The Meaning of Revelation 15:4 Explained

Revelation 15:4

KJV: Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

YLT: who may not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? because Thou alone art kind, because all the nations shall come and bow before Thee, because Thy righteous acts were manifested.'

Darby: Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all nations shall come and do homage before thee; for thy righteousnesses have been made manifest.

ASV: Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy; for all the nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy righteous acts have been made manifest.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Who  shall  not  fear  thee,  O Lord,  and  glorify  thy  name?  for  [thou] only  [art] holy:  for  all  nations  shall come  and  worship  before  thee;  for  thy  judgments  are made manifest. 

What does Revelation 15:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

It is inevitable that everyone fears God and glorifies Him. The rhetorical questions make this crystal clear (cf. Revelation 13:4). This will happen after He finishes judging (cf. Psalm 86:8-10; Jeremiah 10:7). One reason for this fear and glory is God"s unapproachable majesty (Gr. hosios). Another is the fact that everyone will worship Him when Christ returns because He has purged the earth. He will reveal His righteous acts when He judges the earth. The martyrs do not refer to what they did in overcoming the beast but to what God is and did.

Context Summary

Revelation 15:1-8 - The Song Of Moses And Of The Lamb
The imagery in the magnificent scene with which this chapter opens is perhaps borrowed from Pharaoh's overthrow in the Red Sea, which, as the rich lines of an Eastern dawn illuminated its waters, seemed like a sea of glass mingled with fire. So, beside the crystal sea of Time, from whose surface all traces of storm will have been removed and on which the eternal morning will be breaking, we, who by grace have overcome, shall celebrate the final victory of God. We shall sing an anthem in which the Hebrew and the Christian, the children of the old dispensation and of the new, the souls who have seen through a glass darkly and those who have beheld face to face, shall rejoice together.
One day we shall see the rightfulness of all that God has done, Revelation 15:4. All His ways are just and true, whether our poor human sense detects this or not. Let us dare to affirm it even now. Ponder that great name-King of the ages, Revelation 15:3, r.v. He only is holy; we need the perfect cleansing and righteousness which He gives us, that we may dare to stand in His presence. From this radiant vision, we turn sadly to the fate of the godless, Christ-rejecting world. See Revelation 15:1-8; Revelation 14:1-20; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 12:1-17; Revelation 11:1-19; Revelation 10:1-11; Revelation 9:1-21; Revelation 8:1-13. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 15

1  The seven angels with the seven last plagues
3  The song of those who overcame the beast
7  The seven bowls full of the wrath of God

Greek Commentary for Revelation 15:4

Who shall not fear? [τις ου μη ποβητηι]
Rhetorical question with ου μη — ou mē (double negative) and first aorist passive subjunctive of ποβεομαι — phobeomai future passive in Jeremiah 10:7). [source]
And glorify [και δοχασει]
Change here to the future indicative instead of the aorist subjunctive, as often. Cf. Psalm 86:9.Thou only art holy (μονος οσιος — monos hosios). Both predicate adjectives, “Thou art alone holy.” God alone is perfectly holy (Revelation 16:5).Shall come Future active of ηκω — hēkō worship Future active of προσκυνεω — proskuneō Both from Psalm 86:9.Have been made manifest (επανερωτησαν — ephanerōthēsan). Prophetic first aorist passive indicative of πανεροω — phaneroō This martyr‘s song has the ring of great poetry. [source]
Thou only art holy [μονος οσιος]
Both predicate adjectives, “Thou art alone holy.” God alone is perfectly holy (Revelation 16:5). [source]
Shall come [ηχουσιν]
Future active of ηκω — hēkō worship Future active of προσκυνεω — proskuneō Both from Psalm 86:9.Have been made manifest (επανερωτησαν — ephanerōthēsan). Prophetic first aorist passive indicative of πανεροω — phaneroō This martyr‘s song has the ring of great poetry. [source]
Have been made manifest [επανερωτησαν]
Prophetic first aorist passive indicative of πανεροω — phaneroō This martyr‘s song has the ring of great poetry. [source]
Who shall not fear Thee? []
See Jeremiah 10:7. Omit thee. [source]
Holy [ὅσιος]
See on Luke 1:75. The term is applied to Christ in Acts 2:27, Acts 2:35; Hebrews 7:26. To God only here and Revelation 16:5, where the correct reading is ὁ ὅσιος thouholy one, instead of ὁ ἐσόμενος whichshalt be. [source]
All nations shall come []
Compare Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 66:23; Micah 4:2. [source]
Judgments [δικαιώματα]
Not merely divine decisions, but righteous acts generally. So Rev. Primarily, the word signifies that which has been deemed right so as to have the force of law. Hence an ordinance (Luke 1:6; Hebrews 9:1; Romans 1:32). A judicial decision for or against (Romans 5:16). A righteous deed. See Revelation 19:8. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 15:4

Revelation 16:6 For [οτι]
Second causal conjunction (οτι — hoti) explanatory of the first οτι — hoti like the two cases of οτι — hoti in Revelation 15:4. [source]
Revelation 19:8 In fine linen, bright and pure [βυσσινον λαμπρον καταρον]
See Revelation 19:14 for the same raiment on those accompanying “The Word of God” and for the seven angels in Revelation 15:6. See by contrast the garments of the harlot (Revelation 17:4; Revelation 18:16). For βυσσινον — bussinon see Revelation 18:16.The righteous acts of the saints (τα δικαιωματα των αγιων — ta dikaiōmata tōn hagiōn). This is the explanation (γαρ — gar) of the bridal dress and explains why there is work for the Bride as well as for Christ (Philemon 2:12.). See Revelation 15:4 for δικαιωμα — dikaiōma (also Romans 5:18). [source]
Revelation 19:8 The righteous acts of the saints [τα δικαιωματα των αγιων]
This is the explanation See Revelation 15:4 for δικαιωμα — dikaiōma (also Romans 5:18). [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 15:4 mean?

Who no not should fear [You] O Lord and will glorify the name of You For [You] alone [are] holy For all the nations will come will worship before You because righteous acts have been revealed
τίς οὐ μὴ φοβηθῇ Κύριε καὶ δοξάσει τὸ ὄνομά σου ὅτι μόνος ὅσιος ὅτι πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ἥξουσιν προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιόν σου ὅτι δικαιώματά ἐφανερώθησαν

οὐ  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὐ  
Sense: no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer.
φοβηθῇ  should  fear  [You] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: φοβέομαι 
Sense: to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away).
Κύριε  O  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
δοξάσει  will  glorify 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δοξάζω  
Sense: to think, suppose, be of opinion.
ὄνομά  name 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: ὄνομα  
Sense: name: univ.
σου  of  You 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ὅτι  For  [You] 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
μόνος  alone  [are] 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: μόνος  
Sense: alone (without a companion), forsaken, destitute of help, alone, only, merely.
ὅσιος  holy 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ὅσιος  
Sense: undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious.
ἔθνη  nations 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.
ἥξουσιν  will  come 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἥκω  
Sense: to have come, have arrived, be present.
προσκυνήσουσιν  will  worship 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: προσκυνέω  
Sense: to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence.
ἐνώπιόν  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐνώπιον  
Sense: in the presence of, before.
ὅτι  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
δικαιώματά  righteous  acts 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root: δικαίωμα  
Sense: that which has been deemed right so as to have force of law.
ἐφανερώθησαν  have  been  revealed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: φανερόω  
Sense: to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way.