefore, to inquire what is its symbolical signification. The number 12 is always typical, in the Apocalypse and elsewhere, of a complete and perfect number. It is formed of 4 multiplied by 3. Four is generally representative of the created universe, and 3 of the Godhead (see Revelation 20:2;

Of all the tribes of the children of Israel.

The Authorized Version here appears to give the correct sense of

πᾶς

, “every.” The number is made up not necessarily by an equal number from each tribe, but by a number from the twelve tribes viewed as a whole. As explained above, the number one thousand, though signifying “completeness,” is not a definite number. Here, as elsewhere, it is the spiritual

Israel

which is signified. In support of this view, we may remark:

(4)Translate,There are two or three questions which these verses suggest. What are we to understand by the number twelve thousand from each tribe? Who are these who are drawn from the tribes of Israel? Why is there a change of the order and name of the tribes? It may help us to clearer thoughts to take the second of these questions first. (1) Who are these one hundred and forty-four thousand? An answer to this has been partly anticipated in our previous comments; but perhaps a fuller consideration is needed. Some have thought that the sealed ones must be Jewish Christians:they are disposed to take the twelve tribes literally. The scope of the previous verses seems decisive against this view. The time of judgment and trial is drawing near; we have seen the tokens of the coming storm in the opening of the sixth seal; our wish is to know the lot of the saints of God; this chapter answers this wish: they are safe, having the seal of God. Now, to limit the answer to the Israelitish Christians is to break in abruptly upon the general flow of thought with a bold literalism. The sealed ones are explained to be the servants of God; the description which follows proclaims them to be the “Israel of God.” It would be a strange leap away from the subject to introduce a sudden limitation of thought. Nor is there any necessity for doing so. Israelitish and Jewish names are freely adopted by the sacred writers, and used in a spiritual sense without any explanation of such usage; and the Apostle most emphatically laid down the principle that “he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter” ( Romans 2:28-29 ); and the principle he applies by affirming that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek” ( Galatians 3:28 ). The Christian Church absorbs the Jewish, inherits her privileges, and adopts, with wider and nobler meaning, her phraseology. She has her Jerusalem, but it is a heavenly Jerusalem ( Hebrews 12:22 ): a Jerusalem from above ( Galatians 4:26 ): a new Jerusalem ( Revelation 21:2 ; see Revelation 3:12 ); and to that Jerusalem of God the true Israel of God, the chosen generation and royal priesthood of every age, turn the eye of faith. It is needless to say that this view does not rob, as it has been said, the Jew of God’s promises; it only intensifies those promises by showing the growth of that Church in which the Jew may yet find the truest consummation of his holiest and highest hopes, and into which God is yet able to graft them in again ( Romans 11:23 Romans 11:25-26 ), and in which he may yet play a part loftier than men dream of. (2) How are we to understand the numbers? As we cannot adopt the literal interpretation of the tribes of Israel, still less can we admit a literal interpretation of the numbers here mentioned; but they are not on this ground to be looked upon as meaningless numbers: there is an appropriate symbolism in the numbers of the Apocalypse. Twelve is used as the number of those who in every age have been called out to witness for some truth which the world needed. Thus the twelve tribes of Israel were the appointed witnesses of a pure theology and a pure morality in the days of idolatry and license; and later, the twelve Apostles became the inheritors of a similar, though higher, spiritual work in the world. The number twelve, then, stands for a world-witness of divine truth; and the fruits of this world-witness is a wide and sustained success: the twelve multiplied by the twelve a thousand-fold–“the native and not degenerate progeny of the Apostles apostolically multiplied” (Mede, quoted by Dr. Currey). The skeleton organisation is twelve, the college of the Apostles; the one hundred and forty-four thousand represent the growth into full numbers of the choice ones of God. (3) Does the change in the order and names of the tribes symbolise anything? The alterations are not without significance. They are briefly these: The tribe of Dan is omitted, and the name of Ephraim does not appear, but the number is made up to twelve by two representatives of Joseph: Manasseh, who stands sixth in order, and Joseph (superseding the name, but representing the tribe of Ephraim), who is placed eleventh on the list. The number twelve is maintained to show that in all changes God’s purposes stand. The omission of one tribe and the changed name of another are designed to show that in the Church, as in Israel, the most splendid opportunities may be lost. Dan, once a tribe, and not an insignificant tribe, which had reared its heroes, gradually lapsed into idolatry and immorality, dwindled in numbers and importance, and at length disappeared, and as a tribe became extinct. Its omission in this list is a silent but emphatic comment on the sacred warnings: “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” “Begin not to say we have Abraham to our father: God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” Similarly, Ephraim, as has been suggested by a thoughtful writer, who exalted himself in Israel, is now lost in the greater name of Joseph. (Comp. Hosea 13:1 Luke 18:14 .) The order of the names is altered. Reuben no longer stands first: Judah has taken the firstborn’s place; and Levi, though named, does not occupy the third, the place of his birthright, but the eighth place. Here, again, the changes have their teachings. The unstable Reuben, with all his splendid advantages–the firstborn, the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power–failed to hold his own among his brethren; the fatal instability of his character accompanied his history, and weakened his otherwise pre-eminent powers; yet weak and erring, the type of the brilliant and vacillating, he is not an outcast altogether, but finds place, and high place, among the servants of God. Judah, lion-like, resolute, and strong, wins the foremost place; from him springs the true Ruler, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, to unfold the counsels of God, and to rule the world with a righteous sceptre. Levi’s subordinate position is thought to be due to the fact that the Mosaic ritual and Levitical priesthood are at an end. This may be so; the changes are the result of the actual history of the tribes, and illustrate how in the Christian Church, as in the Jewish, privileges may be lost, opportunities seized or cast away, offices and functions used for a time, and then laid aside when their work is accomplished; but in all and through all changes, God’s unchanging purpose runs onward to its certain close. The grouping of the tribes is, as has been pointed out, in the order of closest kinship: “We find not one violent separation of those who are naturally united, where both are truly members of the Israel of God” (Rev. C. H. Waller,. . .The description of the actual operation of sealing is omitted (cf. Ezekiel 9 , where it is also omitted). And there were. Omit “and there were.” This number – the square of 12 multiplied by 1000 – is typical of a large and perfect number. No one has ever said that the number should be taken literally; and there are evident reasons why it could not be so intended. We have, therefore, to inquire what is its symbolical signification. The number 12 is always typical, in the Apocalypse and elsewhere, of a complete and perfect number. It is formed of 4 multiplied by 3. Four is generally representative of the created universe, and 3 of the Godhead (see Revelation 5:9 ). 4 plus 3, that is 7; and 4 multiplied by 3, that is 12, indicate a perfect number – a number which includes and embraces everything. And thus 12 multiplied by 12 denotes the most exhaustive and perfect completion. The number 1000 is generally used to denote a large and complete, but somewhat uncertain, number (cf. Revelation 14:1 Revelation 21:16 , etc.). Thus the square of 12 multiplied by 1000 has the signification of a large number not definitely fixed, but nevertheless perfect; that is to say, not omitting a single one of those who should be included in the number. We are therefore taught that at the judgment day, before the destruction of the world is allowed to take place, a large number, consisting of those who have proved themselves to be God’s servants, will be preserved and set apart; and that, although the number may be large, yet it will be perfect, not one of those who are worthy to be selected being overlooked or forgotten. This number subsequently is increased, being included in the “great multitude which no man could number” of ver. 9, and which is formed by the whole company of the redeemed.The Authorized Version here appears to give the correct sense of, “every.” The number is made up not necessarily by an equal number from each tribe, but by a number from the twelve tribes viewed as a whole. As explained above, the number one thousand, though signifying “completeness,” is not a definite number. Here, as elsewhere, it is the spiritualwhich is signified. In support of this view, we may remark:

(1) The constant use in the Apocalypse of the terms” Israel,” “Jew,” “Jerusalem,” etc., in the spiritual sense; and it seems scarcely credible that the writer of the book, who throughout insists on the fulfilment in the Christian religion of all things Jewish, should in this place, for no apparent reason, deliberately make a distinction between Jew and Gentile. The terms are constantly used to denote the spiritual Israel, the spiritual Jerusalem, etc., except where allusion is made to some historical fact, as in Revelation 2:14; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 22:16; Revelation 15:3 (cf. Jews, Revelation 2:9 and Revelation 3:9; Israel, Revelation 21:12; Jerusalem, Revelation 3:12 and Revelation 21:2, 10; Babylon, Revelation 14:8; Revelation 16:19; Revelation 17:5; Revelation 18:2, 10, 21; Sodom and Egypt, Revelation 11:8; Euphrates, Revelation 9:14; Revelation 16:12; Sion, Revelation 14:1; Jezebel, Revelation 2:20; David, Revelation 3:7; Gentiles, Revelation 11:2).

(2) The improbability of the omission of the tribe of Dan, if the literal Israel were meant.

(3) The general testimony of ancient commentators, which is the view of those who appointed this passage for use in the Liturgy on All Saints’ Day. Some, however, have considered that the hundred and forty-four thousand are distinct from, and not included in, the multitude of ver. 9. They believe the former indicates the converted from among the Jews, and the latter those saved from the Gentiles. Thus Bengel, Dusterdieck, Ebrard, Grotius, etc. But it may be remembered that in Revelation 14:3, 4, the hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed from the earth and from among men is not confined to Jews. By other commentators the number has been thought to denote converts in the age of Constantine, etc.

Parallel Commentaries …

Greek

And

Καὶ

(Kai)

Conjunction

And, even, also, namely.

I heard

ἤκουσα

(ēkousa)

Verb – Aorist Indicative Active – 1st Person Singular

To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.

the

τὸν

(ton)

Article – Accusative Masculine Singular

The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

number

ἀριθμὸν

(arithmon)

Noun – Accusative Masculine Singular

A number, total. From airo; a number.

of those who

τῶν

(tōn)

Article – Genitive Masculine Plural

The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

were sealed,

ἐσφραγισμένων

(esphragismenōn)

Verb – Perfect Participle Middle or Passive – Genitive Masculine Plural

To seal, set a seal upon. From sphragis; to stamp for security or preservation; by implication, to keep secret, to attest.

144,000 {}

ἑκατὸν

(hekaton)

Adjective – Nominative Feminine Plural

One hundred. Of uncertain affinity; a hundred.

from

ἐκ

(ek)

Preposition

From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

all the

πάσης

(pasēs)

Adjective – Genitive Feminine Singular

All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

tribes

φυλῆς

(phylēs)

Noun – Genitive Feminine Singular

A tribe or race of people. From phuo; an offshoot, i.e. Race or clan.

of Israel:

Ἰσραήλ

(Israēl)

Noun – Genitive Masculine Singular

Of Hebrew origin; Israel, the adopted name of Jacob, including his descendants.

Jump to Previous

Brows Children Descendants Ears Finished Forty Forty-Four Four Heard Hundred Israel Mark Marked Sealed Sealing Thousand Thousands Tribe Tribes

Jump to Next

Brows Children Descendants Ears Finished Forty Forty-Four Four Heard Hundred Israel Mark Marked Sealed Sealing Thousand Thousands Tribe Tribes

Links

Revelation 7:4 NIV
Revelation 7:4 NLT
Revelation 7:4 ESV
Revelation 7:4 NASB
Revelation 7:4 KJV

Revelation 7:4 BibleApps.com
Revelation 7:4 Biblia Paralela
Revelation 7:4 Chinese Bible
Revelation 7:4 French Bible
Revelation 7:4 Clyx Quotations

NT Prophecy: Revelation 7:4 I heard the number of those who (Rev. Re Apocalypse)

Numbers
& counting

in
English

Forming
and expressing
numbers – written and oral

1. Cardinal
numbers

Cardinal numbers are the numbers that we use for
counting or designating quantity : English-speakers use them every day
– one two three four
etc.   In terms of grammar, they belong to the category of determining
adjectives.

From 0 to 100 – From zero to
a hundred

The number 0
is variously expressed as nought (in British English) or zero (in all
forms of English) : in the middle of a series of
digits, it may also be pronounced “oh”.  Everyone has heard of
James Bond, also known as 007. That is pronounced “oh-oh-seven” or
“double-oh-seven”, but never “nought-nought-seven” nor
“zero-zero-seven”.

Here are the important cardinal numbers between one and
a hundred, which can serve as models for other numbers.

1
one
11
eleven
21
twenty-one

2
two
12
twelve
22
twenty-two

3
three
13
thirteen
30
thirty

4
four
14
fourteen
40
forty

5
five
15
fifteen
50
fifty

6
six
16
sixteen
60
sixty

7
seven
17
seventeen
70
seventy

8
eight
18
eighteen
80
eighty

9
nine
19
nineteen
90
ninety

10
ten
20
twenty
100
a
hundred

Watch out for spelling:  fourteen
but  forty.

Numbers from 101 to 999 – three-digit numbers

Important:

the examples and rules below illustrate

British 

usage.

In the

USA

,
the word

and

is normally omitted.
A hyphen (-) is normally used in numbers between 21 and 99, whether
these stand alone or are part of a larger number.

From these examples, all other three-digit numbers in English can be
formed.

101
a hundred and one
365
three
hundred and sixty-five

111
a hundred and eleven
480
four
hundred and eighty

121
a hundred and twenty-one
545
five
hundred and forty-five

133
a hundred and thirty-three
644
six
hundred and forty-four

257
two hundred and fifty-seven
799
seven
hundred and ninety-nine

Notes :

From these examples, all other three-digit numbers in English can be formed.

The word “hundred”
, except as a round number (a number ending in 00), is always followed
by “and”,
both in spoken English and in written English when numbers are written
out as
words.

The word

hundred

never takes an

“s”

as part of a cardinal number.
For numbers between 100 and 199, one normally says “

a
hundred

” and not “

one
hundred

“.
The expression “

one
hundred

” is used only to put emphasis on the figure

one

(i.e. one, not two nor three), or to stress the word.

Example:

I counted one hundred
and twenty planes     (and not 220 nor 320)

Hundreds

in the plural

The words

hundred

,

thousand

and

million

never take an

s

in the plural as cardinal numbers (which are a form of adjective).
They

only

take an

s

when used as

nouns

designating an

imprecise
quantity

of hundreds or thousands, etc., followed by

of

…
Examples

There
are

hundred

s
of

ducks on
the lake.

Thousand

s
of

people
crammed into the stadium

These sentences do not say

how many

hundreds

nor
how many

thousands:
the “

s

”
is the only mark of plurality.

The wordsandnever take anin the plural as cardinal numbers (which are a form of adjective).Theytake anwhen used asdesignating anof hundreds or thousands, etc., followed by…ExamplesThese sentences do not sayhundredsthousands: the “” is the only mark of plurality.

Numbers from 1000 to 1,000,000

• Apart from round numbers (numbers ending in 00)
  numbers above 1000 are normally written in figures, not in
  words. They are written in words here as a means to show how they are
  used in spoken English.

1000
a thousand
4656
four
thousand six hundred and fifty-six

1001
a thousand and one
10,000
ten
thousand

1086
one thousand and eighty-six
10,148
ten
thousand one hundred and forty-eight

1147
one thousand one hundred and forty-seven
65,423
sixty-five
thousand four hundred and twenty-three

1201
one thousand two hundred and one
100,000
A hundred
thousand

3600
three
thousand six hundred
699,482
Six
hundred and ninety-nine thousand four hundred and eighty-two

Notes

Reminder
:

these examples and rules reflect usage in

British English

.

In the

USA

,
the word

and

is usually omitted.

• After 1000, if the word “

  hundred

  ”
  does not
  occur in the number, it is the word

  thousand

  which is followed by

  and

  . 

• Apart from round numbers (1000, 7000 etc) there will
  always be an

  and

  somewhere in the number.

Examples

;
1018 = One

thousand and

eighteen
(or in US English : One thousand eighteen)
43,003 = forty-three 

thousand
and

three
56,100 = fifty-six thousand

one

hundred

Otherwise the word

thousand

is not followed by

and

,
but the word

hundred

is.

Examples

;
1708 = One

thousand
seven

hundred and eight
25,864 = Twenty-five

thousand
eight

hundred and sixty-four

• In numbers from 1100 to 1199,  the single
  hundred will be pronounced

  one

  and not

  a

  .

• Four-digit numbers below 2000 (and rarely above) may
  sometimes also be expressed starting with “eleven hundred”, “twelve
  hundred”, etc.

Examples

;

1100 = One
thousand one hundred
 

or

Eleven hundred
22,100 = twenty-two
thousand

one

hundred.
654,122 = Six hundred and fifty-four thousand,

one

hundred and
twenty-two

• The word

  hundred

  is always followed by “

  and

  ”
  once it is followed by another digit, and even if it occurs more than
  once in the number.

• As cardinal numbers, neither

  hundred

  nor

  thousand

  ever take a plural “s”. (More)

• Whether writing in figures or in words, whith numbers
  of more than than four digits it is normal to put a

  comma

  every three
  digits.The comma is optional with four-digit numbers.

Examples

;

44,399 Forty-four thousand, three hundred and ninety-nine
637,316 = Six hundred

and

thirty-seven thousand

,

three hundred

and

sixteen.

Numbers greater than a million

The same principles apply.
The number simply starts with a quantity of millions, for example

One million…

or

Twenty-five
million…

or

Examples

;

1,002,018 = One million two thousand

and eighteen
1,001,116 = One million one thousand one hundred and sixteen.
736,654,121 = Seven hundred and thirty-six million, six hundred and
fifty-four thousand, one hundred and twenty-one

The word

hundred

is always followed by “

and

”
unless it is round (with “00”), no matter how often it occurs in the
number.

Other points to remember:

Figures can be expressed differently when they refer to dates and
telephone numbers, or when they are after a decimal point.

►

Going
further: Numbers used as

pronouns

:
 See

The wordnever takes anas part of a cardinal number.For numbers between 100 and 199, one normally says “” and not “”.The expression “” is used only to put emphasis on the figure(i.e. one, not two nor three), or to stress the word.Otherwise the wordis not followed by, but the wordis.The same principles apply.The number simply starts with a quantity of millions, for exampleororThe wordis always followed by “” unless it is round (with “00”), no matter how often it occurs in the number.Figures can be expressed differently when they refer to dates and telephone numbers, or when they are after a decimal point.Going further: Numbers used as: See Indefinite
& gender-neutral pronouns