Revelation 21:16 (GNV)

Passage

And the citie laie foure square, and the length is as large as the bredth of it, and he measured the citie with the reede, twelue thousande furlongs: and the length, and the bredth, and the height of it are equall.

Nearby Context

Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the citie had twelue foundations, and in them the Names of the Lambes twelue Apostles.

Revelation 21:15 And hee that talked with mee, had a golden reede, to measure the citie withall, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

Revelation 21:16 And the citie laie foure square, and the length is as large as the bredth of it, and he measured the citie with the reede, twelue thousande furlongs: and the length, and the bredth, and the height of it are equall.

Revelation 21:17 And hee measured the wall thereof, an hundreth fourtie and foure cubites, by the measure of man, that is, of the Angell.

Revelation 21:18 And ye building of the wall of it was of Iasper: and the citie was pure golde, like vnto cleare glasse.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "citie", "laie", "foure", "square", "length", "large", "bredth", and "measured". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "citie" and "laie", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And hee that talked with mee had..." into verse 17's "And hee measured the wall thereof an...", so "citie" and "laie" belong inside that flow. In Revelation context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "citie" and "laie" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.