3. _And no man in heaven._ No one――οὐδεὶς. There is no limitation in the original to _man_. The idea is, that there was no one in heaven――evidently alluding to the created beings there――who could open the volume. Is it not taught here that _angels_ cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come? Are not their faculties limited in this respect like those of man? ¶ _Nor in earth._ Among all classes of men――sages, divines, prophets, philosophers――who among those have ever been able to penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come? ¶ _Neither under the earth._ These divisions compose, in common language, the universe: what is in heaven above; what is on the earth; and whatever there is under the earth――the abodes of the dead. May there not be an allusion here to the supposed science of _necromancy_, and an assertion that even the dead cannot penetrate the future, and disclose what is to come? Comp. Notes on Is. viii. 19. In all these great realms no one advanced who was qualified to undertake the office of making a disclosure of what the mysterious scroll might contain. ¶ _Was able to open the book._ Had ability――ἠδύνατο――to do it. It was a task beyond their power. Even if anyone had been found who had a rank and a moral character which might have seemed to justify the effort, there was no one who had the power of reading what was recorded respecting coming events. ¶ _Neither to look thereon._ That is, so to open the seals as to have a _view_ of what was written therein. That it was not beyond their power merely to _see_ the book is apparent from the fact that John himself saw it in the hand of him that sat on the throne; and it is evident also (ver. 5) that in that sense the elders saw it. But no one could prevail to inspect the contents, or so have access to the interior of the volume as to be able to see what was written there. It could be seen, indeed (ver. 1), that it was written on {123} both sides of the parchment, but _what_ the writing was no one could know. 4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.