Revelation 1:12

Complete Jewish Bible

I turned around to see who was speaking to me; and when I had turned, I saw seven gold menorahs;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

King James Version (1611)
And I turned to see the voice that spake with mee. And being turned, I saw seuen golden Candlesticks,

King James Version
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

English Standard Version
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

New American Standard Bible
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands;

New Century Version
I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

Berean Standard Bible
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands,

Contemporary English Version
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.

Darby Translation
And I turned back to see the voice which spoke with me; and having turned, I saw seven golden lamps,

Easy-to-Read Version
I turned to see who was talking to me. When I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then I turned backe to see the voyce, that spake with me: and when I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes,

George Lamsa Translation
And I turned to see the voice that spoke to me. And as I turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Good News Translation
I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands,

Lexham English Bible
And I turned to see the voice which was speaking with me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands,

Literal Translation
And I turned to see the voice which spoke with me.

Amplified Bible
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands;

American Standard Version
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Bible in Basic English
And turning to see the voice which said these words to me, I saw seven gold vessels with lights burning in them;

Hebrew Names Version
I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden menorot.

International Standard Version
Then I turned to see the voice that was talking to me, and when I turned I saw seven gold lampstands.[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me; and being turned, I saw seven candlesticks of gold.

Murdock Translation
And I turned myself to look at the voice that talked with me; and when I had turned, I saw seven candlesticks of gold;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I turned backe to see the voyce that spake to me: And whe I was turned, I sawe seuen golden candlestickes,

English Revised Version
And I turned to see the voice which spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

World English Bible
I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me; and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks, And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one,

Weymouth's New Testament
I turned to see who it was that was speaking to me; and then I saw seven golden lampstands,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y turnede, that Y schulde se the vois that spak with me; and Y turnede, and Y say seuene candelstikis of gold,

Update Bible Version
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Webster's Bible Translation
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

New English Translation
I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me, and when I did so, I saw seven golden lampstands,

New King James Version
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

New Living Translation
When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands.

New Life Bible
I turned around to see who was speaking to me. As I turned, I saw seven lights made of gold.

New Revised Standard
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And I turned round, to see the Voice which was speaking with me, and, having turned, I saw Seven Lamps of gold;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks:

Revised Standard Version
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And I turned backe to se the voyce that spake to me. And when I was turned: I sawe .vii golde candelstyckes

Young's Literal Translation
And I did turn to see the voice that did speak with me, and having turned, I saw seven golden lamp-stands,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And I turned backe to se the voyce that spake to me. And whe I was turned: I sawe seue golde candestyckes,

Mace New Testament (1729)
and I turned to see from whence the voice came that spake to me. and turning about, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

Simplified Cowboy Version
I turned to see where the sound was coming from and saw seven torches sitting in golden stands.

Contextual Overview

⁹ I, Yochanan, am a brother of yours and a fellow-sharer in the suffering, kingship and perseverance that come from being united with Yeshua. I had been exiled to the island called Patmos for having proclaimed the message of God and borne witness to Yeshua. ¹⁰ I came to be, in the Spirit, on the Day of the Lord; and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, ¹¹ saying, "Write down what you see on a scroll, and send it to the seven Messianic communities — Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea!" ¹² I turned around to see who was speaking to me; and when I had turned, I saw seven gold menorahs; ¹³ and among the menorahs was someone like a Son of Man , wearing a robe down to his feet and a gold band around his chest. ¹⁴ His head and hair were as white as snow-white wool, his eyes like a fiery flame , ¹⁵ his feet like burnished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, out of his mouth went a sharp double-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand upon me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ the Living One. I was dead, but look! — I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sh'ol.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

see: Ezekiel 43:5, Ezekiel 43:6, Micah 6:9

I saw: Revelation 1:13, Revelation 1:20, Revelation 2:1, Exodus 25:37, Zechariah 4:2

Reciprocal: Exodus 25:31 - a candlestick Exodus 37:17 - the candlestick of Exodus 37:23 - General Numbers 8:2 - General 1 Chronicles 28:15 - the candlesticks Daniel 8:16 - I heard Revelation 1:19 - the things

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11
God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth"; and that is how it was.

Genesis 1:24
(A: iii) God said, "Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature — each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast"; and that is how it was.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth."

Isaiah 61:11
For just as the earth brings forth its plants, or a garden makes its plants spring up, so Adonai , God, will cause victory and glory to spring up before all nations.

Mark 4:28
By itself the soil produces a crop — first the stalk, then the head, and finally the full grain in the head.

Luke 6:44
Each tree is recognized by its own fruit — figs aren't picked from thorn bushes, nor grapes from a briar patch.

2 Corinthians 9:10
He who provides both seed for the planter and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your tzedakah.

Galatians 6:7
Don't delude yourselves: no one makes a fool of God! A person reaps what he sows.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me,.... The Complutensian edition reads, "and there I turned": and so the Arabic version; that is, to see who it was that spoke, from whom the voice came, and by whom it was uttered; see Exodus 20:18;

and being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; which represented the seven churches, Revelation 1:20; in allusion to the seven lamps in the candlestick of the sanctuary, Exodus 25:37; compared to "candlesticks", for the use of them, which is to hold forth light; these have none of themselves, but what is put into them, and being put into them, they hold it forth; so the churches of Christ have no light of themselves, but what is put into them; and the light which is put into them, is not the mere light of nature, nor the law of Moses, but the Gospel of Christ; which dispels darkness, and is the means of enlightening sinners, and gives light to saints, by which they walk and work; and this light is put into the churches by Christ, whose the Gospel is, and who is himself come a light into the world; and being put here by him, it is held forth by them, especially by the ministers of it, who are the lights of the world, both by their ministry, and in their lives and conversations: and they are compared to "golden" candlesticks, because of their excellency, preciousness, and value, in the esteem of Christ; and for their brightness and purity in doctrine, discipline, and life; and for their splendour, glory, and beauty; and for their stability and duration; and though they are liable to corruption and taint, yet may be melted, refined, and purified as gold.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I turned to see the voice that spake with me - He naturally turned round to see who it was that spake to him in this solitary and desolate place, where he thought himself to be alone. To see the “voice” here means to see the “person” who spake.

And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks - These were the “first” things that met his eye. This must have been in “vision,” of course, and the meaning is, that there “seemed” to be there seven such lamps or candelabras. The word rendered “candlesticks” (λυχνία luchnia) means properly a light-stand, lampstand - something to bear up a light. It would be applied to anything that was used for this purpose; and nothing is intimated, in the use of the word, in regard to the form or dimensions of the light-bearers. Lamps were more commonly used at that time than candles, and it is rather to be supposed that these were designed to be lamp-bearers, or lamp-sustainers, than candle-sticks. They were seven in number; not one branching into seven, but seven standing apart, and so far from each other that he who appeared to John could stand among them. The lamp-bearers evidently sustained each a light, and these gave a special brilliancy to the scene. It is not improbable that, as they were designed to represent the seven churches of Asia, they were arranged in an order resembling these churches. The scene is not laid in the temple, as many suppose, for there is nothing that resembles the arrangements in the temple except the mere fact of the lights. The scene as yet is in Patmos, and there is no evidence that John did not regard himself as there, or that he fancied for a moment that he was translated to the temple in Jerusalem. There can be no doubt as to the design of this representation, for it is expressly declared Revelation 1:20 that the seven lamp-bearers were intended to represent the seven churches. Light is often used in the Scriptures as an emblem of true religion; Christians are represented as “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14; compare Philippians 2:15; John 8:12), and a Christian church may be represented as a light standing in the midst of surrounding darkness.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 1:12. And I turned For he had heard the voice behind him. To see the voice; i.e., the person from whom the voice came.

Seven golden candlesticks — Ἑπτα λυχνιας χρυσας· Seven golden lamps. It is absurd to say, a golden silver, or brazen candlestick. These seven lamps represented the seven Churches, in which the light of God was continually shining, and the love of God continually burning. And they are here represented as golden, to show how precious they were in the sight of God. This is a reference to the temple at Jerusalem, where there was a candlestick or chandelier of seven branches; or rather six branches; three springing out on either side, and one in the centre. See Exodus 25:31-37. This reference to the temple seems to intimate that the temple of Jerusalem was a type of the whole Christian Church.