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5Q15

New Jerusalem

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Fragment 1 i

1 [around,] three hundred and fifty-seven cubits to each side. And a free space is left all around the block, the outside of the street: [three reeds,] twenty 2 [one] cubits. And likewise [he showed me the] measurements of [all the] blocks.⁠ [Between block and block is a street,] its width six reeds, forty-two cubits. 3 [And the] great [streets that] go out from the east [to the west]: ten reeds is the width [of the street,] seventy [cubits], two of them; and the third, 4 [which is on the] left of the [sanctuary, he] measured: eighteen reeds wide, one hundred [and twenty] and six cubits. And the width [of the streets] that go out from the south 5 [to the north: two of them] are nine reeds and four cubits to each street, sixty-seven cubits; and the middle one, [which is in the] middle of the city, 6 [he measured its width:] thirteen reeds and one cubit, ninety-two cubits. And all the streets [and the city are] paved with white stone⁠ 7 […] … […] … […] marble and jasper. 8 [And he showed me the measurements of the] eighty [posterns]. The width of the posterns is two reeds, [fourteen cubits …] 9 [… on] each and every gate there are two doors of stone. The width of the doors is [one] reed, [seven cubits.] 10 [And he showed me the measurements of the …] twelve. The width of their gates is three reeds, [twenty-one] cubits. [… On each] 11 [and every gate there are two doors.] The width of the doors is one reed and a half, ten and a half cubits […] 12 [And beside each gate there are two] towers, one on the right and one on the left. Their width and their length [are one measure: five reeds by five,] 13 [thirty-five cubits. And the stairway that goes up beside] the gate, inside, to the right of the towers, to the height of the towers: [its width is five cubits. The towers] 14 [and the stairs are five reeds by five and] five [cubits], forty [cubits] on each side of the gate. 15 [And he showed me the measurements of the gates of the blocks: their width is] two reeds, fourteen cubits, [and the width of … the measurement in cubits] 16 [… And he measured the] width [of each] threshold: two reeds, fourteen cubits, [and its lintel: one cubit …] 17 [And he measured at each] threshold its doors, and he measured inside the threshold: its length is [thirteen] cubits [and its width ten cubits.] 18 [And he brought] me inside the threshold, [and behold,] another threshold, and a gate beside the inner wall, [which is on the right side, with the measurements of the outer] 19 [gate: its width] four [cubits], its height seven [cubits], and it has two doors. And in front of this gate [is the threshold of its entrance: its width is one reed,]

Texts in conversation

Compare 5Q15 1 i 6 and Revelation 21:21

Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Texts · New Testament

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Summary

The New Jerusalem text in the Dead Sea Scrolls describes a city with measured streets and gates built of precious stone. Revelation similarly describes the new Jerusalem with gates, walls, and streets of valuable materials, following this tradition.

Passages

5Q15 1 i 6

Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocalyptic and Eschatological Texts · New Jerusalem
3 [And the] great [streets that] go out from the east [to the west]: ten reeds is the width [of the street,] seventy [cubits], two of them; and the third, 4 [which is on the] left of the [sanctuary, he] measured: eighteen reeds wide, one hundred [and twenty] and six cubits. And the width [of the streets] that go out from the south 5 [to the north: two of them] are nine reeds and four cubits to each street, sixty-seven cubits; and the middle one, [which is in the] middle of the city, 6 [he measured its width:] thirteen reeds and one cubit, ninety-two cubits. And all the streets [and the city are] paved with white stone 7 […] … […] … […] marble and jasper.
160–60 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 5Q15

Revelation 21:21

New Testament
19 The foundations of the city’s wall are decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation is jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls—each one of the gates is made from just one pearl! The main street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass. 22 Now I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord God—the All-Powerful—and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God lights it up, and its lamp is the Lamb.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The holiness and glory of the eschatological Jerusalem (21:11) reflect God's presence in its fullness (compare Isaiah 40:5; 60:1; 62:2; Baruch 6:12; 1QS 11:5). The twelve gates motif (21:12) is found in Ezekiel 48:30-35 and repeated in Qumran's New Jerusalem Apocalypse 5Q15. The use of the number of the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates (21:14) is probably borrowed from Ezekiel 48:30-35 and identify the patriarchs with the entrances. Interestingly, in ancient Jerusalem only two tribes had gates named after them, Benjamin and Ephraim. The wall motif was used by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40:5; 41:5 and 43:30-35). We should keep in mind that Ezekiel's work lies prominently behind the imagery of Revelation 12-22. The wall is a sign of security (Is 49:16) or of separation between sacred and common territory. This wall signifies the separation of the life and light inside from the fiery lake outside. The apostles, as the foundation stones, represent the roots of the eschatological city ..."
Jan A. du Rand, “The Imagery of the Heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9-22:5),” Neot 22.1 (1988): 65–86.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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5Q15 1 i 6 and Revelation 21:21

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