English · KJV

Revelation 7:6

“The Sealing of the Servants of God”Revelation 7:1–8

King James Version
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

KJV (with Strong's)
Of G1537 the tribe G5443 of Aser G768 were sealed G4972 twelve G1427 thousand G5505. Of G1537 the tribe G5443 of Nepthalim G3508 were sealed G4972 twelve G1427 thousand G5505. Of G1537 the tribe G5443 of Manasses G3128 were sealed G4972 twelve G1427 thousand G5505.

Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain

Berean Standard Bible
from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

American Standard Version
Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand; Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand;

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

World English Bible Messianic
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand,

Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain

Geneva Bible (1599)
Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelue thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthali were sealed twelue thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelue thousand.

Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain

Young's Literal Translation
of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed;

Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain

King James Version — Interlinear
18 Greek words
  1. ἐκekout ofG1537PREPPreposition
  2. φυλῆςphulēs[the] tribeG5443N-GSFNoun Genitive Singular Feminine
  3. ἈσὴρAsērof AsherG768N-GSM-PNoun Genitive Singular Masculine Individual
  4. δώδεκαdōdekatwelveG1427A-NUIAdjective
  5. χιλιάδεςchiliadesthousandG5505N-NPFNoun Nominative Plural Feminine
  6. ἐσφραγισμένοι·esphragismenoisealedG4972V-RPP-NPMVerb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
  7. ἐκekout ofG1537PREPPreposition
  8. φυλῆςphulēs[the] tribeG5443N-GSFNoun Genitive Singular Feminine
  9. ΝεφθαλὶμNephthalimof NaphtaliG3508N-GSM-PGNoun Genitive Singular Masculine Person Gentilic
  10. δώδεκαdōdekatwelveG1427A-NUIAdjective
  11. χιλιάδεςchiliadesthousandG5505N-NPFNoun Nominative Plural Feminine
  12. ἐσφραγισμένοι·esphragismenoisealedG4972V-RPP-NPMVerb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
  13. ἐκekout ofG1537PREPPreposition
  14. φυλῆςphulēs[the] tribeG5443N-GSFNoun Genitive Singular Feminine
  15. ΜανασσῆManassēof ManassehG3128N-GSM-PNoun Genitive Singular Masculine Individual
  16. δώδεκαdōdekatwelveG1427A-NUIAdjective
  17. χιλιάδεςchiliadesthousandG5505N-NPFNoun Nominative Plural Feminine
  18. ἐσφραγισμένοι·esphragismenoisealedG4972V-RPP-NPMVerb Perfect Passive Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Greek, not the KJV's wording. Why?

This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Greek word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Greek word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “charity” where the gloss reads “love”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.

Words in [ ] are added by the English.

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This verse

Twelve thousand each are sealed from Asher, Naphtali and Manasseh, Joseph’s son, who is named here as a tribe of his own.

“Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand.”

Aser is Asher, whose name means happy or blessed.

“Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand.”

Nepthalim is Naphtali. The name means my wrestling and recalls Rachel’s earnest prayer.

“Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.”

Manasses is Manasseh, Joseph’s son. His name means causing to forget, because Joseph said that God had made him forget all his toil and his father’s house (Genesis 41:51). Joseph himself is named in verse 8.

Passage studyRevelation 7:1–8

God Seals His Servants Before the Storm

1And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. 4And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. 5Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. 6Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. 7Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. 8Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

Summary

After the terror of the sixth seal, John sees God’s judgments held back. Four angels stand at the four corners of the earth holding the four winds, and another angel rises from the east with the seal of the living God and cries out to them to wait until God’s servants are sealed in their foreheads. Then John hears how many were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, named one by one. These eight verses show us that every force of judgment waits on God’s word, that he marks those who belong to him before the storm breaks, and that he knows his own by name and by number.

A pause between the sixth and seventh seals

Chapter 7 stands between the sixth seal and the seventh. In Revelation 6:12–17 the heavens are shaken, people hide in terror from the wrath of God and the Lamb, and the chapter closes with the question “who shall be able to stand?” The seventh seal is opened in Revelation 8:1. In between, God shows John two companies who do stand: the sealed servants from the tribes of Israel in these verses, and the great multitude from every nation standing before the throne in Revelation 7:9–17. “After these things” ties the scene to the seals that came before, and what follows is a deliberate pause in which God secures his people before further judgment falls.

John received these visions in exile on Patmos, probably while the Roman Empire was persecuting the church, possibly under the emperor Domitian. Believers who were suffering for Christ heard in this scene that God rules every power let loose on the earth and keeps his own in the middle of it.

Why the four winds are held back

John sees four angels “standing on the four corners of the earth”. The word for corner, gōnía, means an angle, a corner or a quarter. Scripture uses “the four corners of the earth” for the whole world in every direction, north, south, east and west, as when Isaiah foretells the gathering of the dispersed “from the four corners of the earth”. The angels are placed so that their charge covers the entire earth, and the phrase describes no flat earth with literal edges.

The word for winds, ánemos, means ordinary wind, and in the plural it can stand for the four quarters of the earth. In the prophets the winds are often God’s instruments of judgment, as in his judgment on Elam (Jeremiah 49:36) and in Daniel’s vision of the four beasts (Daniel 7:2). Here they stand for the destruction about to come on the world, whether that means storms and disasters in nature or the wider ruin of war, pestilence and the wrath of God. The angels are “holding” them. The verb kratéō means to use strength to seize or keep hold of something, and here the angels keep the winds in hand so that they blow only when God gives the word.

The winds are held back from the earth, the sea and every tree. Land, waters and growing things together make up the whole created world around us, and verse 3 names the same three again. Even the forces of destruction move only at God’s command: “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3). The delay has a purpose. Before the winds are let go, God’s servants must be sealed, and so his patience and his care for his people come before the judgment.

The angel from the east with the seal of the living God

Another angel now comes up “from the east”. The word angel, ángelos, comes from a verb meaning to bring tidings, and it means a messenger, here a heavenly messenger carrying out God’s will. Behind “the east” stand two Greek words, anatolḗ, a rising of light or dawn, and hḗlios, the sun, so the angel comes from the rising of the sun. Scripture links the east with the dawn and with God’s coming. In Ezekiel’s vision the glory of the LORD enters the temple from the east (Ezekiel 43:2), the temple’s entrance faced east, and Jesus likens his coming to lightning that flashes from the east to the west (Matthew 24:27). The direction marks the angel’s mission as coming from God himself, with his glory and authority behind it.

He carries “the seal of the living God”. The verb záō means to live, to be alive, and “the living God” sets God apart from idols that have no life. He is the God who acts in history, who saves and who protects, and the seal the angel carries is his.

The angel cries “with a loud voice”, with urgency and authority, and he speaks to the same four angels John has just seen. They are the ones “to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea”, so their power was given to them by God. The verb adikéō means to do wrong or to be unjust, and so to injure or hurt, and here it is the damage the four angels are permitted to do to land and sea. One angel of God commands the others, and the agents of judgment wait on his word.

What it means to be sealed

The angel’s command is “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Judgment waits for one thing, the sealing of God’s people.

In John’s day a seal was a familiar thing. Kings and officials pressed their signet rings into wax, and the impression carried their authority. A writing sealed with the king’s ring could be reversed by no one (Esther 8:8), and a seal secured the stone of a tomb (Matthew 27:66). Seals marked documents as genuine and showed who owned property, livestock and slaves, and Roman soldiers sometimes bore the mark of their legion. The noun sphragís means a signet, which fences something in and protects it from being taken, and by implication the stamp the signet leaves. The verb sphragízō means to stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation, and by implication to keep secret or to attest. God’s seal says that these people are his, that they are truly his, and that he will keep them safe.

The seal goes “in their foreheads”. The word métōpon is built from the words for “with” and “face”, and it means the forehead. It is the most visible place on a person, so a seal there is an open sign of whom they belong to. Later in the book the beast has people take a mark on the forehead or the hand (Revelation 13:16–17), and the two marks stand for two allegiances. In Revelation 14:1 John sees the Lamb standing on mount Sion with the hundred and forty and four thousand.

Scripture gives this sign its meaning long before Revelation. In Ezekiel 9:4–6 a mark is set on the foreheads of those who sigh and cry over the abominations done in Jerusalem, and they are spared when judgment falls on the city. The LORD set a mark on Cain to protect him (Genesis 4:15). At the Passover the blood on the doorposts marked the houses of Israel (Exodus 12:7), and it kept their firstborn safe from the judgment that night (Exodus 12:13). That blood pictured the blood of Christ, which shelters his people from God’s wrath.

Those sealed are “the servants of our God”. The word doûlos means a slave or bondservant, whether by force or by choice, and so a servant who belongs wholly to a master. God’s servants are his own people, set apart for him and for his service. “We have sealed” speaks of the angel acting with others, probably other heavenly beings, on God’s behalf.

Does the seal keep God’s servants from all suffering?

The seal marks God’s servants as his and keeps them from his wrath, the judgment about to fall on the ungodly. Believers differ on how far its protection reaches in this world. Some hold that it keeps the sealed safe from bodily harm through the judgments that follow, so that they come through the tribulation preserved in body as well as soul. Others hold that God’s servants may still suffer and even die as martyrs, and that the seal keeps them safe from eternal judgment and sure of eternal life. On either reading, what falls on the earth cannot take them out of God’s hand.

Is the seal a mark people can see?

The seal in the forehead is best taken as the sign of a spiritual reality, God’s own claim on his people, though some believers expect a literal, visible mark. On either view the seal is God’s work, set on his people by his own hand.

Who are the 144,000?

John says, “I heard the number of them which were sealed.” The verb akoúō simply means to hear, and John is told the number by revelation. It is a hundred and forty and four thousand, “of all the tribes of the children of Israel”, twelve thousand from each of twelve tribes, which is twelve times twelve times a thousand. The name Israḗl belongs first to Jacob, then to the nation descended from him, and in the New Testament it is also used figuratively of Christians as the true Israel.

Believers differ on who these are, and both readings take Scripture as God’s word.

  • The tribes of Israel by descent. On this reading the 144,000 are Jewish people, twelve thousand from each tribe, sealed by God during the Great Tribulation, often understood as evangelists kept safe and empowered to preach the gospel before Christ returns. The verse names “the tribes of the children of Israel” plainly, and John is given a count for this company, while the people he sees next are “a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (Revelation 7:9). The two groups are distinct, and Israel keeps its own place in God’s plan.
  • The whole people of God. On this reading the number stands for the complete company of God’s redeemed through the ages, Jew and Gentile together, “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). Paul speaks of the true circumcision as that of the heart (Romans 2:29), and he tells those who belong to Christ that they are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29). The twelve tribes and the twelve apostles stand behind the twelve, a thousand stands for a great number, and the unusual list of tribes points the same way.

Both readings agree that God has a people whom he knows, counts, marks and keeps.

The sealing also carries a thread that runs through the whole Bible, the remnant God always keeps. He kept Noah, and he kept a faithful remnant in Israel in Elijah’s day (1 Kings 19:18). Isaiah speaks of the remnant of Israel (Isaiah 10:20–22), and Paul writes, “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Romans 11:5).

Why the list of tribes is unusual

Verses 5 to 8 name the twelve tribes one by one. The word for tribe, phylḗ, means an offshoot, and so a race or clan descended from one ancestor, here the sons of Jacob. Dṓdeka, twelve, is built from the words for two and ten, and chiliás is a thousand. These words simply name the numbers. The weight of the twelve comes from what Scripture does with it, in the twelve sons of Jacob and later the twelve apostles.

The same words follow every tribe, and each tribe receives the same number. The passive “were sealed” keeps God as the one who does the sealing. The steady repetition shows his order and his even care for every part of his people, as Paul says: “The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy 2:19).

This list differs from the other lists of the tribes in Scripture, such as Genesis 49, Numbers 1 and Ezekiel 48.

  • Judah comes first, ahead of Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. Judah was the royal tribe from which the Messiah would come.
  • Dan is missing altogether.
  • Ephraim goes unnamed, and Joseph stands in his place, while Manasseh, Joseph’s son, is named as a tribe in verse 6.
  • Levi, the priestly tribe that received no land and was usually set apart from the land-holding tribes, is counted with the rest.

Scripture gives no reason for Dan’s absence. It is often linked to the tribe’s idolatry in its history, and an old tradition connects Dan with the Antichrist. Levi’s place shows the priestly tribe sharing fully in God’s protected people. By the first century, exile and dispersion had blurred the lines of descent of many tribes, and the twelve still stood for the whole covenant people. Those who read the 144,000 as the whole people of God see in these changes a list chosen for its meaning, and those who read them as Israel by descent see God’s own arrangement of the tribes for his purpose. On both readings the emphasis falls on God choosing and keeping every tribe he names.

Sealed by the Spirit and kept by the Lamb

The seal in Revelation points to the seal every believer receives in Christ. Paul writes, “in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise”, and he calls the Spirit “the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:13–14). Believers are sealed by the Spirit for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30), the Spirit whom Christ promised to send (John 14:16–17). God’s ownership, his protection and his pledge of what is to come are all in that seal. In Christ all the promises of God “are yea, and in him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20), and those who are in Christ Jesus stand free of condemnation (Romans 8:1). The psalmist knew the same truth, that the LORD sets apart the godly for himself (Psalm 4:3).

The one who carries out this keeping is the Lamb. He is the one who opens the seals (Revelation 5:5), the Lamb who was slain (Revelation 5:6), who redeemed his people to God by his blood “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9–10). All things were created through him and hold together in him (Colossians 1:16–17), so the winds the angels hold are under his rule too, and he says, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). He lives to make intercession for his people (Hebrews 7:25). He promised, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27–29). He will lose none of those the Father has given him (John 6:39), and he kept those given to him while he was with them (John 17:12).

The angel rising from the east also points ahead to Christ, “the Sun of righteousness” who arises “with healing in his wings” (Malachi 4:2). The living God whose seal the angel carries is fully revealed in Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) and who has “life in himself” (John 5:26). In Christ the wall between Jew and Gentile is broken down (Ephesians 2:14), and the chapter goes on to a multitude that no one can number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9–10).

Known by name and kept by God

These verses give us a God who holds back the storm until every one of his servants is sealed. The winds of judgment are real, and they wait on his word. His people are marked before the first wind blows, named tribe by tribe and counted to the last twelve thousand, because the Lord knows them that are his. In Christ that seal is the Holy Spirit, given to all who believe as the pledge of the inheritance to come. Paul is persuaded that nothing in all creation can separate those God has called from his love (Romans 8:28–39), and the psalm promises that whoever dwells in the secret place of the most High abides under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1–4). Whatever the world goes through, God’s people today stand where the sealed servants of this chapter stand, known by name and kept by his hand.

Last revised

Public-domain commentary

Matthew Henry

From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Revelation 7:1–12. He set out his notes in a four-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.

1662–1714 · 12 verses
Passage under commentRevelation 7:1–12
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points(1.) (2.) Details[1.] [2.] Fine details

Here we have, I. An account of the restraint laid upon the winds. By these winds we suppose are meant those errors and corruptions in religion which would occasion a great deal of trouble and mischief to the church of God. Sometimes the Holy Spirit is compared to the wind: here the spirits of error are compared to the four winds, contrary one to another, but doing much hurt to the church, the garden and vineyard of God, breaking the branches and blasting the fruits of his plantation. The devil is called the prince of the power of the air; he, by a great wind, overthrew the house of Job's eldest son. Errors are as wind, by which those who are unstable are shaken, and carried to and fro, Ephesians 4:14. Observe, 1. These are called the winds of the earth, because they blow only in these lower regions near the earth; heaven is always clear and free from them. 2. They are restrained by the ministry of angels, standing on the four corners of the earth, intimating that the spirit of error cannot go forth till God permits it, and that the angels minister to the good of the church by restraining its enemies. 3. Their restraint was only for a season, and that was till the servants of God were sealed in their foreheads. God has a particular care and concern for his own servants in times of temptation and corruption, and he has a way to secure them from the common infection; he first establishes them, and then he tries them; he has the timing of their trials in his own hand.

II.An account of the sealing of the servants of God, where observe,

1.To whom this work was committed - to an angel, another angel. While some of the angels were employed to restrain Satan and his agents, another angel was employed to mark out and distinguish the faithful servants of God.

2.How they were distinguished - the seal of God was set upon their foreheads, a seal known to him, and as plain as if it appeared in their foreheads; by this mark they were set apart for mercy and safety in the worst of times.

3.The number of those that were sealed, where observe,

(1.)A particular account of those that were sealed of the twelve tribes of Israel - twelve thousand out of every tribe, the whole sum amounting to a hundred and forty-four thousand. In this list the tribe of Dan is omitted, perhaps because they were greatly addicted to idolatry; and the order of the tribes is altered, perhaps according as they had been more or less faithful to God. Some take these to be a select number of the Jews who were reserved for mercy at the destruction of Jerusalem; others think that time was past, and therefore it is to be more generally applied to God's chosen remnant in the world; but, if the destruction of Jerusalem was not yet over (and I think it is hard to prove that it was), it seems more proper to understand this of the remnant of that people which God had reserved according to the election of grace, only here we have a definite number for an indefinite.

(2.)A general account of those who were saved out of other nations (Revelation 7:9): A great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. Though these are not said to be sealed, yet they were selected by God out of all nations, and brought into his church, and there stood before the throne. Observe,

[1.]God will have a greater harvest of souls among the Gentiles than he had among the Jews. More are the children of the desolate than of the married woman.

[2.]The Lord knows who are his, and he will keep them safe in times of dangerous temptation.

[3.]Though the church of God is but a little flock, in comparison of the wicked world, yet it is no contemptible society, but really large and to be still more enlarged.

III.We have the songs of saints and angels on this occasion, Revelation 7:9-12, where observe,

1.The praises offered up by the saints (and, as it seems to me, by the Gentile believers) for the care of God in reserving so large a remnant of the Jews, and saving them from infidelity and destruction. The Jewish church prayed for the Gentiles before their conversion, and the Gentile churches have reason to bless God for his distinguishing mercy to so many of the Jews, when the rest were cut off. Here observe,

(1.)The posture of these praising saints: they stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, before the Creator and the Mediator. In acts of religious worship we come nigh to God, and are to conceive ourselves as in his special presence; and we must come to God by Christ. The throne of God would be inaccessible to sinners were it not for a Mediator.

(2.)Their habit: they were clothed with white robes, and had palms in their hands; they were invested with the robes of justification, holiness, and victory, and had palms in their hands, as conquerors used to appear in their triumphs: such a glorious appearance will the faithful servants of God make at last, when they have fought the good fight of faith and finished their course.

(3.)Their employment: they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb. This may be understood either as a hosannah, wishing well to the interest of God and Christ in the church and in the world, or as a hallelujah, giving to God and the Lamb the praise of the great salvation; both the Father and the Son are joined together in these praises; the Father contrived this salvation, the Son purchased it, and those who enjoy it must and will bless the Lord and the Lamb, and they will do it publicly, and with becoming fervour.

2.Here is the song of the angels (Revelation 7:11, Revelation 7:12), where observe,

(1.)Their station - before the throne of God, attending on him, and about the saints, ready to serve them.

(2.)Their posture, which is very humble, and expressive of the greatest reverence: They fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God. Behold the most excellent of all the creatures, who never sinned, who are before him continually, not only covering their faces, but falling down on their faces before the Lord! What humility then, and what profound reverence, become us vile frail creatures, when we come into the presence of God! We should fall down before him; there should be both a reverential frame of spirit and a humble behaviour in all our addresses to God (3.) Their praises. They consented to the praises of the saints, said their Amen thereto; there is in heaven a perfect harmony between the angels and saints; and then they added more of their own, saying, Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. Here,

[1.]They acknowledge the glorious attributes of God - his wisdom, his power, and his might.

[2.]They declare that for these his divine perfections he ought to be blessed, and praised, and glorified, to all eternity; and they confirm it by their Amen. We see what is the work of heaven, and we ought to begin it now, to get our hearts tuned for it, to be much in it, and to long for that world where our praises, as well as happiness, will be perfected.

Historical interpretation

Five Centuries of Reception

4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.

4 quotes · AD 304–804
Ante-NicenePost-NiceneEarly Medieval
300400500600700800

Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.

d. AD 304Victorinus of PettauAnte-NiceneSourceCommentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John
"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God" He speaks of Elias the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution. We read that these things are predicted in the opening of the Old and New Testament; for He says by Malachi: "Lo, I will send to you Elias the Tishbite, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, according to the time of calling, to recall the Jews to the faith of the people that succeed them." And to that end He shows, as we have said, that the number of those that shall believe, of the Jews and of the nations, is a great multitude which no man was able to number. Moreover, we read in the Gospel that the prayers of the Church are sent from heaven by an angel, and that they are received against wrath, and that the kingdom of Antichrist is cast out and extinguished by holy angels; for He says: "Pray that ye enter not into temptation: for there shall be a great affliction, such as has not been from the beginning of the world; and except the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved." Therefore He shall send these seven great archangels to smite the kingdom of Antichrist; for He Himself also thus said: "Then the Son of man shall send His messengers; and they shall gather together His elect from the four corners of the wind, from the one end of heaven even to the other end thereof." For, moreover, He previously says by the prophet: "Then shall there be peace for our land, when there shall arise in it seven shepherds and eight attacks of men; and they shall encircle Assur," that is, Antichrist, "in the trench of Nimrod," that is, in the nation of the devil, by the spirit of the Church. Similarly when the keepers of the house shall be moved. Moreover, the Lord Himself, in the parable to the apostles, when the labourers had come to Him and said, "Lord, did not we sow good seed in Thy field? whence, then, hath it tares? answered them, An enemy hath done this. And they said to Him, Lord, wilt Thou, then, that we go and root them up? And He said, Nay, but let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, that they gather the tares and make bundles of them, and burn them with fire everlasting, but that they gather the wheat into my barns." The Apocalypse here shows, therefore, that these reapers, and shepherds, and labourers, are the angels. And the trumpet is the word of power. And although the same thing recurs in the phials, still it is not said as if it occurred twice, but because what is decreed by the Lord to happen shall be once for all; for this cause it is said twice. What, therefore, He said too little in the trumpets, is here found in the phials. We must not regard the order of what is said, because frequently the Holy Spirit, when He has traversed even to the end of the last times, returns again to the same times, and fills up what He had before failed to say. Nor must we look for order in the Apocalypse; but we must follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied. Therefore in the trumpets and phials is signified either the desolation of the plagues that are sent upon the earth, or the madness of Antichrist himself, or the cutting off of the peoples, or the diversity of the plagues, or the hope in the kingdom of the saints, or the ruin of states, or the great overthrow of Babylon, that is, the Roman state.
d. AD 550OecumeniusPost-NiceneSourceCommentary on Revelation
The equality is according to the number of those sealed and also those who have believed from each tribe. It hints at an equal zeal and a unanimous confession of faith, even if from this tribe more were saved and believed in Christ, and from another fewer, He who was dishonored by the Jews; but by us and indeed by all the heavenly creation is now worshiped, always and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
d. AD 614Andreas of CaesareaEarly MedievalSourceCOMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 7:6
“From the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand.” Asher is interpreted “blessing,” through which are revealed those who are worthy of dominical blessings because of their life and are made worthy of standing at the right hand of Christ and are shown to be sons of the light and of the day. “From the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand.” Naphtali is interpreted “prayer,” through which those are characterized who are bound to God through unceasing prayer. “From the tribe of Manasseh, twelve thousand.” Manasseh is interpreted “forgetfulness,” that is, it refers to those who on account of love for God, have forgotten the things from the past and the homes of their fathers.
d. AD 804Alcuin of YorkEarly MedievalSourceCOMMENTARY ON REVELATION
Of the tribe of Juda, were twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Ruben, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Gad, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Aser, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Nephthali, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Manasses, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Issachar, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Zabulon, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand signed: Of the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand signed. If we go back to the story of Genesis, we find the names of these introduced according to the birth of each of them, not at all in this order: for Juda is there put in the fourth place, here in the first; Ruben there in the first place, here in the second; Gad there in the eighth place, here in the third; Aser there in the ninth place, here in the fourth; Nephthali there in the seventh place, here in the fifth; Manasses there in the ninth place, here in the sixth; Simeon there in the second place, here in the seventh; Levi there in the third place, here in the eighth. Only Issachar, Zabulon, Joseph, and Benjamin are put in the same place here as there. Dan, the fifth son of Jacob, is altogether excluded from this spiritual list. We easily find out why this was done if we stop concentrating on the birth of the flesh and search for their spiritual lineage in the names with their interpretations. So Juda translates to “confession” or “laudation.” What else does this name's interpretation indicate but the confession of sins and the praise of virtues? Though the word “confession” appears to be sometimes used for “praise,” whence the Lord, who had no sin whatsoever, said, I confess to thee, O Father, etc. [Matt. 11:25] By Ruben, which means “he who sees the child” or “they who see the child,” are represented the very works of virtues, for the fruit of good works is often symbolized by the word “children,” according to this: Mayest thou see thy children' s children, [Ps. 127:6] which means the virtues born from your virtues. Then since works of virtues must serve the progress of others, he is rightly called “he who sees the child.” This means that we should show others the things in which we see we have progressed, according to this saying of the Lord: that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. [Matt. 5:16] It is therefore right for Juda to be put first and for Ruben to follow, because if we do not renounce bad actions through confession, we cannot be instructed for right and prescribed actions. So who would not see now that if he had begun with the firstborn in the flesh and put Juda in the fourth place, he would have been bound to confuse the spiritual lineage of the Church? Then, since those who do good works are usually always tested by temptation, it is right for Ruben to be followed by Gad, which means “temptation;” and since those who are girded with divine strength prove to be strong against temptation, it fits them well because the same Gad also means “girded.” Since we ought to direct the end of our good struggles towards God rather than towards the facade of human praise, the aforesaid Gad also means “robber,” as if he acquired secretly the goods of the heart to offer them to God in order that they may be approved, rather than exposed them to human eyes in order that they may be exalted. So since the tribulation inflicted on them tests the elect and crowns them after the test, it is right for Gad to be followed by Aser, which means “blessed;” and since the warriors of the Church, strengthened by the promise of blessedness, are prompted by feelings of love to spread even among the wicked, it is fitting for Aser to be followed by Nephthali, which means “wideness.” Since when they run through this greatest commandment of love, they both forget the things that are behind and stretch forth [Cf. Phil. 3:13] to the eternal riches that are to come, it is appropriate for Nephthali to be followed by Manasses, which is taken to mean “having forgotten” or “necessity:” “having forgotten” because he has only let go of what was behind, and “necessity” because he has not yet reached what he is stretching towards. Since their desire is often put off for a long time, it is right for Manasses to be followed by Simeon, which translates to “I have heard sorrow;” but those who hear sorrow must necessarily also hear “the name of the dwelling,” which Simeon also seems to mean, so that those who mourn in the tabernacle of decay should rejoice in the dwelling of eternal rest. As for what kind of people all these are, it is indicated by the one listed next, Levi, which means “added;” for such people, going further than the general commandments, add many things that have not been ordered, like celibacy in holy virginity, and all other things of the kind: since these things are not ordered, but advised, it is necessarily the case that non-ordered things are being voluntarily added. It is quite fitting for these people that Levi is followed by Issachar, which translates to “reward,” because an exceptional and special reward is owed to those who do these things; whence Jeremiah says to one of them, Let thy voice cease from weeping, and thy eyes from tears: for there is a reward for thy work, saith the Lord. [Jer. 31:16] However, before people doing such things are rewarded, persecutions are usually inflicted on them, and test them, but do not overcome them. Therefore it is not without good reason that Issachar is followed by Zabulon, which means “dwelling of strength,” for any of these people becomes its dwelling when power is made perfect in infirmity. [2 Cor. 12:9] Then, since they freely expend the talent of the divine Word not only for their friends in time of peace, but also for their enemies in the very middle of persecution, it is fitting for Zabulon to be followed by Joseph, which means “increment;” for in order to make profit off the money they have received, they do not hesitate to expend it even for their enemies. Then, so that you should understand that all these are to be placed on the right hand of the eternal King, it is beautiful that Benjamin, which means “son of the right hand,” comes in the last place, as if he himself were the end of the sequence, where the happiness of the eternal reward is promised. Therefore the holy Church is clearly shown to be, in Juda, praiseworthy through confession; in Ruben, fruitful in good works; in Gad, tested by the trials of temptations; in Aser, blessed after overcoming the temptations; in Nephthali, widened by love; in Manasses, forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forth to the things that are to come; in Simeon, as if it were so far sad in the valley of weeping, but rejoicing in hope at the dwellings of heavenly citizens; in Levi, beautiful in virginity and extremely abundant in pious mercy; in Issachar, resting on the expectation of the future reward; in Zabulon, crowned with martyrdom; in Joseph, enriched with the doubled talent of spiritual substance; and in Benjamin it is demonstrated to have been allotted the right hand, which is eternal happiness. However, let no one think that there are twelve vocations in the Church, since there are only three, namely the virtues of virgins, celibates, and good married people. Among all this, we should by no means omit the question of why Dan, who is undoubtedly a son of Jacob, is, whether in Genesis or in Exodus, counted with all his brothers, but was rejected from the spiritual list in this Apocalypse, while Manasses, who was born among strangers, and was indubitably not his son although he was adopted as his son, [Gen. 41:50-51 and 48:1-5] seems to have been substituted in the sixth place. So, “Dan” translates to “the judgment” or “the judging one of the Hebrews who pass by.” What is this “judgment of the Hebrews who pass by” but the rejection of the old priesthood? Therefore Dan, rejected from the spiritual list, teaches us by the very interpretation of his name that in the sixth age of the world the perfidious Jewish people was, by a mysterious but just judgment, altogether expelled from its place and lost the dignity of priesthood, while Manasses, that is the people of the Gentiles, gained by grace to be substituted in its place.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.

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