Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Having a wall great and high (exousa teixov mega kai uyhlon). John returns, after the parenthesis in verse Revelation 21:11, to the structure in verse Revelation 21:10, only to use the accusative exousan as before to agree with polin, but the nominative exousa as again with "twelve gates" (pulwnav dwdeka). Pulwn is an old word (from pulh gate) for a large gate as in Luke 16:20 and six times in Rev. for the gate tower of a city wall (Revelation 21:12-13, Revelation 21:15, Revelation 21:21, Revelation 21:25; Revelation 22:14) as in I Kings 17:10; Acts 14:13. See Ezekiel 48:31 ff. for these twelve gates, one for each tribe (cf. Revelation 7:1-8).
At the gates (epi toiv pulwsin). "Upon the gate towers."
Twelve angels (aggelouv dwdeka). As pulwroi or fulakev according to Isaiah 62:6; II Chronicles 8:14.
Names written thereon (onomata epigegrammena). Perfect passive participle of epigrafw.
Which are the names (a estin). Just as in Ezekiel's vision (Ezekiel 48:31 ff.), so here the names of the twelve tribes of Israel appear, one on each gate.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 21:12:
Revelation 10:2
Revelation 12:1
Revelation 21:12
Revelation 21:16
Revelation 21:17
Revelation 21:21
Revelation 22:14
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