God’s Word Translation
Revelation 1:8
8“I am the A and the Z,” says the Lord God, the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, the Almighty.
Revelation 1:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
- New International Version (NIV)“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Context of Revelation 1:8
6and has made us a kingdom, priests for God his Father. Amen. 7Look! He is coming in the clouds. Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. Every tribe on earth will mourn because of him. This is true. Amen. “I am the A and the Z,” says the Lord God, the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, the Almighty. 9I am John, your brother. I share your suffering, ruling, and endurance because of Jesus. I was ⌞exiled⌟ on the island of Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus. 10I came under the Spirit’s power on the Lord’s day. I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet,
Read all of Revelation 1Revelation 1:8 word by word
Ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ ἄλφα καὶ τὸ ὦ λέγει κύριος ὁ θεός, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ παντοκράτωρ.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- amεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- Alphaὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Alphaα, ἈλφαA · AlphaG1
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- Omegaω, ὮμέγαŌ · OmegaG5598
- the beginningἀρχήarchē · beginningG746
- the endingτέλοςtelos · goal/taxG5056
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- which is to comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- the Almightyπαντοκράτωρpantokratōr · almightyG3841
Cross-references for Revelation 1:8
- Revelation 1:11saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
- Revelation 2:8“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write: The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says:
- Revelation 21:6He said to me, “It has happened! I am the A and the Z, the beginning and the end. I will give a drink from the fountain filled with the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. It won’t cost anything.
- Revelation 22:13I am the A and the Z, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
- Isaiah 41:4Who has accomplished this? Who has determined the course of history from the beginning? I, the Lord, was there first, and I will be there to the end. I am the one!”
- Isaiah 43:10“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord. “I have chosen you as my servant so that you can know and believe in me and understand that I am the one ⌞who did this⌟. No god was formed before me, and there will be none after me.
- Isaiah 44:6The Lord is Israel’s king and defender. He is the Lord of Armies. This is what the Lord says: I am the first and the last, and there is no God except me.
- Isaiah 48:12Listen to me, Jacob, Israel, whom I have called. I am the one. I am the first and the last.
- Revelation 1:4From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Good will and peace to you from the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, from the seven spirits who are in front of his throne,
- Revelation 4:8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming.”
- Revelation 11:17and said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun ruling as king.
- Revelation 16:14They are spirits of demons that do miracles. These spirits go to the kings of the whole world and gather them for the war on the frightening day of God Almighty.
- Revelation 19:15A sharp sword comes out of his mouth to defeat the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and tread the winepress of the fierce anger of God Almighty.
- Revelation 21:22I did not see any temple in it, because the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are its temple.
- Genesis 17:1When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him. He said to Abram, “I am God Almighty. Live in my presence with integrity.
- Genesis 28:3May God Almighty bless you, make you fertile, and increase the number of your descendants so that you will become a community of people.
Commentaries on Revelation 1:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8I am Alpha and Omega - I am from eternity to eternity. This mode of speech is borrowed from the Jews, who express the whole compass of things by א aleph and ת tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet; but as St. John was writing in Greek, he accommodates the whole to the Greek alphabet, of which alpha and omega are the first and last letters. With the rabbins ת ועד מא meeleph vead tau, "from aleph to tau," expressed the whole of a matter…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8I am Alpha and Omega - These are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, and denote properly the first and the last. So in Revelation 22:13, where the two expressions are united, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” So in Revelation 1:17, the speaker says of himself, “I am the first and the last.” Among the Jewish rabbis it was common to use the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet to denote…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-8Verses 4-8 There can be no true peace, where there is not true grace; and where grace goeth before, peace will follow. This blessing is in the name of God, of the Holy Trinity, it is an act of adoration. The Father is first named; he is described as the Jehovah who is, and who was, and who is to come, eternal, unchangeable. The Holy Spirit is called the seven spirits, the perfect Spirit of God, in whom there is a diversity of gifts and operations. The…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8I am is the name of God in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:13–14; 6:2; Deuteronomy 6:4). Jesus used this name for himself (compare John 4:26). Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. They show that God's actions cover everything. God is completely in control.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Greek, "I am the Alpha and the Omega." The first and last letters of the alphabet. God in Christ comprises all that goes between, as well as the first and last. the beginning and the ending--omitted in the oldest manuscripts, though found in Vulgate and Coptic. Transcribers probably inserted the clause from Re 21:6. In Christ, Genesis, the Alpha of the Old Testament, and Revelation, the Omega of the New Testament, meet together: the last book…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 1:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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