The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Revelation 21:18
What does Revelation 21:18 mean?
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Revelation 21:18
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The description of the city being "pure gold, like clear glass" isn't just about opulent materials; it reveals a dazzling transparency. This suggests that in God's perfect dwelling, every part of the city, and by extension its inhabitants, will be free from hiddenness, corruption, or any impurity, reflecting His light completely.
The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
English Standard Version (ESV)
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, described as a bride adorned for her husband. Following the awe-inspiring descriptions of its foundations and gates, the focus shifts to the city's materials, highlighting its purity, brilliance, and immense value. This opulent description continues the vision of God's ultimate dwelling place with His redeemed people.
Imagine a wall so sturdy, so brilliant, it can only be made of jasper. What does this incredible material tell us about the security of God's eternal dwelling place?
The description of the wall being built of jasper immediately emphasizes the absolute security and impregnability of the New Jerusalem. Jasper, a hard and often brightly colored precious stone, symbolizes God's enduring strength and the unfailing protection He provides for His people.
The city itself is pure gold, not just adorned with it. What does this profound statement reveal about the very essence of heaven and its inhabitants?
The city being 'pure gold' signifies that its very substance and value are divine. This isn't about earthly riches, but about the intrinsic purity, perfection, and divine presence that characterize heaven.
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Understand the original words
iaspis · Greek Noun
A precious stone often associated with the glory, radiance, and holiness of God’s presence; in Revelation, it symbolizes the brilliant, untarnished purity of the New Jerusalem.
chrysion · Greek Noun
Gold represents the highest value, divine royalty, and incorruptibility; as a building material, it signifies the heavenly realm's eternal nature and glorious worth.
This passage lists the precious stones, including jasper, that adorned the high priest's breastpiece, highlighting their value and beauty, which connects to the jasper wall of New Jerusalem.
Psalm 72:16This psalm speaks of abundance in the land, with grain and its produce being plentiful and golden, evoking a sense of rich, abundant prosperity that mirrors the golden city described.
Isaiah 54:11-12This prophetic passage describes Jerusalem being rebuilt with precious stones and battlements of jewels, directly paralleling the precious materials used in the New Jerusalem's construction.
1 Corinthians 3:12-13Paul discusses building with gold, silver, and precious stones upon the foundation of Christ, with everything being revealed by fire, suggesting a spiritual reality of preciousness and purity that transcends the literal.
Hebrews 11:16This verse speaks of believers looking forward to a heavenly city, a better country, that God has prepared for them, connecting the desire for and reality of this divine city to the ultimate hope of those who trust in Him.
ellicottRevelation 21:18: "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
THE BUILDING OR MATERIAL OF THE CITY. (18) And the building of the wall . . .—Or, And the building-work (or, the masonry, so Alford) of the wall of it was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass. The general aspect of the city was jasperlike, because the material of the wall was of the jasper stone. On this stone, see Note on Revelation 4:3, and on Revelation 21:1…
pulpitRevelation 21:18: "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass."
Verse 18. - And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass; pure glass. The exceeding brightness and purity is the idea contained in both expressions - the light of ver. 11, which is there associated with jasper and crystal. (On "jasper," see on ver. 11 and Revelation 4:3.) The whole description is, of course, typical, not…
The description of the city being "pure gold, like clear glass" isn't just about opulent materials; it reveals a dazzling transparency. This suggests that in God's perfect dwelling, every part of the city, and by extension its inhabitants, will be free from hiddenness, corruption, or any impurity, reflecting His light completely.
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, described as a bride adorned for her husband. Following the awe-inspiring descriptions of its foundations and gates, the focus shifts to the city's materials, highlighting its purity, brilliance, and immense value. This opulent description continues the vision of God's ultimate dwelling place with His redeemed people.
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, described as a bride adorned for her husband. Following the awe-inspiring descriptions of its foundations and gates, the focus shifts to the city's materials, highlighting its purity, brilliance, and immense value. This opulent description continues the vision of God's ultimate dwelling place with His redeemed people.
"The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass." — The description of the city being "pure gold, like clear glass" isn't just about opulent materials; it reveals a dazzling transparency. This suggests that in God's perfect dwelling, every part of the…
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Last reviewed October 2026