And each of the four living creatures has six wings, and around and inside they are full of eyes. Neither by day nor by night do they cease to say: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come!”
4:8 — And the four living creatures each had six wings, and around and inside they were full of eyes and they did not cease day and night to say: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and he who is to come Compare Isaiah 6:2, the seraphim (an order of angels). — full of eyes — symbolic of his universal perception of the Majesty of God. — And they did not cease… he is to come — There is no interruption in his praise; there is no intermission. They are constant in their worship. It is what the Sovereignty of God demands and deserves. All his creatures naturally adore him. This implies much, both to the saint and to the unbeliever.
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
each had six wings. Isaiah 6:2; Eze 1:6; Eze 10:21, Eze 10:22; 2Ti 4:2.
full of eyes Rev 4:6; 1Ti 4:16.
and they did not cease night or day. Rev 7:15; Isaiah 62:1, Isaiah 62:6, Isaiah 62:7; Ac 20:31; 1Thess 2:9; 2Thess 3:8, 2Thess 3:9.
Holy, holy, holy. Rev 3:7; Exo 15:11; Isaiah 6:3.
it is the Lord God Almighty. Rev 1:8; Rev 11:17; Rev 15:3; Rev 16:7, Rev 16:14; Rev 19:15; Rev 21:22; Gen 17:1; Ps 91:1; Isaiah 13:6; Joe 1:15; 2Co 6:18.
what was, and what is, and what is to come. Rev 4:4; Hebrews 13:8.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
Rest is a physical necessity of life on earth, but in heaven it will be unnecessary. There is a permanent adoration day and night.
Holy, holy, holy resembles the heavenly scene seen in Isaiah 6:1-10.
who was, who is and who is to come speaks of the eternal nature of God; the past, present and future. The elders cast their crowns before the throne to symbolize the desire to submit their authority in light of the merit of God as Creator. Since no one doubts God’s ability to create, only He can be worshiped and recognized as His sovereign.
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. All creation accentuates and praises the holiness of God (see ARTICLE PRAISE, P. 714. ). To be holy means to be separated from sin, injustice and evil, and to dedicate oneself to justice, goodness and purity. Holiness is an eternal attribute of God; will never change his holiness (see Isaiah 6:1; Isaiah 6:3notes, and ARTICLE THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD, P. 823. ).
Source: Full Life Study Bible
full of eyes See the note on v. Rev 4:6. Holy, holy, holy. Many times God is exalted by his holiness in this threefold expression because it is the sum of all that He is and his most salient attribute (see note on Isaiah 6:3). who was, who is, and who is to come. See the note on Rev 1:4.
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
4:8 — And the four living creatures each had six wings, and around and within were full of eyes and they did not cease day and night to say: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and he that is to come —
Compare Isa 6:2, the seraphim (an order of angels).
— full of eyes — symbolic of his universal perception of the Majesty of God.
— and they did not cease… is to come — There is no interruption in their praise; there is no intermission. They are constant in their worship. It is what the Sovereignty of God demands and deserves. All of his creatures naturally adore him. This implies much, both to the saint and to the unbeliever.
Source: Reeves-Partain Notes
Rev 1:4; Rev 1:8; Isaiah 6:2-3; Eze 1:18.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
— four living creatures… six wings: It is not easy to decipher the symbolism of these winged beings that seem to evoke OT passages such as Exo 25:17-22; 1Sa 4:4; Isaiah 6:1-7; Eze 1:5-21; Eze 10:1-14; Salt 80:1.
Source: Hispano-American Interdenominational Translation
GRADES
(1) Or: “inside”.
(2) “Holy, holy, holy,” AVgSyh; א* says “holy” eight times. See App. 1J.
(3) See App. 1D.
(4) See Rev 1:8, n: “Almighty”.
CROSS-REFERENCES
z242Rev 5:8
to 243 Isa 6:2
b244 Pro 15:3; Eze 1:18; Eze 10:12; Hebrews 4:13
c245 Isa 6:3; Luke 1:49
d 246 Exo 6:3; Rev 11:17; Rev 15:3
e 247 Exo 3:14; Rev 1:4
Source: New World Translation
Holy, Holy, Holy. The word is repeated to emphasize the holiness of God or to indicate the holiness of the members of the Trinity (cf. Is 6:3). This is the first of five worship hymns in chapters 4 and 5, and they are interpretations of the visions.
Source: The Bible of the Americas
8 (1) The fact that it is said holy three times, as in Isa_6:3, implies that God is triune.
8 (two) The use of three different tenses in speaking of God’s existence also implies that God is triune. See note 4 (3) of chap. 1.
Source: New Testament Commentary Recovery Version
living beings… → Eze 1:5-10; Eze 10:14; full of eyes… → Eze 1:18; Eze 10:12; Holy… → Isaiah 6:2-3.
Source: Textual Bible IV Edition
M66 Ἀνά has a distributive meaning: six wings each (comp. T266).
BD493(1) Note the repetition of the word ἅγιος for emphasis.
Source: Grammar Help for the Study of the Greek New Testament
lit., having
Lit., have no rest, saying:
Source: The Bible of the Americas
g Eze 1:18; Eze 10:12.
4.8 Holy, u8230? g Isaiah 6:3.
4.8g Isaiah 6:2-3.
4.8g 1.4 note.