Revelation 5:6

6. Beheld, and lo For the first time the Lamb dawns on the seer’s sight in the midst of the celestial group. He is at once Lion and Lamb. The repetition of the phrase in the midst, is a Hebraism, which obscures the sense of the English, in which it should be used but once. The Lamb stood centrally in the group of cherubim and elders, either between the sea and the lamps or outside the lamps. Hengstenberg emphasizes too strongly the fact that the Greek word for lamb is ‘ αρνιον , arnion, a diminutive, little lamb, a lambkin. But it does not appear that St. John’s grammatical diminutives ending in on, denote a diminutive object. Thus the diminutive βιβλιον , biblion, does not signify a little roll, but has a diminutive βιβλαριδιον , biblaridion, (Revelation 10:2,) which does. The diminutive θηριον , therion, signifies a great beast. And this uniform use of this sort of diminutive seems, also, to invalidate Wordsworth’s ingenious idea, that St. John uses the forms ‘ αρνιον and θηριον to mark an antithesis. This word for lamb is used by John in the Apocalypse twenty-seven times, and in his Gospel (Revelation 21:15) once, and occurs nowhere else in the New Testament.

As it had been slain By being the slain Lamb he had become the conquering Lion. St. John recognised the slain Lamb by his wounded side and hands, just as Thomas did after the resurrection.

Seven horns An undoubted antithesis to the seven horns of the dragon and of the beast, but without any reference here to the seven hills of Rome. As horns are, in biblical language, a symbol of power, they tell us that this slain Lamb is a mighty Being. The number marks divine perfection of power, as those of the dragon mark diabolic supremacy of power. The seven spirits of God, represented by the seven eyes, denote the all-pervasive, all-searching Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, dwelling in, and proceeding from, the Son. Their sevenfoldness are their perfect manifestation in manifold modes, and arise from their unity in him; just as the four winds are one atmosphere, one universal air.

Sent forth The spiritual Apostle (apostle signifies sent) sent forth, not only with every true apostle, but to many a clime and many a soul no apostle ever reached. The imagery is borrowed from Zechariah 4:10.