Revelation 21:18-19
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The verse highlights that the city's buildings aren't just like pure gold, but are pure gold, clear as glass. This isn't about wealth, but about the perfect transparency and uncorrupted holiness of God's presence and His people in eternity.
The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,
English Standard Version (ESV)
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, a city built for God's people. The preceding verses describe the city's immense size and its precious foundations, while the following verses detail its twelve gates and their pearl construction. This passage focuses on the awe-inspiring materials of the city's walls and the city itself, emphasizing purity and divine radiance.
The wall of the New Jerusalem isn't made of bricks and mortar, but of a single, magnificent gemstone. What does this reveal about God's protection for His people?
The Unyielding Defense
The Bible describes the wall of the New Jerusalem as being built of jasper. This isn't just a pretty stone; in ancient understanding, jasper was known for its incredible hardness and durability. It's a stone that speaks of strength and permanence.
This imagery suggests that God's protection over His people in the New Jerusalem is absolute and unbreakable. It's not something that can be breached or eroded. Think of it as the ultimate security system, built by God Himself, ensuring eternal safety and peace for those who dwell within.
The city itself is described as pure gold, but with a startling comparison: like clear glass. What does this seemingly contradictory image tell us about the reality of heaven?
Radiance and Transparency
The city of New Jerusalem is "pure gold, like clear glass." This description combines two powerful ideas.
1. Pure Gold: Gold in Scripture often symbolizes divine value, perfection, and intrinsic worth. It speaks of something precious, incorruptible, and radiant. The "pure gold" signifies the incredible value and perfection of the heavenly city and its inhabitants.
2. Like Clear Glass: The addition of "like clear glass" is crucial. Unlike the opaque gold we know, this heavenly gold is transparent. This transparency speaks of perfect purity, clarity, and openness. There are no hidden motives, no deceit, no corruption. Everything in God's presence is perfectly clear and pure, reflecting His own flawless nature.
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Together, these images paint a picture of a reality that is both supremely valuable and utterly transparent – a place of perfect, unblemished glory.
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.
themēlios · Greek Noun
The base upon which a structure is built; in scripture, it symbolizes the foundational truths, established righteousness, or the apostolic and prophetic witness upon which the kingdom of God is established.
lithos timios · Greek Noun Phrase
Precious stones in the Bible often represent the beauty, variety, and incomparable worth of God's creation, particularly when used to adorn the sacred dwelling places of God (like the High Priest's breastpiece or the New Jerusalem).
sappheiros · Greek Noun
A precious blue stone; it frequently symbolizes the color of the heavens or the throne of God, representing holiness, divine authority, and majesty.
chalkēdōn · Greek Noun
An ancient precious stone (likely chalcedony or similar); in biblical lists of gems, it represents the richness of creation brought into the service and glory of the Creator.
smaragdos · Greek Noun
A brilliant green stone; it often evokes themes of life, freshness, and the enduring vitality of God's creation, appearing in visions of God’s throne.
This passage describes God's throne as resembling jasper, connecting the precious stone to divine presence and glory, much like the jasper wall of the New Jerusalem signifies its divine construction.
1 Corinthians 3:12This verse discusses building with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw on the foundation of Christ, paralleling the precious materials used in the heavenly city and relating them to the quality and enduring nature of our spiritual works.
Isaiah 60:19This prophecy speaks of the sun no longer being the light for the city, as the Lord Himself will be its eternal light, echoing the radiant, self-illuminating glory of the New Jerusalem described with gold and clear glass.
Zechariah 14:20-21This passage foretells a time when holiness will be paramount, even on everyday items like the pots and pans in Jerusalem, suggesting a pervasive purity and sacredness that aligns with the pure gold and transparent nature of the heavenly city.
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 verse highlights that the city's buildings aren't just like pure gold, but are pure gold, clear as glass. This isn't about wealth, but about the perfect transparency and uncorrupted holiness of God's presence and His people in eternity.
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, a city built for God's people. The preceding verses describe the city's immense size and its precious foundations, while the following verses detail its twelve gates and their pearl construction. This passage focuses on the awe-inspiring materials of the city's walls and the city itself, emphasizing purity and divine radiance.
John is witnessing the New Jerusalem descending from heaven, a city built for God's people. The preceding verses describe the city's immense size and its precious foundations, while the following verses detail its twelve gates and their pearl construction. This passage focuses on the awe-inspiring materials of the city's walls and the city itself, emphasizing purity and divine radiance.
"The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald," — The verse highlights that the city's buildings aren't just like pure gold, but are pure gold, clear as glass. This isn't about wealth, but about the perfect transparency and uncorrupted holiness…
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Last reviewed October 2026
