Revelation 21:16 (LSB)

Passage

And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal.

Nearby Context

Revelation 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:15 And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city and its gates and its wall.

Revelation 21:16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, 12,000 stadia; its length and width and height are equal.

Revelation 21:17 And he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements.

Revelation 21:18 And the material of the wall was jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "city", "laid", "square", "length", "great", "width", and "measured". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "city" and "laid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And the one who spoke with me..." into verse 17's "And he measured its wall cubits according...", so "city" and "laid" 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 "city" and "laid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.