Twenty-Four Elders

Biblical Text

The twenty-four elders appear only in the Book of Revelation. In Revelation 4:4, John sees twenty-four seats around the throne of God, and on them elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, with crowns of gold on their heads. They appear in the following passages:

• Revelation 4:10-11: They fall down before him who sits on the throne, worship him, cast their crowns before the throne, and praise God as the Creator of all things.
• Revelation 5:5-14: One of the elders tells the weeping John that "the Lion of the tribe of Juda" has prevailed. Each of the elders holds a harp and golden vials full of odours, and they fall down before the Lamb and sing a new song. The text identifies these odours as "the prayers of saints."
• Revelation 7:13-14: One of the elders asks John about the great multitude clothed in white robes and explains that they are those who came out of great tribulation and washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
• Revelation 11:16-18: They worship God, giving thanks for his reign and judgment.
• Revelation 14:3: The hundred and forty-four thousand sing a new song before the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders.
• Revelation 19:4: Together with the four living creatures, they fall down and cry, "Amen; Alleluia."

Background and Terminology

The Greek word translated "elders," presbyteroi, originally means "older persons." In the community of Israel and in the early church it was used for leaders, and the Korean church office of elder goes back to the same word. The white raiment, crowns, and thrones are read as symbols of honor, purity, and ruling authority. Because Revelation is apocalyptic literature written in symbols and visions, many interpreters read its numbers and images symbolically.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The primary role of the twenty-four elders is worship and praise. Their harps and incense recall the praise and the offering of incense in the Old Testament temple. Within the text they are portrayed as praising both God's work of creation and the Lamb's work of redemption, and as bringing the prayers of the saints before God. Some interpreters also connect them with the theme of God making his people "a kingdom" and "priests" (Exodus 19:5-6; Revelation 1:6).

Interpretations and Debates

The text does not identify the twenty-four elders, and interpretations fall into several broad categories.

• The people of God of the Old and New Testaments: The number is understood as the sum of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Proponents cite Revelation 21:12-14, where the names of the twelve tribes are written on the gates of the New Jerusalem and the names of the twelve apostles on its foundations. This interpretation is widely held in the Reformed tradition and in several others.
• The courses of priests and singers: This view draws on the record that David divided the priests into twenty-four courses (1 Chronicles 24) and likewise divided the singers into twenty-four groups (1 Chronicles 25).
• Angelic beings: Noting that the elders appear as distinct from the multitude of the redeemed, this interpretation regards them as a heavenly council of angels who serve God.
• The raptured church: Some dispensationalist interpreters, observing that the elders appear in heaven after the summons "Come up hither" in Revelation 4:1, regard them as representatives of the church taken up in the rapture. Other interpreters counter that this passage does not speak directly of the rapture.

In Revelation 5:9-10, manuscripts differ as to whether the elders' song says "redeemed us" or "redeemed people." The former reading is cited as evidence that the elders are redeemed human beings, and the latter as evidence that they are not. The New Korean Revised Version renders the phrase "purchased people with blood." Some accounts identify individual elders by name or with particular Old Testament figures, but such identifications are not found in the text.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the twenty-four elders are frequently cited when Revelation 4-5 is presented as a model of heavenly worship. In particular, the scene of the elders casting their crowns before the throne is used as an illustration of the worshiper's attitude of giving glory to God.