Revelation 19:1

Hallelujah (ἀλληλούΐ́α) Hebrew. Praise ye the Lord. Only in Revelation and in this chapter. Fifteen of the Psalms either begin or end with this word. The Jewish anthem of praise (Psalm 104-109), sung chiefly at the feasts of the Passover and of Tabernacles, derived its title of the Great Hallel from the frequent use of that phrase. Honor Omit. On the doxologies in Revelation, see on Revelation 1:6.

And {1} after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, {a} {2} Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (1) This chapter has in summary two parts, one transitory or of passage to the things that follow, to the tenth verse, Re 19:2-10, another historical of the victory of Christ over both the beasts, to the end of the chapter Re 19:11-21, which I said was the second history of this argument, Re 17:1. The transition has two places, one of praising God for the overthrow done to Babylon in Re 19:4: and another likewise of praise and prophecy, for the coming of Christ to his kingdom, and his most royal marriage with his Church, thence to the tenth verse Re 19:5-10. The former praise has three parts, distinguished after the ancient manner of those that sing: an invitation in Re 19:1,2, a response or answer in Re 19:3, and a close or joining together in harmony in Re 19:4, all which I thought good of purpose to distinguish in this place, lest any man should with Porphyrius, or other like dogs, object to John, or the heavenly Church, a childish and idle repetition of speech. (a) Praise the Lord. (2) The proposition of praise with exhortation in this verse, and the cause of it in Re 19:2.

Revelation 19:1-3 . And after these things — After this affecting representation of the certain destruction of Babylon, as the seat of the antichristian kingdom; I heard a great voice of much people in heaven — A great chorus, who, with united voices, began to praise God on the occasion, saying, Alleluia — That is, Praise ye Jehovah, or, He that is, and was, and is to come; a title which, of all others, is the most peculiar to the everlasting God. Salvation, glory, honour, and power be ascribed unto the Lord our God — To whom only they belong. The salvation spoken of is opposed to the destruction which the great whore had brought upon the earth: his power and his glory appear from the judgment executed on her, and from the setting up of his kingdom to endure through all ages. For true and righteous are his judgments — His judgments show him to be righteous, true, and faithful; for he hath judged the great whore — His punishment of mystical Babylon, for her pride, superstition, and idolatry, declares his righteousness; and his truth and faithfulness to his promises are illustriously manifested in his avenging the blood of his servants on her, who so cruelly put them to death for their faith in his word and constancy in his religion. And again they said, Alleluia — With their hearts inflamed with gratitude and joy. And her smoke rose up — Αναβαινει , rises up, for they seem to be the words of the same heavenly chorus which praised in the preceding language.

As if they had said, Let our God be glorified, who in this last judgment hath put an end to this persecuting power for ever. It shall not henceforth, as formerly, rise up again to afflict his saints. This city shall lie waste from generation to generation, never to be restored. Mr. Daubuz observes: “The two alleluias in this part of the hymn correspond to the messages of the two angels, one of which proclaims the fall of Babylon, and the other shows its destruction to be perpetual.” The expression, her smoke rose up, &c., intimated that Rome should be made as signal a monument of divine vengeance as Sodom and Gomorrah had been. It is taken from Isaiah 34:9-10 , where by Edom the Jews understand Rome; and in the genuine editions of the Chaldee paraphrase it is, And the rivers of Rome shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch: — it shall not be quenched night nor day: the smoke shall go up for ever. And this tradition of the rabbins may receive some confirmation from this verse.

Further Thanksgivings. Chap. 19 Revelation 19:1-6 1 . And after ] Omit “and.” a great voice ] Read, as it were a great voice . Salvation &c.] Cf. Revelation 7:10 ; also Revelation 4:11 , Revelation 5:12-13 , Revelation 7:12 . and honour ] Should be omitted. unto the Lord our God ] Read, [ are ] our God’s .

Revelation 19:1 . Φωνὴν , a voice ) Widely different from the complaints described in ch. 18— ἀλληλούϊα , Hallelujah ) This is a most weighty cry, respecting which we deem it necessary to make some remarks. § 1. It is a Hebrew word הללו יה , compounded of הללו and יה . § 2. The name יָהּ occurs in hymns of the Old Testament; Exodus 15:2 , Isaiah 38:11 , Psalm 118:5 ; Psalm 118:14 ; Psalm 118:17-19 , and elsewhere repeatedly, especially in this very Hallelujah, which the Apocalypse alone contains in the New Testament, and that in this one chapter, but repeatedly. § 3. Some derive יָהּ from יָאָה , and refer it to the Divine comeliness; but, as many acknowledge, under this name is rather denoted, He who is. § 4. Hiller, in his Onom. p. 262, supports the threefold repetition of the letter of breathing ההה , from which, by a change of the second radical into י or ו , the theme היה and הוה , and moreover the name אהיה and יהוה , are derived. § 5. In the same manner is formed ייָהּ by י for ה (as in עֹטְיָה for עֹטְהָה and אֶהֱמָיָה for אֶהֱמָהָה ) and by הּ marked with the mappik:[207] for as from the final הּ is formed the middle ה , in like manner from the middle ה is formed the final הּ , as in נֹהַּ from נהה , and in other words, which Cocceius has well remarked upon in his Lexicon, col. 284. [207] The tittle in ח final, making the letter emphatic, which otherwise would be quiescent.—E. § 6.

I obtrude this analysis upon the attention of no one: no one, however, will readily deny, that He, Who is , is called יָהּ ; and that remains firm, even though you should derive it with Hiller from יהי , the future; for the phrase, καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος , has already before been given for the pause (close of the formula): see above on ch. Revelation 11:17 . In the three clauses, ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ὢ καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος , the times had to be accurately distinguished; but when the יָהּ is found separately, the derivation from יהי does not remove the force of present time, as is seen in so many proper names of men. The LXX. use the name, ὁ ὢν , Exodus 3:14 , and (where there was less occasion for it) Jeremiah 1:5 (6), Jeremiah 14:13 , Jeremiah 32:17 : and יָהּ itself has the same meaning as ὁ ὢν , Euthymius explaining it in Fuller, Miscell. pp. 486, 487. Add Drusius on this passage. § 7. That the name יָהּ is not curtailed from the name יְהֹוָה , is evident from this, that יְהֹוָה is used much more frequently than יָהּ , and that it is quoted sometimes jointly יָהּ יְהֹוָה . § 8. As God commanded by Moses that He should be called יְהֹוָהּ , immediately upon the very coming out of Egypt, the name יָהּ was also introduced in the Song of Moses, Exodus 15:2 , in these words: עזי וזמרת יה ויהי לי לישועה , where, from a most present feeling of that most saving Divine work, the Lord is called יָהּ , ὁ ὤν . Hence this name is quoted only in Songs.

Revelation 19:1 . Here only in N.T. (after the ruin of sinners, as Psalm 104:35 ) the liturgical hallelujah of the psalter and synagogue worship occurs. In Revelation 19:1 ; Revelation 19:3 ; Revelation 19:6 it stands as usual first, an invocation = “praise Jah”; but in Revelation 19:4 it is responsive, as in Pss. 104–5., 115–117. (the latter being sung at the passover; cf. Revelation 19:7 ).

XIX. THE CHORUS OF THE HEAVENLY MULTITUDE REJOICING OVER HER FALL. (1-3) And after these things I heard . . .—Or, I heard, as it were, a mighty voice of a great multitude in the heaven, saying. The saints who were bidden in the last chapter to rejoice are now heard raising their songs as in one great voice of praise. The song is as follows:— Alleluia! The salvation, and the glory, and the power Are our God’s, Because true and righteous are His judgments, Because He judged the great harlot, who corrupted the earth in her fornication, And avenged the blood of His servants out of her hand, Alleluia. This last “Alleluia” clearly belongs to the song or chorus. It is separated from the body of it by the descriptive words (Revelation 19:3), And again they said, Alleluia; or better, and a second time they have said. The Evangelist, as he writes, seems to hear once more the strains of the anthem: he writes down the words. and, as the final “Alleluia” bursts forth after a musical pause, he writes, “once more they have said Alleluia.” The word Alleluia occurs in this passage no less than four times (Revelation 19:1; Revelation 19:3-4; Revelation 19:6): it is nowhere else used in the New Testament; but it is familiar to us in the Psalms, as fifteen of them begin or end with “Praise ye the Lord,” or “Hallelujah;” and the genius of Handel has enshrined the word in imperishable music.