Discovery BoxRevelation 21:15-17 
Context21:15 The angel 1 who spoke to me had a golden measuring rod with which to measure the city and its foundation stones and wall. 21:16 Now 2 the city is laid out as a square, 3 its length and width the same. He 4 measured the city with the measuring rod 5 at fourteen hundred miles 6 (its length and width and height are equal). 21:17 He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits 7 according to human measurement, which is also the angel’s. 8
1 tn Grk “the one”; the referent (the angel of v. 9) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the description of the city.
3 tn Or “the city lies square.” On κεῖμαι (keimai) in this context, BDAG 537 s.v. 2 states, “lie, of things…ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται is laid out as a square Rv 21:16.”
4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
5 tn Grk “with the rod”; the word “measuring” is supplied from the description in v. 15.
6 tn Or “two thousand two hundred kilometers,” Grk “12,000 stades.” A stade was a measure of length about 607 ft (185 m).
7 tn Here the measurement was kept in cubits in the translation because of the possible symbolic significance of the number 144 (12 times 12). This is about 216 ft (65 m).
8 tn Here L&N 81.1 translate the phrase μέτρον ἀνθρώπου, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγγέλου (metron anqrwpou, {o estin angelou) “‘the unit of measurement used by a person, that is, by an angel’ Re 21:17.” It is more likely that μέτρον is an accusative of respect or reference.
