5068. tetragonos
Lexical Summary
tetragonos: Four-cornered, square

Original Word: τετράγωνος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: tetragonos
Pronunciation: te-trä'-gō-nos
Phonetic Spelling: (tet-rag'-o-nos)
KJV: foursquare
Word Origin: [from G5064 (τέσσαρες - four) and G1137 (γωνία - corner)]

1. four-cornered, i.e. square

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
rectangular, foursquare.

From tessares and gonia; four-cornered, i.e. Square -- foursquare.

see GREEK tessares

see GREEK gonia

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5068: τετράγωνος

τετράγωνος, τετραγον (from τέτρα, which see, and γωνος (i. e. γωνία)), quadrangular, square; (A. V. four-square) (Vulg.in quadro positus): Revelation 21:16. (The Sept.; Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Polybius, Plutarch, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Reference in Revelation

Revelation 21:16 employs the term to describe the New Jerusalem: “The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with the rod to be twelve thousand stadia in length and width and height”. This single use fixes the word’s entire New Testament significance on the eschatological dwelling place of God with His redeemed people.

Old Testament Antecedents

Exodus 27:1 – the bronze altar of sacrifice is prescribed as foursquare.
Exodus 28:16 – the high-priestly breastpiece of judgment is fashioned foursquare.
1 Kings 6:20 – the Most Holy Place in Solomon’s temple is a perfect square.
Ezekiel 40:47; 48:20 – Ezekiel’s visionary temple and city likewise exhibit a square ground plan.

These precedents establish a consistent biblical pattern in which square or cubical proportions signal holiness, completeness, and the unassailable order of God’s design.

Symbolic Significance of the Square

1. Completeness and Perfection – Equal sides suggest nothing lacking or excessive; God’s work is perfectly proportioned (Deuteronomy 32:4).
2. Stability – A square structure resists imbalance, reflecting the immutability of God’s kingdom (Hebrews 12:28).
3. Holiness – Items most intimately associated with the presence of God are set apart by this shape, culminating in the city where “nothing unclean will ever enter” (Revelation 21:27).

Implications for New Testament Theology

The foursquare form reinforces the New Jerusalem’s role as the final fulfillment of tabernacle and temple imagery. Whereas earlier sanctuaries mediated grace through shadows, the eternal city embodies direct communion: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Revelation 21:3). Its equal length, width, and height echo the cubical Holy of Holies, but on a cosmic scale, testifying that salvation history reaches its consummation in unbroken fellowship.

Historical Reflections in Jewish and Christian Thought

Second-Temple Judaism saw the Holy of Holies as the microcosm of creation; the squared city expands that ideal to macrocosmic proportions. Patristic writers such as Irenaeus and Augustine linked the city’s symmetry to the four corners of the earth, underscoring the universality of the gospel. Medieval architects echoed the motif in cathedral floorplans, while Protestant commentators emphasized Scripture’s internal harmony: the “foursquare” city mirrors the integrity of revealed truth.

Ministry Applications

• Eschatological Hope – Teaching on the New Jerusalem encourages believers facing suffering, assuring them of a perfectly ordered future home (2 Peter 3:13).
• Worship Design – Church architecture and liturgy may intentionally reflect God’s balance and holiness, inviting congregations to anticipate heavenly realities.
• Holistic Discipleship – Ministry that is “foursquare” seeks balanced growth in doctrine, fellowship, service, and evangelism (Acts 2:42-47).
• Mission Motivation – The equal dimensions remind the church that the gospel extends to every direction and nation (Matthew 28:19).

Related Biblical Motifs

Four rivers of Eden (Genesis 2:10-14), four living creatures (Ezekiel 1:5; Revelation 4:6-8), and the four points of the compass (Isaiah 11:12) all converge on the theme of universality and completeness that the New Jerusalem’s foursquare design visibly proclaims.

Summary

The solitary New Testament occurrence of Strong’s 5068 encapsulates an expansive theological tapestry. Rooted in Old Testament typology and carried forward into Christian hope, the foursquare New Jerusalem stands as the ultimate statement of divine perfection—holy, stable, complete, and universally welcoming to all who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Forms and Transliterations
τετράγωνα τετράγωνοι τετράγωνον τετραγωνος τετράγωνος τετραγώνων tetragonos tetragōnos tetrágonos tetrágōnos
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Revelation 21:16 Adj-NFS
GRK: ἡ πόλις τετράγωνος κεῖται καὶ
NAS: is laid out as a square, and its length
KJV: lieth foursquare, and
INT: the city four-square lies and

Strong's Greek 5068
1 Occurrence


τετράγωνος — 1 Occ.

5067b
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