Revelation 22:5
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God gives them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And there will be no more night; and they have no need of a light or of the shining of the sun; for the Lord God will give them light: and they will be ruling for ever and ever.
Webster's Revision
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
World English Bible
There will be no night, and they need no lamp light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Clarke's Revelation 22:5 Bible Commentary
There shall be no night there - See the 23d (note) and 25th (note) verses of the preceding chapter (Revelation 21:23 and Revelation 21:25).
Barnes's Revelation 22:5 Bible Commentary
And there shall be no night there - notes on Revelation 21:25.
And they need no candle - No lamp; no artificial light, as in a world where there is night and darkness.
Neither light of the sun; for the Lord God, ... - See the notes on Revelation 21:23.
And they shall reign forever and ever - That is, with God; they shall be as kings. See the notes on Revelation 5:10; Revelation 20:6. Compare the Romans 8:16 note; 2 Timothy 2:11-12 note.
Remarks On Revelation 21:1-5 And Revelation 22:1-5
This portion of the Apocalypse contains the most full and complete continuous description of the state of the righteous, in the world of blessedness, that is to be found in the Bible. It seems to be proper, therefore, to pause on it for a moment, and to state in a summary manner what will be the principal features of that blessedness. All can see that, as a description, it occupies an appropriate place, not only in regard to this book, but to the volume of revealed truth. In reference to this particular book, it is the appropriate close of the account of the conflicts, the trials, and the persecutions of the church; in reference to the whole volume of revealed truth, it is appropriate because it occurs in the last of the inspired books that was written. It was proper that a volume of revealed truth given to mankind, and designed to describe a great work of redeeming mercy, should close with a description of the state of the righteous after death.
The principal features in the description are the following:
(1) There will be a new heaven and a new earth: a new order of things, and a world adapted to the condition of the righteous. There will be such changes produced in the earth, and such abodes suited up for the redeemed, that it will be proper to say that they are "new," Revelation 21:1.
(2) the locality of that abode is not determined. No particular place is revealed as constituting heaven; nor is it intimated that there would be such a place. For anything that appears, the universe at large will be heaven - the earth and all worlds; and we are left free to suppose that the redeemed will yet occupy any position of the universe, and be permitted to behold the special glories of the divine character that are manifested in each of the worlds that he has made. Compare the notes on 1 Peter 1:12. That there may be some one place in the universe that will be their permanent home, and that will be more properly called heaven, where the glory of their God and Saviour will be especially manifested, is not improbable; but still there is nothing to prevent the hope and the belief that in the infinite duration that awaits them they will be permitted to visit all the worlds that God has made, and to learn in each, and from each, all that he has especially manifested of his own character and glory there.
(3) that future state will be entirely and forever free from all the consequences of the apostasy as now seen on the earth. There will be neither tears, nor sorrow, nor death, nor crying, nor pain, nor curse, Revelation 21:4; Revelation 22:3. It will, therefore, be a perfectly happy abode.
(4) it will be pure and holy. Nothing will ever enter there that shall contaminate and defile, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 21:27. On this account, also, it will be a happy world, for:
(a) all real happiness has its foundation in holiness; and,
(b) the source of all the misery that the universe has experienced is sin. Let that be removed, and the earth would be happy; let it be extinguished from any world, and its happiness will be secure.
(5) it will be a world of perfect light, Revelation 21:22-25; Revelation 22:5. There will be:
continued...
Wesley's Revelation 22:5 Bible Commentary
22:5 And they shall reign for ever and ever - What encouragement is this to the patience and faithfulness of the saints, that, whatever their sufferings are, they will work out for them "an eternal weight of glory!" Thus ends the doctrine of this Revelation, in the everlasting happiness of all the faithful. The mysterious ways of Providence are cleared up, and all things issue in an eternal Sabbath, an everlasting state of perfect peace and happiness, reserved for all who endure to the end.