Revelation 21:19
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
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;
American King James Version (AKJV)
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;
American Standard Version (ASV)
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Basic English Translation (BBE)
The bases of the wall of the town had ornaments of all sorts of beautiful stones. The first base was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Webster's Revision
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;
World English Bible
The foundations of the city's wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
English Revised Version (ERV)
The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
Clarke's Revelation 21:19 Bible Commentary
The foundations of the wall - Does not this mean the foundations or thresholds of the gates? The gates represented the twelve tribes, Revelation 21:12; and these foundations or thresholds, the twelve apostles, Revelation 21:14. There was no entrance into the city but through those gates, and none through the gates but over these thresholds. The whole of the Mosaic dispensation was the preparation of the Gospel system: without it the Gospel would have no original; without the Gospel, it would have no reference nor proper object. Every part of the Gospel necessarily supposes the law and the prophets. They are the gates, it is the threshold; without the Gospel no person could enter through those gates. The doctrine of Christ crucified, preached by the apostles, gives a solid foundation to stand on; and we have an entrance into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, Hebrews 10:19, etc. And in reference to this we are said to be built on the Foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone, Ephesians 2:20.
The first foundation was jasper - A stone very hard, some species of which are of a sea-green color; but it is generally a bright reddish brown.
The second, sapphire - This is a stone of a fine blue color, next in hardness to the diamond.
The third, a chalcedony - A genus of the semipellucid gems, of which there are four species: -
1. A bluish white; this is the most common sort.
2. The dull milky veined; this is of little worth.
3. The brownish black; the least beautiful of all.
4. The yellow and red; the most beautiful, as it is the most valuable of all. Hitherto this has been found only in the East Indies.
The fourth, an emerald - This is of a bright green color without any mixture, and is one of the most beautiful of all the gems, The true oriental emerald as very scarce, and said to be found only in the kingdom of Cambay.
Barnes's Revelation 21:19 Bible Commentary
And the foundations of the wall of the city - notes on Revelation 21:14.
Were garnished - Were adorned, or decorated. That is, the foundations were composed of precious stones, giving them this highly ornamented and brilliant appearance.
The first foundation - The first "row, layer, or course." notes on Revelation 21:14.
Was jasper - See the notes on Revelation 4:3.
The second, sapphire - This stone is not elsewhere mentioned in the New Testament. It is a precious stone, next in hardness to the diamond, usually of an azure or sky-blue color, but of various shades.
The third, a chalcedony - This word occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. The stone referred to is an uncrystallized translucent variety of quartz, having a whitish color, and of a luster nearly like wax. It is found covering the sides of cavities, and is a deposit from filtrated silicious waters. When it is arranged in "stripes," it constitutes "agate"; and if the stripes are horizontal, it is the "onyx." The modern "carnelian" is a variety of this. The carnelian is of a deep flesh red, or reddishwhite color. The name chalcedony is from "Chalcedon," a town in Asia Minor, opposite to Byzantium, or Constantinople, where this stone was probably first known (Webster's Dictionary).
The fourth, an emerald - See the notes on Revelation 4:3. The emerald is green.
Wesley's Revelation 21:19 Bible Commentary
21:19 And the foundations were adorned with precious stones - That is, beautifully made of them. The precious stones on thehigh priest's breastplate of judgment were a proper emblem to express the happiness of God's church in his presence with them, and in the blessing of his protection. The like ornaments on the foundations of the walls of this city may express the perfect glory and happiness of all the inhabitants of it from the most glorious presence and protection of God. Each precious stone was not the ornament of the foundation, but the foundation itself.The colours of these are remarkably mixed. A jasper is of the colour of white marble, with a light shade of green and of red; a sapphire is of a sky - blue, speckled with gold; a chalcedony, or carbuncle, of the colour of red - hot iron; an emerald, of a grass green.
