His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;
This verse, of course, contains the continued description of the glorified person of Jesus begun in verse 10. White represents moral purity or, in other words, purity of character (Psalm 51:6, 7; Isaiah 1:18; Daniel 12:10). In a literal sense, it can just as readily be said that Jesus’ divinity and glory radiates from His countenance like the brightness of the sun‒that is, radiant and resplendent. It is possible that what John is beholding here is similar to what occurred in Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1, 2), though possibly to a greater degree, for Jesus is now seen in his heavenly glory. Further, a white head can also serve as a venerable sign of ripe knowledge, mature judgment, and solid wisdom‒betokening the fullness of wisdom and authority (Daniel 7:9; Daniel 10:5, 6; see on Revelation 1:16).
and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
The eyes represent the capacity to perceive (Mark 4:11, 12). Jesus’ gaze is intense and penetrating, reflecting infinite discernment‒thus denoting his omniscience, and the all-penetrating nature of divine knowledge (I Samuel 16:7; I Kings 8:39; I Chronicles 28:9; Job 36:4, 5; Psalm 139:1-4; Psalm 147:5; Proverbs 24:12; Jeremiah 17:10; Daniel 10:5, 6; Zechariah 4:2, 10; Hebrews 4:13; see on Revelation 2:18, Revelation 2:23, and Revelation 19:12).
