“Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 5:12 Mean?
Revelation 5:12 is the song of hundreds of millions of angels — and every word is an ascription to the Lamb. "Saying with a loud voice" — legontes phōnē megalē. Not a whisper. Not a murmur. A megalē phōnē — a great, thundering, stadium-shaking voice. The volume matches the number of the singers and the worthiness of the One they're singing to.
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" — axion estin to arnion to esphagmenon. Axios — worthy, deserving, of matching weight. The Lamb — arnion, the diminutive, the young lamb, the sacrificial animal. Esphagmenon — slain, slaughtered, throat-cut in the manner of a sacrifice. The credentials for this worship are scars. The Lamb is worthy not because He conquered with force but because He was slaughtered. The death is the qualification.
"To receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" — labein tēn dunamin kai plouton kai sophian kai ischun kai timēn kai doxan kai eulogian. Seven attributes — the number of divine completeness. Power (dunamis — inherent ability). Riches (ploutos — wealth, abundance). Wisdom (sophia — the capacity to know and act rightly). Strength (ischus — raw might). Honour (timē — value, worth, the esteem due). Glory (doxa — radiant splendor). Blessing (eulogia — praise, the good word spoken over someone).
Seven attributes. One Lamb. One act of slaughter. The slain Lamb receives everything — and the everything is delivered by a choir so vast it defies counting. The universe's response to sacrificial love is total, complete, sevenfold worship.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which of the seven attributes are you most reluctant to ascribe to the Lamb — power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour, glory, or blessing?
- 2.How does the Lamb's slaughter being His credential for worship change how you view your own suffering?
- 3.If heaven's song declares the Lamb worthy of everything, what are you still withholding?
- 4.What would it look like to join this song with your daily life — to give Christ the power, riches, and honour that are His?
Devotional
Seven attributes. One slain Lamb. And a hundred million voices saying: You deserve all of it.
The song doesn't list generic qualities. It names seven specific things the Lamb is worthy to receive — and together they cover the totality of what exists. Power — every form of ability and authority. Riches — every form of wealth and abundance. Wisdom — every dimension of knowledge and discernment. Strength — every expression of might and force. Honour — every measure of value and esteem. Glory — every manifestation of splendor and radiance. Blessing — every word of praise and gratitude.
All seven. Not some. All. The slain Lamb receives the complete inventory of what could possibly be given — because the slaying earned it all. The death that looked like total loss is the qualification for total gain. The Lamb who emptied Himself of everything receives everything back — and more — from a choir whose size matches the scale of what He's receiving.
The credential is the wound. "That was slain" — esphagmenon, the participle that never drops from the Lamb's description. In heaven, the Lamb doesn't cover His scars. He wears them as credentials. The slaughter marks aren't embarrassing memories of a temporary defeat. They're the permanent qualification for the permanent worship. The wound is why the song is being sung.
Every gift you've ever received — power, resources, intelligence, strength, reputation, beauty, praise — belongs to Him. Not metaphorically. The angelic choir is declaring the ownership. The Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive everything you have. The question is whether you're joining the song or holding something back.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Saying with a loud voice,.... To signify their zeal, fervour, and affection for Christ, and to make a free, open, and…
Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain - See the notes on Rev 5:2, Rev 5:9. The idea here is, that…
To receive power - That is, Jesus Christ is worthy to take, λαβειν, to have ascribed to him, power - omnipotence; riches…
Here, I. The apostle beholds this book taken into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to its being unsealed and…
power, &c. Lit. the power. Notice that the praises ascribed are either sevenfold, as here; fourfold, as in the next…
Cross References
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