8. _And when he had taken the book, the four beasts_, &c. The acts of adoration here described as rendered by the four living creatures and the elders are, according to the explanation given in ch. iv. 4‒7, emblematic of the honour done to the Redeemer by the church, and by the course of providential events in the government of the world. ¶ _Fell down before the Lamb._ The usual posture of profound worship. Usually in such worship there was entire prostration on the earth. See Notes on Mat. ii. 2; 1 Co. xiv. 25. ¶ _Having every one of them harps._ That is, as the construction, and the propriety of the case would seem to demand, the _elders_ had each of them harps. The whole prostrated themselves with profound reverence; the elders had harps and censers, and broke out into a song of praise for redemption. This construction is demanded, because (a) the Greek word――ἔχοντες――more properly agrees with the word _elders_――πρεσβύτεροι――and not with the word _beasts_――ζῶα; (b) there is an incongruity in the representation that the living creatures, in the form of a lion, a calf, an eagle, should have harps and censers; and (c) the song of praise that is sung (ver. 9) is one that properly applies to the elders as the representatives of the church, and not to the living creatures――“Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” The _harp_ was a well-known instrument used in the service of God. Josephus describes it as having ten strings, and as struck with a key (_Ant._ vii. 12, 3). See Notes on Is. v. 12. ¶ _And golden vials._ The word _vial_ with us, denoting a small slender bottle with a narrow neck, evidently does not express the idea here. The article here referred to was used for offering incense, and must have been a vessel with a large open mouth. The word _bowl_ or _goblet_ would better express the idea, and it is so explained by Professor Robinson, _Lex._, and by Professor Stuart, _in loco_. The Greek word――φιάλη――occurs in the New Testament only in Revelation (v. 8; xv. 7; xvi. 1‒4, 8, 10, 12, 17; xvii. 1; xxi. 9), and is uniformly rendered _vial_ and _vials_, though the idea is always that of a bowl or goblet. ¶ _Full of odours._ Or rather, as in the margin, full of _incense_――θυμιαμάτων. See Notes on Lu. i. 9. ¶ _Which are the prayers of saints._ {127} Which represent or denote the prayers of saints. Comp. Ps. cxli. 2, “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense.” The meaning is, that incense was a proper emblem of prayer. This seems to have been in two respects: (a) as being acceptable to God――as incense produced an agreeable fragrance; and (b) in its being wafted towards heaven――ascending towards the eternal throne. In ch. viii. 3, an angel is represented as having a golden censer: “And there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” The representation there undoubtedly is, that the