Revelation 21:19 (WEB)

Passage

The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

Nearby Context

Revelation 21:17 Its wall is one hundred forty-four cubits, by the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.

Revelation 21:18 The construction of its wall was jasper. The city was pure gold, like pure glass.

Revelation 21:19 The foundations of the city’s wall were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;

Revelation 21:20 the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; and the twelfth, amethyst.

Revelation 21:21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each one of the gates was made of one pearl. The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "foundations", "city", "wall", "adorned", "kinds", "precious", "stones", and "first". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "foundations" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "The construction of its wall was jasper..." into verse 20's "the fifth sardonyx the sixth sardius the...", so "foundations" and "city" 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 "foundations" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.