"EVERY TRIBE, TONGUE, PEOPLE AND NATION" (REVELATION 5:9, ETC)

“Every tribe, tongue, people and nation” (Revelation 5:9, etc)

My own feeling is that even a cursory reading of Revelation gives the gist of what John is attempting to convey, but that does not mean that such a superficial overview has exhausted all that is in the book. Actually, it appears that there are almost endless insights one can get from the book of Revelation even from the most mundane phrases. As an example, variations on the above series of words appear throughout the book, but at least two commentaries I consulted skipped right over all of them without a mention. Below is a summary of these appearances including the context in which they each occur:

                                                 Figure 1: Key Repeated Phrase

    Rev. 5:9 tribe tongue people nation those ransomed

    Rev. 7:9 nation tribe people tongue those in heaven

    Rev. 10:11 people nation tongue king prophesied about

    Rev.11:9 people tribe tongue nation gaze on the righteous dead

    Rev. 13:7 tribe people tongue nation beast has power over

    Rev. 14:6 nation tribe tongue people warning to

    Rev. 17:15 people multitude nations tongue whore rules over

Literary Considerations

Morris says, “An interesting point of style is that his word order is not the same in any two examples.” I could not find any commentator who had an explanation for this phenomenon. My own read on the situation is that John purposely scrambled up the order so that no one would begin to think that, for example, one's political, cultural or linguistic affiliation had any more importance that any other factor. The total phrase is meant to be universal in scope.

To be more precise, Hendricksen states regarding Rev. 5:9, “Both the particular and universal aspects of the atonement are beautifully combined. The Lamb did not purchase the salvation of every single individual. No, he paid the price for this elect, that is, for men 'out of' every tribe and tongue, etc. Yet , on the other hand, there is nothing narrow or national about this redemption. It is world-wide in its scope and embraces every group...Together all redeemed constitute a kingdom and priests.”

And Mounce chimes in: “It is fruitless to attempt a distinction between these terms as ethnic, linguistic, political, etc. The Seer is stressing the universal nature of the church and for this purpose piles up phrases for their rhetorical value. In contrast with the exclusivism of Judaism which prided itself in having been chosen and from among the nations, the church was genuinely ecumenical, recognizing no national, political, cultural, or racial boundaries.”

Walvoord: “This indicates that there will be one ecumenical world religious system, embracing all nations and languages.”

Another commentator says, “John certainly does not confine his vision to Jewish Christians...we are reminded that the Israel of God knows no national frontiers.”

And it is just as obvious that those later occurrences in Revelation which apply to the damned are similarly ecumenical.

Symbolic Numbers

It is well accepted that the frequent mention of specific numbers mentioned in Revelation as well as the specific number of times certain words or phrases appear in the book all possess symbolic meaning in biblical thought. (see my post titled “How Numbers Are Used in the Bible” for more on this subject). With that in mind, note in Figure 1 that there are seven similar enumerations of people groups. It is universally accepted by Bible scholars that the number “seven” is symbolic of completion or perfection. This number and its multiples appears numerous times in Revelation, which is highly appropriate since that book is the final revealing of God's plan for creation.

The next thing to note is that there are exactly four designations in each of the seven listings. Gunner cites passages such as Genesis 2:10 (four rivers watering the garden of Eden), Revelation 7:1 (four corners of the earth), four winds (Jeremiah 49:36), and Ezekiel 1 (four living creatures). All of them apply to the totality of God's creation on earth.

Progression

There are many different competing views concerning whether Revelation presents its ideas in a repetitive or chronological order or not. My own opinion is that those scholars espousing a Progressive Recapitulation viewpoint are closest to the mark (see my post titled “Different Lenses for the Book of Revelation”), although other readings are certainly possible. This particular way of viewing time in Revelation is to recognize that there is a slow movement forward chronologically as the book proceeds with frequent backtracking to cover earlier material using different imagery.

Thus, if you look at the context of each occurrence of the phrases in Figure 1, it becomes obvious that the people groups in 5:9 and 7:9 concern those destined to be saved while those in Revelation 13:7, 14:6 and 17:15 apply to those who will be condemned at the Last Judgment. That only leaves the people in 10:1 and 11:9 in the middle to be dealt with. And here we see some differences of opinion between scholars, with many not willing to make any judgment calls at all.

For example, the groups of people on the earth who “gaze on” the two dead witnesses in 11:9 could be considered as those who prefer to be mere bystanders rather than active participants either for or against any evil action that has been committed. And those referred to in 10:1 appear to be just as neutral concerning their commitment to God since, as RSV translates it, John is merely told to “prophesy about” them.

But Beale states, “Most translations render epi as 'about' or 'concerning'...This suggests that John's prophetic focus is general and concerns equally those who will suffer judgment because of sin and others who will suffer for their faith and be redeemed. But the accent is on judgment of the unrepentant ['prophesy against'].” He gives some reasons for making this assertion:

    1. Ezekiel uses the phrase most and only three of his eighteen usages applies to a positive prophecy of blessing.

    2. “In Dan. 3:4 LXX the formula precedes and follows 'the sound of a trumpet,' and here in Rev. 10:11 is preceded by the sound of the seventh angel when he is about to sound the trumpet' (10:7). John has used the phrase of all who are redeemed (5:9, 7:9), but now and hereafter he uses it of unbelievers”

Symmetrical Arrangement

Another way in which Revelation is ordered has been defended in my post titled “Book of Revelation: Introduction to the Literary Structure” and shown below:

Figure 2: Literary Structure of Revelation

    I. Introduction (1:1-4:11)

            II. Destruction on the Earth and its Inhabitants (5:1-11:19)

                    III. Judgment on God’s Enemies (12:1-20:15)

                            A. Demonic Forces on the Earth (12:1-16:1)

                                    B. The Seven Plagues (16:2-21)

                            A'. The Fall of the Demonic Forces (17:1-20:15)

            II'. The New Heaven and Earth and their Inhabitants (21:1-22:5)

    I'. Conclusion (22:6-21)

With Figure 2 in mind, consider how the seven listings of four people groups are disposed within these sections. The first four occurrences are found in Section II while the others are located in IIIA and in IIIA'. But to be totally symmetrical, as we might expect, there is seemingly nothing to balance the four appearances in Section II'. However, it is intriguing to note that within the boundaries of II' (Rev. 21:1-22:5) we encounter the following four words again appearing, but separately this time, not together as before: peoples (21:3), tribes (21:12), nations (21:24a), and kings (21:24b). In that way the author has managed to preserve the symbolic nature of the number seven in his seven similar listings and at the same time create a wholly symmetrical word pattern running throughout the book – with four separate mentions in II' to balance the four lists in II.

Relation to Daniel 7

As with much of Revelation, it constantly alludes back to Old Testament Scripture. Beale and McDonough demonstrate the almost point-by-point correspondence between Daniel 7 and Revelation 4-5. Just looking at the parallels within chapter 5, we get the following:

    Heavenly servants around the throne (Dan. 7:10b; Rev. 5:8,11,14)

    Book(s) before the throne (Dan. 7:10c; Rev. 5:1-7)

    Opening the book(s) (Dan. 7:10d; Rev. 5:2-5,9)

    Divine figure receives authority to reign (Dan. 7:13-14a; Rev. 5:5b-7,9a,12-13)

    Kingdom includes 'all peoples, etc.' (Dan 7:14a; Rev. 5:9b)

    The seer's distress (Dan. 7:15; Rev. 5:4)

    A heavenly throne servant counsels him (Dan. 7:16; Rev. 5:5a)

    Saints also given authority to rule (Dan. 7:18,22,27a; Rev. 5:10)

    God's eternal reign (Daniel 7:27b; Rev. 5:13-14)

On the other hand, Morris chooses to emphasize the differences between the two passages: “The expression reminds us of passages in Daniel (iii. 4,7,29, etc.). Some think John is quoting Daniel. But though our four terms are all found in either the LXX or Theodotion [Greek] translations, neither version has them all. Again, for the most part the Daniel references have three members, John's four.”

Relation to the Gospels

“Revelation's portrayal of the proclamation of 'the eternal gospel'...(Rev 14:6) does parallel the Matthean wording [in Mt. 24:9]. Further, the reference to 'all the nations'...as the target audience in Matthew 24:14, as well as in the Matthean and Lukan versions of the Great Commission (Mt 28:19; Lk 24:47), and the closing mention of 'the end of the age'...in Matthew 28:20 seem to establish that the conversion of the nations (see esp. Rev 7:9 'all nations'...), in the midst of great suffering and martyrdom, echoes the Synoptics as much as prior Jewish thought and expectation.” (Luter)

Revelation 10:11

This is one of two places in the book where another word, “kings”in this case, is substituted for “tribes” in the four-fold lists. Morris offers one possible explanation for its presence: “Here 'tribes' is replaced by 'kings' perhaps to suggest that God's word through the prophets takes precedence over the highest rank of human authority. It may be that the seven kings of 17:10 and the ten kings of 17:12 are in the Seer's purview.”

Notice that “the kings of the earth” appear a last time in Revelation 21:24, where they will bring their glory into the Lord's temple. Concerning them, Beale says, “Though 'kings of the earth' refers to wicked rulers in 17:2,18, the phrase may include 'good kings' in 1:5. Here converted kings are the subject since the phrase 'kings of the earth' is an expansion of 'kings' from Isa. 60:3,11. In the Isaiah text kings come to end-time Jerusalem to worship Yahweh, together with the nations...”

Revelation 17:15

In this case, “multitudes” is the group substituted for “tribes” in the four-fold listing of people. As Morris says, “The angel explains the waters on which the harlot sits (verse 1). They stand for a multitude of people over which the harlot is set...she has a great empire.”

“Isaiah 17:12-13 also uses the metaphor of 'many waters' for 'many nations'...The 'many waters' have already been seen to be an allusion to Jer. 51:13, where they refer to the waters of the Euphrates and the channels and canals that surround the city. These waters helped Babylon to flourish economically, and provided security against outside attack. The multitudes of humanity that the waters now represent are the basis for Babylon's economic trade and security.” (Beale and McDonough)

“Every tribe, tongue, people and nation” (Revelation 5:9, etc)

My own feeling is that even a cursory reading of Revelation gives the gist of what John is attempting to convey, but that does not mean that such a superficial overview has exhausted all that is in the book. Actually, it appears that there are almost endless insights one can get from the book of Revelation even from the most mundane phrases. As an example, variations on the above series of words appear throughout the book, but at least two commentaries I consulted skipped right over all of them without a mention. Below is a summary of these appearances including the context in which they each occur:

Figure 1: Key Repeated Phrase

Rev. 5:9 tribe tongue people nation those ransomed

Rev. 7:9 nation tribe people tongue those in heaven

Rev. 10:11 people nation tongue king prophesied about

Rev.11:9 people tribe tongue nation gaze on the righteous dead

Rev. 13:7 tribe people tongue nation beast has power over

Rev. 14:6 nation tribe tongue people warning to

Rev. 17:15 people multitude nations tongue whore rules over

Literary Considerations

Morris says, “An interesting point of style is that his word order is not the same in any two examples.” I could not find any commentator who had an explanation for this phenomenon. My own read on the situation is that John purposely scrambled up the order so that no one would begin to think that, for example, one's political, cultural or linguistic affiliation had any more importance that any other factor. The total phrase is meant to be universal in scope.

To be more precise, Hendricksen states regarding Rev. 5:9, “Both the particular and universal aspects of the atonement are beautifully combined. The Lamb did not purchase the salvation of every single individual. No, he paid the price for this elect, that is, for men 'out of' every tribe and tongue, etc. Yet , on the other hand, there is nothing narrow or national about this redemption. It is world-wide in its scope and embraces every group...Together all redeemed constitute a kingdom and priests.”

And Mounce chimes in: “It is fruitless to attempt a distinction between these terms as ethnic, linguistic, political, etc. The Seer is stressing the universal nature of the church and for this purpose piles up phrases for their rhetorical value. In contrast with the exclusivism of Judaism which prided itself in having been chosen and from among the nations, the church was genuinely ecumenical, recognizing no national, political, cultural, or racial boundaries.”

Walvoord: “This indicates that there will be one ecumenical world religious system, embracing all nations and languages.”

Another c ommentator says, “John certainly does not confine his vision to Jewish Christians...we are reminded that the Israel of God knows no national frontiers.”

And it is just as obvious that those later occurrences in Revelation which apply to the damned are similarly ecumenical.

Symbolic Numbers

It is well accepted that the frequent mention of specific numbers mentioned in Revelation as well as the specific number of times certain words or phrases appear in the book all possess symbolic meaning in biblical thought. (see my post titled “How Numbers Are Used in the Bible” for more on this subject). With that in mind, note in Figure 1 that there are seven similar ennumerations of people groups. It is universally accepted by Bible scholars that the number “seven” is symbolic of completion or perfection. This number and its multiples appears numerous times in Revelation, which is highly appropriate since that book is the final revealing of God's plan for creation.

The next thing to note is that there are exactly four designations in each of the seven listings. Gunner cites passages such as Genesis 2:10 (four rivers watering the garden of Eden), Revelation 7:1 (four corners of the earth), four winds (Jeremiah 49:36), and Ezekiel 1 (four living creatures). All of them apply to the totality of God's creation on earth.

Progression

There are many different competing views concerning whether Revelation presents its ideas in a repetitive or chronological order or not. My own opinion is that those scholars espousing a Progressive Recapitulation viewpoint are closest to the mark (see my post titled “Different Lenses for the Book of Revelation”), although other readings are certainly possible. This particular way of viewing time in Revelation is to recognize that there is a slow movement forward chronologically as the book proceeds with frequent backtracking to cover earlier material using different imagery.

Thus, if you look at the context of each occurrence of the phrases in Figure 1, it becomes obvious that the people groups in 5:9 and 7:9 concern those destined to be saved while those in Revelation 13:7, 14:6 and 17:15 apply to those who will be condemned at the Last Judgment. That only leaves the people in 10:1 and 11:9 in the middle to be dealt with. And here we see some differences of opinion between scholars, with many not willing to make any judgment calls at all.

For example, the groups of people on the earth who “gaze on” the two dead witnesses in 11:9 could be considered as those who prefer to be mere bystanders rather than active participants either for or against any evil action that has been committed. And those referred to in 10:1 appear to be just as neutral concerning their commitment to God since, as RSV translates it, John is merely told to “prophesy about” them.

But Beale states, “Most translations render epi as 'about' or 'concerning'...This suggests that John's prophetic focus is general and concerns equally those who will suffer judgment because of sin and others who will suffer for their faith and be redeemed. But the accent is on judgment of the unrepentant ['prophesy against'].” He gives some reasons for making this assertion:

1. Ezekiel uses the phrase most and only three of his eighteen usages applies to a positive prophecy of blessing.

2. “In Dan. 3:4 LXX the formula precedes and follows 'the sound of a trumpet,' and here in Rev. 10:11 is preceded by the sound of the seventh angel when he is about to sound the trumpet' (10:7). John has used the phrase of all who are redeemed (5:9, 7:9), but now and hereafter he uses it of unbelievers”

Symmetrical Arrangement

Another way in which Revelation is ordered has been defended in my post titled “Book of Revelation: Introduction to the Literary Structure” and shown below:

Figure 2: Literary Structure of Revelation

I. Introduction (1:1-4:11)

II. Destruction on the Earth and its Inhabitants (5:1-11:19)

III. Judgment on God’s Enemies (12:1-20:15)

A. Demonic Forces on the Earth (12:1-16:1)

B. The Seven Plagues (16:2-21)

A'. The Fall of the Demonic Forces (17:1-20:15)

II'. The New Heaven and Earth and their Inhabitants (21:1-22:5)

I'. Conclusion (22:6-21)

With Figure 2 in mind, consider how the seven listings of four people groups are disposed within these sections. The first four occurrences are found in Section II while the others are located in IIIA and in IIIA'. But to be totally symmetrical, as we might expect, there is seemingly nothing to balance the four appearances in Section II'. However, it is intriguing to note that within the boundaries of II' (Rev. 21:1-22:5) we encounter the following four words again appearing, but separately this time, not together as before: peoples (21:3), tribes (21:12), nations (21:24a), and kings (21:24b). In that way the author has managed to preserve the symbolic nature of the number seven in his seven similar listings and at the same time create a wholly symmetrical word pattern running throughout the book – with four separate mentions in II' to balance the four lists in II.

Relation to Daniel 7

As with much of Revelation, it constantly alludes back to Old Testament Scripture. Beale and McDonough demonstrate the almost point-by-point correspondence between Daniel 7 and Revelation 4-5. Just looking at the parallels within chapter 5, we get the following:

Heavenly servants around the throne (Dan. 7:10b; Rev. 5:8,11,14)

Book(s) before the throne (Dan. 7:10c; Rev. 5:1-7)

Opening the book(s) (Dan. 7:10d; Rev. 5:2-5,9)

Divine figure receives authority to reign (Dan. 7:13-14a; Rev. 5:5b-7,9a,12-13)

Kingdom includes 'all peoples, etc.' (Dan 7:14a; Rev. 5:9b)

The seer's distress (Dan. 7:15; Rev. 5:4)

A heavenly throne servant counsels him (Dan. 7:16; Rev. 5:5a)

Saints also given authority to rule (Dan. 7:18,22,27a; Rev. 5:10)

God's eternal reign (Daniel 7:27b; Rev. 5:13-14)

On the other hand, Morris chooses to emphasize the differences between the two passages: “The expression reminds us of passages in Daniel (iii. 4,7,29, etc.). Some think John is quoting Daniel. But though our four terms are all found in either the LXX or Theodotion [Greek] translations, neither version has them all. Again, for the most part the Daniel references have three members, John's four.”

Relation to the Gospels

“Revelation's portrayal of the proclamation of 'the eternal gospel'...(Rev 14:6) does parallel the Matthean wording [in Mt. 24:9]. Further, the reference to 'all the nations'...as the target audience in Matthew 24:14, as well as in the Matthean and Lukan versions of the Great Commission (Mt 28:19; Lk 24:47), and the closing mention of 'the end of the age'...in Matthew 28:20 seem to establish that the conversion of the nations (see esp. Rev 7:9 'all nations'...), in the midst of great suffering and martyrdom, echoes the Synoptics as much as prior Jewish thought and expectation.” (Luter)

Revelation 10:11

This is one of two places in the book where another word, “kings”in this case, is substituted for “tribes” in the four-fold lists. Morris offers one possible explanation for its presence: “Here 'tribes' is replaced by 'kings' perhaps to suggest that God's word through the prophets takes precedence over the highest rank of human authority. It may be that the seven kings of 17:10 and the ten kings of 17:12 are in the Seer's purview.”

Notice that “the kings of the earth” appear a last time in Revelation 21:24, where they will bring their glory into the Lord's temple. Concerning them, Beale says, “Though 'kings of the earth' refers to wicked rulers in 17:2,18, the phrase may include 'good kings' in 1:5. Here converted kings are the subject since the phrase 'kings of the earth' is an expansion of 'kings' from Isa. 60:3,11. In the Isaiah text kings come to end-time Jerusalem to worship Yahweh, together with the nations...”

Revelation 17:15

In this case, “multitudes” is the group substituted for “tribes” in the four-fold listing of people. As Morris says, “The angel explains the waters on which the harlot sits (verse 1). They stand for a multitude of people over which the harlot is set...she has a great empire.”

“Isaiah 17:12-13 also uses the metaphor of 'many waters' for 'many nations'...The 'many waters' have already been seen to be an allusion to Jer. 51:13, where they refer to the waters of the Euphrates and the channels and canals that surround the city. These waters helped Babylon to flourish economically, and provided security against outside attack. The multitudes of humanity that the waters now represent are the basis for Babylon's economic trade and security.” (Beale and McDonough)

For my own part, I tend to see a sharp and purposeful contrast between the mere “multitudes” which serve Babylon in this last listing of the four people groups and the “myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands” of those in heaven who serve God in Revelation 5:11 in the context of the first four-fold listing (Rev. 5:9).

And I am sure that the above is only scratching the surface concerning whatever more might be discerned from these listings of four people groups.