Revelation 21:5

ἰδού. A has καὶ ἰδού.

λέγει. Text. Rec[803] adds μοι with אP 1.

[803] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

ἀληθινοί. B2 Syr[804] Arm[805] add τοῦ θεοῦ.

[804] Syriac.
[805] Armenian.

5. εἶπεν ὁ καθήμενος. The first time that He speaks. The reference is rather to the eternal throne of Revelation 4:2 than to the judgement-throne of Revelation 20:11, so far as the two can be distinguished.

ἰδού, καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα. Some O.T. parallels are alleged, e.g. Isaiah 43:19; Jeremiah 31:22; but really the only close parallel is 2 Corinthians 5:17; and the meaning of this passage is, of course, even fuller than of that.

καὶ λέγει. It is doubtful whether the speaker is still “He that sat on the throne”; for a similar command to “write” has been given already (Revelation 14:13; Revelation 19:9; cf. Revelation 10:4), either by an impersonal “voice from heaven” or by the revealing angel. The question is best left open. The repetition of the words “He said unto me” in the next verse is a reason against ascribing all three speeches to “Him that sat on the throne”; the fresh mention of a revealing angel in Revelation 21:9 is perhaps a stronger one against supposing an angel to be speaking here; and the form of the words themselves is against their referring to an impersonal voice.

ὄτι. Is probably the reason for writing, possibly it only serves like quotation marks to introduce the following words which are to be written.

πιστοὶ καὶ�, Revelation 3:14; Revelation 19:11 and still more exactly Revelation 22:6.