Revelation 4:6

Sea of glass. This description has much in common with Ezekiel’s vision of the throne of God, which rested upon a “firmament” (Eze. 1:26). In ancient times glass was much more valuable than it is today. Here, it represents the clear, crystalline appearance of the surface on which the throne stood.

Crystal. Gr. krustallos, a word meaning either “crystal,” a colorless, transparent mineral, or “ice.” What John sees is a vast shimmering expanse, gloriously reflecting the red and green radiance about the throne. Compare the vision of Ezekiel (ch. 1:22).

Midst of the throne. Perhaps, like Ezekiel’s cherubim (Eze. 1:22, 26), these beasts were seen under the throne as well as around it. The symbolism here is in harmony with ancient Semitic thought. Thus a sarcophagus from Byblus, from the end of the 2d millennium B.C., portrays a Phoenician king seated on a throne supported by an animal cherub (see W. F. Albright, “What Were the Cherubim?” The Biblical Archaeologist 1:1 [Feb., 1938], pp. 1–3). See Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Isa. 37:16.

Beasts. Gr. zōa, “living beings.” The word zōa does not indicate to what order of creatures these four belong. However, they closely resemble those of Ezekiel’s vision (see on Eze. 1:5–26), which Ezekiel calls cherubim (ch. 10:20–22).

Full of eyes. See Eze. 1:18; 10:12. This may be understood as a symbol of the intelligence and ceaseless vigilance of heavenly beings.

Inasmuch as the symbol of eyes is plainly drawn from Ezekiel, it is possible to understand it here also in terms of Hebrew thought. Nine times in the OT the Hebrew word ‘ayin, “eye,” is used in the sense of “color,” or “brilliance” (Prov. 23:31; Eze. 1:4, 7, 16, 22, 27; 8:2; 10:9; Dan. 10:6). This suggests that in describing the four beasts as “full of eyes,” John may mean that their appearance was one of shining brilliance.