REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE - Chapter 1 - Verse 15

Verse 15. And his feet like unto fine brass. Compare Da 10:6, "And his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass." See also Eze 1:7, "And they" [the feet of the living creatures] "sparkled like the colour of burnished brass." The word here used—calkolibanw— occurs in the New Testament only here and in Re 2:18. It is not found in the Septuagint. The word properly means white brass, (probably compounded of calkov, brass, and libanov, whiteness, from the

HEBREW

to be white.) Others regard it as from calkov, brass, and liparon, clear. The metal referred to was undoubtedly a species of brass distinguished for its clearness or whiteness. Brass is a compound metal, composed of copper and zinc. The colour varies much according to the different proportions of the various ingredients. The Vulgate here renders the word aurichalcum, a mixture of gold and of brass—perhaps the same as the hlektron—the electrum of the ancients, composed of gold and of silver, usually in the proportion of four parts gold and one part silver, and distinguished for its brilliancy. See Robinson, Lex., and Wetstein, in loc. The kind of metal here referred to, however, would seem to be some compound of brass—of a whitish and brilliant colour. The exact proportion of the ingredients in the metal here referred to cannot now be determined.

As if they burned in a furnace. That is, his feet were so bright that they seemed to be like a beautiful metal glowing intensely in the midst of a furnace. Any one who has looked upon the dazzling and almost insupportable brilliancy of metal in a furnace, can form an idea of the image here presented.

And his voice as the sound of many waters. As the roar of the ocean, or of a cataract. Nothing could be a more sublime description of majesty and authority than to compare the voice of a speaker with the roar of the ocean. This comparison often occurs in the Scriptures. See Eze 43:2, "And behold the glory of the God of Israel came from the east: and his voice was like the sound of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory." So Re 14:2; 19:6. Compare Eze 1:24 Da 10:6.

{a} "feet" Eze 1:7 {b} "voice" Eze 43:2 {c} "sharp" Isa 49:2; Heb 4:12 {d} "sun" Re 10:1; Ac 26:13