These 24 people are called 'Elders'. It is
a term used about 200 times in the Bible
and is applied to men. To make an except-
ion in this case would be inconsistent.
These Elders sit on 'seats' which is trans-
lated from the same word as 'throne' in
verse 2.
This high exhaltation
is assigned
to human beings,
never
to angels.