Jim Swanson

You are correct to observe that often the imagery of being in or outside of a city wall means the difference between being in relationship or not. In the Gospels, study out "cast into outer darkness" and what that means, in regard to the walls and gates of a walled city. And look just how big the walls of this city are! The city is secure from the evil ones.

In verse 9 it says God "exalted and gave" a name. The Greek tense is what is called an aorist, in the indicative mood, "past time, in a point of time". So this verse says God has already given and exalted with the name.

When I read Revelation 21-22, I am reading the "rest of the story." The beginning of the story is found in Genesis chpts. 1-3. Finally, all the wrongs in the first garden are being made right in the final garden.

The first marriage had no paper license and no human community witness. God was the witness to the union of two souls.

Perhaps Randy carefully chose the word “renounce,” in that typically it has a meaning of “verbally proclaiming a completely severed relationship with another entity” (person, people, “the creation,” etc.).

“Paradise” in the original language means something like, “a beautiful, manicured, park-like ‘garden.’”

To make one English version THE version by which to compare all other versions is an error in thinking.

This verse must be understood by taking into account the verses around it, and the book as a whole.

And among those that translate word for word, the ESV is more literary and readable; the NASB is not quite as good English, but still accurate as a word for word translation. A person reading a passage looking for key terms that repeat, then a NASB would be better. If you are trying to understand the passage as a whole, then the ESV is better.