Who Holds the Bowls in Revelation 5:8
Revelation 5:8 and the Identity of Those Holding the Bowls
Revelation 5:8 describes a scene where the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, "which are the prayers of the saints" [1, 2]. The identity of those holding the bowls is explicitly stated in the text as the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders.
The twenty-four elders are often interpreted as representatives of the church or the redeemed [4, 6]. According to Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, the scene presents "the consummation to which all the events in the seals, trumpets, and vials converge, namely, the setting up of Christ's kingdom visibly" [6]. The four living creatures are typically understood as symbolic beings representing creation or aspects of God's presence [5].
The bowls they hold are described as being "full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" [1, 2]. The incense is symbolic, representing the prayers of God's people rising to God. The Tyndale House commentary notes that "the prayers of God's people become a significant basis for the judgments and plagues" that follow in Revelation [7].
The image of the bowls and incense draws on Old Testament imagery, where incense is associated with priestly worship and the prayers of the people (e.g., Psalm 141:2). The use of golden bowls emphasizes the value and preciousness of these prayers [3].
The scene in Revelation 5:8 is part of a larger vision that emphasizes Christ's authority and worthiness to open the scroll and fulfill God's purposes. The fact that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders are holding the bowls and harps indicates their participation in worship and their recognition of Christ's sovereignty [8, 9].
In this context, the bowls held by the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders symbolize the accumulation of the saints' prayers, which are offered to God through Christ. This image underscores the connection between the worship of God in heaven and the experiences of believers on earth. The prayers of the saints are not just individual petitions but are part of a larger, cosmic narrative of redemption and judgment [7].
Sources
- Revelation of John “Revelation of John 5:8 (BSB) — When He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
- Revelation “Revelation 5:8 (NASB) — When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bowl — The sockets of the lamps of the golden candlestick of the tabernacle are called bowls (Ex. 25:31, 33, 34; 37:17, 19, 20); the same word so rendered being elsewhere rendered "cup" (Gen. 44:2, 12, 16), and wine "pot" (Jer. 35:5). The reservoir for oil, from which pipes led to each lamp in Zechariah's vision of the candlestick, is called also by this name (Zech. 4:2, 3); so also are the vessels used for libations (Ex. 25:29; 37:16).”
- Revelation (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Revelation 5:6: Here, I. The apostle beholds this book taken into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to its being unsealed and opened by him. Here Christ is described, 1. By his place and station: In the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and of the elders. He was on the same throne with the Father; he was nearer to him than either the elders or ministers of the churches. Christ, as man and Mediator, is subordinate to God the Father, but is nearer to him than all the creatures; for in him all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily. The ministers stand bet”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 5 (introduction): THE BOOK WITH SEVEN SEALS: NONE WORTHY TO OPEN IT BUT THE LAMB: HE TAKES IT AMIDST THE PRAISES OF THE REDEEMED, AND OF THE WHOLE HEAVENLY HOST. (Rev 5:1-14) in, &c.--Greek, "(lying) upon the right hand." His right hand was open and on it lay the book. On God's part there was no withholding of His future purposes as contained in the book: the only obstacle to unsealing it is stated in Rev 5:3 [ALFORD]. book--rather, as accords with the ancient form of books, and with the writing on the backside, "a roll." The writing on the back impli”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 5:7: The book lay on the open hand of Him that sat on the throne for any to take who was found worthy [ALFORD]. The Lamb takes it from the Father in token of formal investiture into His universal and everlasting dominion as Son of man. This introductory vision thus presents before us, in summary, the consummation to which all the events in the seals, trumpets, and vials converge, namely, the setting up of Christ's kingdom visibly. Prophecy ever hurries to the grand crisis or end, and dwells on intermediate events only in their typical relation to, and re”
- Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 5:8: 5:8 fell down before the Lamb: The crucified and risen Christ has divine authority to initiate the events of this age; he is fully worthy of worship. • The prayers of God’s people become a significant basis for the judgments and plagues (6:9-11; 8:2-5).”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 5:8: And when he had taken the book,.... The Vulgate Latin version reads, "when he had opened the book", very wrongly; for the opening of it by unloosing the seals, one after another, is hereafter mentioned, in Rev 6:1, but when it was observed, that the Lamb took the book, and his commission to open, unseal, and fulfil it, the four beasts, and four and twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb; by way of religious worship and adoration of him; which shows that he was not a mere creature, who assumed human nature, suffered, and died, and is the Mediator between God and”
- Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 5:5: 5:5 Designations for Jesus as the Lion of . . . Judah (see Gen 49:9-10) and the heir to David’s throne (see Isa 11:10) are Old Testament metaphors for the Messiah (see Jer 23:5; 30:9; John 7:42). • Because Jesus won the victory at the cross (John 16:33), he is the only one worthy to open the scroll and reveal God’s purposes (Rev 4:11; 5:2, 12). God’s plan for history centers around Jesus and what he has done. His relationship to the scroll indicates his control of history.”