Revelation 21:19

The foundations of the city walls were adorned with every kind of precious stone: The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — John records a vision of the holy city descending from God. He describes the architectural details of the city's walls as they are revealed to him.

The words — θεμέλιοι (themelioi) translates literally to "foundations" or "bases," referring to the structural supports of the wall. The text specifies that these foundations are adorned with every kind of precious stone.

The thread — The description of gemstone-adorned foundations echoes the precious stones set in the high priest’s breastplate in Exodus 28:17 and the mineral-strewn foundations promised to Jerusalem in Isaiah 54:11. These references connect the city's structure to priestly service and divine restoration.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that the city's structural integrity and beauty are derived from specific, ordered materials rather than human craftsmanship. It requires the reader to note the precise sequence and variety of stones without adding symbolic meaning not present in the description.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

Cross-references

Isaiah 54:11 “O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires.
Exodus 28:17 And mount on it a setting of gemstones, four rows of stones: In the first row there shall be a ruby, a topaz, and an emerald;
Job 28:16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx or sapphire.
Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.
Exodus 29:10 You are to present the bull at the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons are to lay their hands on its head.