The Meaning of Revelation 7:5 Explained

Revelation 7:5

KJV: Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.

YLT: of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed;

Darby: out of the tribe of Juda, twelve thousand sealed; out of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand; out of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand;

ASV: Of the tribe of Judah were'sealed twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Of  the tribe  of Juda  [were] sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Reuben  [were] sealed  twelve  thousand.  Of  the tribe  of Gad  [were] sealed  twelve  thousand. 

What does Revelation 7:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Revelation 7:1-10 - The Multitude Before The Throne
Before times of unusual trial God prepares for the safety of His people. See Genesis 7:1; Genesis 19:16; Exodus 12:13; Ezekiel 9:3-5; Matthew 24:15-16. What a majestic conception this is and how comforting the thought that the winds are controlled by angels, and that the storms which sweep earth and heaven must obey the mandate of eternal love! God's people are not always saved from trial, but they are kept safe in it. We are sealed when the divine likeness is stamped on our characters, Ephesians 1:13. Those that have that likeness also enjoy the earnest of heaven in their hearts, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.
The definiteness of the number sealed indicates the perfectness and greatness of this first fruit sheaf of souls. If the first sheaf be so full and heavy, what will not the harvest be! See Revelation 14:4. Beyond human count in number; representing every country under heaven; spotless in character; victorious in their conflict with evil; ascribing all glory to the Lamb as the result of His travail of soul. The tribe of Dan is omitted but perhaps reappears in Revelation 21:12. Does this mean that some will be saved as by firebrands plucked from it by the grace of God? [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 7

1  An angel seals the servants of God in their foreheads
4  The number of those who were sealed of the tribes of Israel: 144,000
9  Of all the other nations an innumerable multitude, which stand before the throne
14  Their robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb

What do the individual words in Revelation 7:5 mean?

Out of [the] tribe of Judah twelve thousand having been sealed of Reuben of Gad
Ἐκ φυλῆς Ἰούδα δώδεκα χιλιάδες ἐσφραγισμένοι Ῥουβὴν Γὰδ

Ἐκ  Out  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
φυλῆς  [the]  tribe 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: φυλή  
Sense: a tribe.
Ἰούδα  of  Judah 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰουδά  
Sense: the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob.
δώδεκα  twelve 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: δώδεκα  
Sense: twelve.
χιλιάδες  thousand 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: χιλιάς  
Sense: a thousand, the number one thousand.
ἐσφραγισμένοι  having  been  sealed 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: σφραγίζω  
Sense: to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal.
Ῥουβὴν  of  Reuben 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ῥουβήν  
Sense: Jacob’s firstborn child by Leah.
Γὰδ  of  Gad 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Γάδ  
Sense: the seventh son of the patriarch Jacob, by Zilpah, Leah’s maid.