Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 5:3
Verse 3. And no man] oudeiv? No person or being. In heaven] Among all the angels of God.
Nor in the earth] No human being.
Neither under the earth] No disembodied spirit, nor any demon. Neither angels, men, nor devils, can fathom the decrees of God.
Neither to look thereon.] None can look into it unless it be opened, and none can open it unless the seals be unloosed.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 3. And no man in heaven , etc.] Or no one in heaven, whether angels, or the souls of departed saints; neither the one nor the other know anything of what is to come, until it is revealed unto them: nor in earth : among all the men on earth, even those of the greatest sagacity and penetration, the wise, the prudent, the scribe, the disputer of this world, such who are most conversant with books, and have the greatest reach into the things of nature, or of grace: neither under the earth ; the dead buried there, good or bad; which may be said agreeably to the notions of the ancient Jews, who believed the immortality of souls, and that they were rewarded or punished, upo cyonov , under the earth, according to their virtue or vice in life f148 : or the devils in hell; or whoever on the earth are influenced by them, as magicians, sorcerers, soothsayers, and necromancers: was able to open the book, neither to look thereon ; or in it, so as to read it, understand it, and show to John what was in it; for the sense is, there was no creature in heaven, earth, or hell, who were masters of the deepest knowledge, and made pretensions to any, that were able to foresee and foretell things to come; or to exhibit the prophecies in this book, and represent them to John in the manner they afterwards were, and much less to accomplish them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-7 - The apostle saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, a roll of parchments in the form usual in those times, and sealed with seve seals. This represented the secret purposes of God about to be revealed. The designs and methods of Divine Providence, toward the church and the world, are stated, fixed, and made a matter of record The counsels of God are altogether hidden from the eye an understanding of the creature. The several parts are not unsealed an opened at once, but after each other, till the whole mystery of God' counsel and conduct is finished in the world. The creatures cannot ope it, nor read it; the Lord only can do so. Those who see most of God are most desirous to see more; and those who have seen his glory desire to know his will. But even good men may be too eager and hast to look into the mysteries of the Divine conduct. Such desires, if no soon answered, turn to grief and sorrow. If John wept much because he could not look into the book of God's decrees, what reason have many to shed floods of tears for their ignorance of the gospel of Christ! of that on which everlasting salvation depends! We need not weep that we cannot foresee future events respecting ourselves in this world; the eager expectation of future prospects, or the foresight of futur calamities, would alike unfit us for present duties and conflicts, or render our prosperous days distressing. Yet we may desire to learn from the promises and prophecies of Scripture, what will be the fina event to believers and to the church; and the Incarnate Son ha prevailed, that we should learn all that we need to know. Christ stand as Mediator between God and both ministers and people. He is called Lion, but he appears as a Lamb slain. He appears with the marks of his sufferings, to show that he pleads for us in heaven, in virtue of his satisfaction. He appears as a Lamb, having seven horns and seven eyes perfect power to execute all the will of God, and perfect wisdom to understand it, and to do it in the most effectual manner. The Fathe put the book of his eternal counsels into the hand of Christ, an Christ readily and gladly took it into his hand; for he delights to make known the will of his Father; and the Holy Spirit is given by his to reveal the truth and will of God.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 ουδεις 3762 ηδυνατο 1410 5711 εν 1722 τω 3588 ουρανω 3772 ουδε 3761 επι 1909 της 3588 γης 1093 ουδε 3761 υποκατω 5270 της 3588 γης 1093 ανοιξαι 455 5658 το 3588 βιβλιον 975 ουδε 3761 βλεπειν 991 5721 αυτο 846
Vincent's NT Word Studies
3. Under the earth. In Hades.
To look (blepein). See on John i. 29. To take a single look at the contents.
