Revelation 21:16 (YLT)

Passage

and the city lieth square, and the length of it is as great as the breadth; and he did measure the city with the reed--furlongs twelve thousand; the length, and the breadth, and the height, of it are equal;

Nearby Context

Revelation 21:14 and the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Revelation 21:15 And he who is speaking with me had a golden reed, that he may measure the city, and its gates, and its wall;

Revelation 21:16 and the city lieth square, and the length of it is as great as the breadth; and he did measure the city with the reed--furlongs twelve thousand; the length, and the breadth, and the height, of it are equal;

Revelation 21:17 and he measured its wall, an hundred forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of the messenger;

Revelation 21:18 and the building of its wall was jasper, and the city <FI>is<Fi> pure gold--like to pure glass;

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And he who is speaking with me..." into verse 17's "and he measured its wall an hundred...", so "city" and "lieth" 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 "lieth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.