Who are the 24 elders in Rev. 5:10?

Who are the 24 elders in Rev. 5:10?

Question: Who are the 24 elders in Rev. 5:10? For some reason Strong’s changes the original word based upon the Bible version used. NKJV says us and NLT says them.

Answer: Thanks for the fine question here!

You’re right: we have some modern English versions of the Bible that read “us” in Rev. 5:10 (e.g., the KJV and the NKJV), while most of them read “them.”  It appears that there are a few Greek manuscripts that have the word “us,” though there is much stronger manuscript evidence for reading “them.”  That said, note that later in the same verse we still have the corporate “our God” being confessed.  That is, God has made them a kingdom of priests, and yet it is our God—the same one for all of us—that has done this.

As for the identity of the 24 elders, there are strong reasons to take them as depicting the ministry across the ages.  For more on this, you might consider listening to my podcasts on Revelation 4 and 5, available here: https://concordiabible.org/page/2/?s=episode+revelation

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