Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
O Lord—The two oldest manuscripts, A, B, Vulgate, and Syriac add, "and our God." "Our" by virtue of creation, and especially redemption. One oldest manuscript, B, and Syriac insert "the Holy One." But another, A, Vulgate, and Coptic omit this, as English Version does.
glory, etc.—"the glory . . . the honour . . . the power."
thou—emphatic in the Greek: "It is THOU who didst create."
all things—Greek, "the all things": the universe.
for, etc.—Greek, "on account of"; "for the sake of Thy pleasure," or "will." English Version is good Greek. Though the context better suits, it was because of Thy will, that "they were" (so one oldest manuscript, A, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read, instead of English Version "are": another oldest manuscript, B, reads, "They were not, and were created," were created out of nothing), that is, were existing, as contrasted with their previous non-existence. With God to will is to effect: to determine is to perform. So in Genesis 1:3, "Let there be light, and there was light": in Hebrew an expressive tautology, the same word and tense and letters being used for "let there be," and "there was," marking the simultaneity and identity of the will and the effect. D. LONGINUS [On the Sublime, 9], a heathen, praises this description of God's power by "the lawgiver of the Jews, no ordinary man," as one worthy of the theme.
were created—by Thy definite act of creation at a definite time.
The ground of praise here is God's eternity, and God's power and glory manifested in the creation of all things for His pleasure. Creation is the foundation of all God's other acts of power, wisdom, and love, and therefore forms the first theme of His creatures' thanksgivings. The four living creatures take the lead of the twenty-four elders, both in this anthem, and in that new song which follows on the ground of their redemption (Revelation 5:8-10).
when—that is, whensoever: as often as. A simultaneous giving of glory on the part of the beasts, and on the part of the elders.
give—"shall give" in one oldest manuscript.
for ever and ever—Greek, "unto the ages of the ages."
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Revelation 4:11:
Song of Solomon 4:1
Isaiah 34:1
Isaiah 44:7
Hebrews 2:10
Revelation 1:6
Revelation 4:1
Revelation 4:2
Revelation 5:10
Revelation 5:14
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