Revelation 21:11; A Most Precious Stone

Revelation 21:11 (KJV)  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; 

Comparsion of the city’s brilliance to a most precious stone begins the extended description of the exterior of the city (v11-21). The prophet speaks of the city’s general appearance (v11), her walls with gates and foundations (v12-14), her measurements (v15-17), and her magnificent special features (v18-21).

Revelation 21:11-21 (KJV)  Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 

The summary of the city’s architecture fulfils the angel’s promise to show John the bride just as the earlier guide promised (Revelation 17:1) and showed him the harlot representing the city Babylon and the Babylonian system (Lee). The bride is a figure for a material city yet to come as well as for the inhabitants of that city. The bride-figure cannot be limited to the individuals who live in the city. It must also include the literal city with her physical characteristics (Alford).

The dimension and lay out design of the Jerusalem descending from heaven are an accommodation to finite minds, so a complete comprehension of the new creation is not the expected result. That new heaven and new earth will exceed human understanding because it will be handiwork of an infinite God (Revelation 21:5). It will be beyond what any person can ever experienced. Yet the information conveys a picture designed for finite minds of this existence and so should not be written off as totally symbolic. She is a real city with a material existence (Bullinger).

The most precious stone has great brilliance but as a crystal-clear jasper stone is even more specific. It recalls the very similar like in appearance to a jasper stone that describes God Himself in Revelation 4:3.

Revelation 4:3 (KJV)  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. 

As noted at that point (Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p.342), the colour is in doubt, but a white diamond-like stone is not out of the question. Whatever colour it is, it is “clear as crystal”. It is transparent and gleaming as rock-crystal (Moffatt). “Clear as crystal” requires that it have a starry, diamond-like effulgence (Lee).

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 460-461-462]