Lexical Summary tetragonos: Four-cornered, square Original Word: τετράγωνος 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: τετράγωνοςτετράγωνος, 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 RevelationRevelation 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. 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). 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). 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 tetrágōnosLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |