Revelation 5:6

καὶ εἶδον. With אB2P 1 Cyp[193] Primas[194]; Text. Rec[195] reads καὶ εἶδον καὶ ἰδού with Vg[196]; A reads καὶ ἰδού.

[193] St Cyprian as quoted by Haussleiter.
[194] Primasius, edited by Haussleiter.
[195] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.
[196] Vulgate.

ἑστηκώς. With א 1; Text. Rec[197] ἑστηκὸς with AB2P.

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

ἔχων. With אAB2; Text. Rec[198] and Lachmann read ἔχον with P.

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

6. καὶ εἶδον. There is high ancient authority for substituting καὶ ἰδοὺ, and some for adding it.

ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θρόνου. See on Revelation 4:6. In this passage, the sense might be merely “in the centre of the (semicircular?) space surrounded by …,” but Revelation 7:17 disproves this. If it be not rash to attempt to work out the details of the picture, I would conjecture that the four living creatures were under the four corners of the Throne, with their heads and wings projecting beyond it: and the Lamb stood in the midst of the front of it, appearing as proceeding from between the feet of Him who sat thereon.

ἀρνίον. See Isaiah 53:7 : John 1:29; John 1:36. Too much importance has been given to the fact that St John uses a different Greek word here from that in his Gospel, and in the LXX. of Isaiah. It is doubtful whether the LXX. is used in the O.T. references in this book; and the form here used is a diminutive and a neuter. It is awkward to use a neuter noun of a Person; but in this book St John boldly uses masculines in reference to the Lamb (as in his Gospel he once or twice does in reference to the Spirit): while in the Gospel he is less regardless of grammatical rules, and therefore prefers the masc. form.

ἑστηκὼς ὡς ἐσφαγμένον. If ἑστηκὼς be right we should surely read ἰδοὺ above, a masculine nominative participle agreeing with a neuter accusative would be almost incredibly harsh. The construction calls attention to the paradox—a Lamb appearing with its throat cut, yet not lying dead or dying, but standing. It serves to typify “Him that liveth and was dead, and is alive for evermore” (Revelation 1:18). The risen Christ bore, and doubtless bears, the wounds of His Passion unaltered—unhealed, though apparently not bleeding, John 20:25; John 20:27.

κέρατα ἑπτὰ κ.τ.λ. The Spirit is made to Him both strength and wisdom. The horn is throughout the Bible the symbol of conquering might and glory: see e.g. 1 Kings 22:11; Zechariah 1:18 sqq., while 1 Samuel 2:1, &c. shew that divine glory as well as earthly may be so expressed. For the seven eyes, see Zechariah 3:9; Zechariah 4:10.

τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα. Revelation 1:4; Revelation 4:5.

ἀπεσταλμένοι. Taken, of course, from Zechariah 4:10 already referred to. The seven lamps of Revelation 4:5 represent the Spirit as eternally proceeding from and belonging to the Father: these represent Him as sent by the Son and belonging to the Son.