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Echoes of Revelation
Revelation never quotes the Old Testament outright, yet no New Testament book refers to it more. See both texts side by side, why they don’t match, and what John does with them.
Revelation 19:5, all his servants, small and great
The call to praise from the throne gathers psalm phrases: all you his servants from Psalms 134 and 135, and those who fear him, small and great, from Psalm 115:13.
Revelation 19:5, in every translation this tool compares.
A host who calls everyone to the dance floor, young and old, is using an invitation older than the party. A voice from the throne calls God's people to praise. The words sound like the Psalms. All his servants is how Psalms 134 and 135 address worshipers. Those who fear him, small and great, comes from Psalm 115. John gathers these psalm calls into one invitation.
Praise our God, all his servants, those who fear him, the small and the great. The Greek of Psalm 115:13 has tous phoboumenous ton kyrion, tous mikrous meta ton megalon, those fearing the Lord, the small with the great. John has hoi phoboumenoi auton, hoi mikroi kai hoi megaloi.
The psalms speak of fearing the Lord; John has fearing him. Psalm 115 says small with great; John says small and great. The psalm blesses those who fear; John calls them to praise. Revelation 11:18 uses the same string of names for the believing community.
The servants whose blood was shed in verse 2 are the ones called to praise in verse 5. Beale reads the titles as names for all believers, not a special class. The small and the great means everyone, high or low.
Not proof that the voice is God speaking of himself. The voice says our God. Beale leaves open whether it is Christ, an angel or another heavenly figure.
Beale calls all his servants a collective allusion to Psalms 22:23, 134:1 and 135:1, 20 in the Greek, and links those who fear him, small and great, to Psalm 115, as at 11:18. He notes Charles's point that praise God (aineo with theos) sometimes renders the Hebrew hallelu-YHWH in the Septuagint, so the call may be another hallelujah. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible says the praise may echo Psalm 134:1 and 115:13. The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible calls praise our God the equivalent of hallelujah. The CSB Study Bible's cross-references list Psalm 115:13. The grade is drawn here by Beale's definitions: the phrases are traceable to these psalms, though each is short.
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- G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation (New International Greek Testament Commentary), comment on 19:5
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, note on Revelation 19:5
- NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, note on Revelation 19:5
- ESV Study Bible, note on Revelation 19:5
- CSB Study Bible, cross-references at Revelation 19:5
- Septuagint, Psalm 115:13, Interlinear Greek-English Septuagint
- SBL Greek New Testament (MorphGNT), Revelation 19:5
