God’s Word Translation
Revelation 3:3
3So remember what you received and heard. Obey, and change the way you think and act. If you’re not alert, I’ll come like a thief. You don’t know when I will come.
Revelation 3:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Context of Revelation 3:3
1“To the messenger of the church in Sardis, write: The one who has God’s seven spirits and the seven stars says: I know what you have done. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. 2Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left which are about to die. I have found that what you are doing has not been completed in the sight of my God. So remember what you received and heard. Obey, and change the way you think and act. If you’re not alert, I’ll come like a thief. You don’t know when I will come. 4But you have a few people in Sardis who have kept their clothes clean. They will walk with me in white clothes because they deserve it. 5Everyone who wins the victory this way will wear white clothes. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge them in the presence of my Father and his angels.
Read all of Revelation 3Revelation 3:3 word by word
μνημόνευε οὖν πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας, καὶ τήρει καὶ μετανόησον. ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γρηγορήσῃς, ἥξω ὡς κλέπτης, καὶ οὐ μὴ γνῷς ποίαν ὥραν ἥξω ἐπὶ σέ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Rememberμνημονεύωmnēmoneuō · to rememberG3421
- thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- howπῶςpōs · how?!G4459
- thou hast receivedλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- hold fastτηρέωtēreō · to keep: observeG5083
- repentμετανοέωmetanoeō · to repentG3340
- Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
- thou shaltγρηγορέωgrēgoreuō · to keep watchG1127
- notμήmē · notG3361
- I will comeἥκωhēkō · to come/be presentG2240
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- a thiefκλέπτηςkleptēs · thiefG2812
- notοὐou · noG3756
- knowγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
- whatποῖοςpoios · what?G4169
- hourὥραhōra · hourG5610
Cross-references for Revelation 3:3
- Revelation 2:5Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change.
- Ezekiel 16:61Then you will remember what you have done. You will be ashamed when I return your older and younger sisters to you. I will give them to you as daughters, but not because of my promise with you.
- Ezekiel 20:43There you will remember the way you lived and everything you did to dishonor yourselves. You will be disgusted by every wrong thing that you did.
- Ezekiel 36:31Then you will remember your evil ways and the bad things that you did, and you will hate yourselves for all these wicked and disgusting things.
- Hebrews 2:1For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard. Then we won’t drift away ⌞from the truth⌟.
- 2 Peter 1:13As long as I’m still alive, I think it’s right to refresh your memory.
- 2 Peter 3:1Dear friends, this is the second letter I’m writing to you. In both letters I’m trying to refresh your memory.
- Revelation 3:11I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown.
- Revelation 2:25Just hold on to what you have until I come.
- 1 Timothy 6:20Timothy, guard the Good News which has been entrusted to you. Turn away from pointless discussions and the claims of false knowledge that people use to oppose ⌞the Christian faith⌟.
- 2 Timothy 1:13With faith and love for Christ Jesus, consider what you heard me say to be the pattern of accurate teachings.
- Revelation 3:19I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.
- Revelation 16:15“See, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who remains alert and doesn’t lose his clothes. He will not have to go naked and let others see his shame.”
- Matthew 24:42“Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know on what day your Lord will return.
- Luke 12:39“Of course, you realize that if the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let him break into his house.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
Commentaries on Revelation 3:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Remember - Enter into a serious consideration of your state. How thou hast received - With what joy, zeal, and gladness ye heard the Gospel of Christ when first preached to you. Hold fast - Those good desires and heavenly influences which still remain. And repent - Be humbled before God, because ye have not been workers together with him, but have received much of his grace in vain. If therefore thou shalt not watch - If you do not consider your ways…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Remember therefore how thou hast received - This may refer either to some uniqueness in the manner in which the gospel was conveyed to them - as, By the labors of the apostles, and by the remarkable effusions of the Holy Spirit; or to the ardor and love with which they embraced it; or to the greatness of the favors and privileges conferred on them; or to their own understanding of what the gospel required, when they were converted. It is not possible to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3The church in Sardis needed to wake up and pay attention. If they did not, they would face sudden judgment. The city of Sardis had experienced this kind of surprise attack twice. The first happened when the forces of Cyrus entered the city through a secret tunnel around 549 or 546 BC. The second happened in 189 BC when Antiochus III attacked the city in the same way. In both cases, the watchmen were not alert, and the city fell. The same would happen to…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. how thou hast received--(Col 2:6; 1Th 4:1; 1Ti 6:20). What Sardis is to "remember" is, not how joyfully she had received originally the Gospel message, but how the precious deposit was committed to her originally, so that she could not say, she had not "received and heard" it. The Greek is not aorist (as in Re 2:4, as to Ephesus, "Thou didst leave thy first love"), but "thou hast received" (perfect), and still hast the permanent deposit of doctrine…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 3:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 3
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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