Revelation 3:1

Revelation 3:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
• New International Version (NIV)“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

Context of Revelation 3:1

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Revelation 3:1 word by word

Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον· τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας· οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ.Read the interlinear

• “To the angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• of the churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577
• SardisΣάρδειςSardeis · SardisG4554
• writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• He who hasἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• the sevenἑπτάhepta · sevenG2033
• Spiritsπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• starsἀστήρastēr · starG792
• saysλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• thisὅδεhode hēde tode · thisG3592
• your deedsἔργονergon · workG2041
• a nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
• that you are aliveζάωzaō · to liveG2198
• deadνεκρόςnekros · deadG3498

Cross-references for Revelation 3:1

• Revelation 1:11saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
• Revelation 1:4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
• Revelation 4:5Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
• Revelation 5:6And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.
• John 1:16For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
• John 3:34For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
• John 7:37Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
• John 15:26“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me,
• John 20:22And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 2:33Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.
• 1 Peter 1:11seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
• Revelation 1:16In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
• Revelation 2:1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
• Revelation 2:2‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
• Luke 15:24for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
• Ephesians 2:1And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

Commentaries on Revelation 3:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The seven Spirits, of God - See the note on Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:16; (note), etc. Thou hast a name that thou livest - Ye have the reputation of Christians, and consequently of being alive to God, through the quickening influence of the Divine Spirit; but ye are dead - ye have not the life of God in your souls, ye have not walked consistently and steadily before God, and his Spirit has been grieved with you, and he has withdrawn much of his light…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The Epistle to the Church at Sardis The contents of the epistle to the church at Sardis Revelation 3:1-6 are: (1)The usual salutation to the angel of the church, Revelation 3:1. (2)the usual reference to the attributes of the Saviour - those referred to here being that he had the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, Revelation 3:1. (3)the assurance that he knew their works, Revelation 3:1. (4)the statement of the uniqueness of the church, or what he…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Epistles to the church at Sardis; (1-6) at Philadelphia; (7-13) and Laodicea. (14-22) Verses 1-6 The Lord Jesus is He that hath the Holy Spirit with all his powers, graces, and operations. Hypocrisy, and lamentable decay in religion, are sins charged upon Sardis, by One who knew that church well, and all her works. Outward things appeared well to men, but there was only the form of godliness, not the power; a name to live, not a principle of life. There…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Sardis was about 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Smyrna on the southeast highway from Pergamum and Thyatira. It was home to a large community of wealthy Jews. They were called “Sephardic” because this name came from an ancient name for the city. The city also had a strong, fortified acropolis, which often gave its people too much confidence in their own safety. Other churches may have thought the Christians in Sardis were active and strong. However…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-221. Sardis--the ancient capital of Lydia, the kingdom of wealthy Croesus, on the river Pactolus. The address to this Church is full of rebuke. It does not seem to have been in vain; for Melito, bishop of Sardis in the second century, was eminent for piety and learning. He visited Palestine to assure himself and his flock as to the Old Testament canon and wrote an epistle on the subject [Eusebius Ecclesiastical History, 4.26]; he also wrote a commentary on…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 3:1

• Angel of the Churches
• Church
• Hypocrisy
• Lukewarmness
• Sardis
• Seven
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Seven Stars
• Angel
• Chasten
• Cold
• Counsel
• Dead
• Lukewarm
• Naked

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