New American Standard Bible 1995
Revelation 3:7
7“And to the angel of the church in 1Philadelphia write:
2He who is holy, 3who is true, who has 4the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:
Revelation 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
- New International Version (NIV)“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:
Context of Revelation 3:7
5He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: 8‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
Read all of Revelation 3Revelation 3:7 word by word
Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Φιλαδελφείᾳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· τάδε λέγει ὁ ἅγιος, ὁ ἀληθινός, ὁ ἔχων τὴν κλεῖν Δαυίδ, ὁ ἀνοίγων καὶ οὐδεὶς κλείσει καὶ κλείων καὶ οὐδεὶς ἀνοίγει·Read the interlinear
- “And to the angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- of the churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577
- PhiladelphiaΦιλαδέλφειαPhiladelpheia · PhiladelphiaG5359
- writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
- He who is holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
- who is trueἀληθινόςalēthinos · trueG228
- who hasἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- the keyκλείςkleis · keyG2807
- who opensἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
- and noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
- will shutκλείωkleiō · to shutG2808
- saysλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- thisὅδεhode hēde tode · thisG3592
Cross-references for Revelation 3:7
- 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 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 4:8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”
- Revelation 6:10and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
- Psalms 16:10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
- Psalms 89:18For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
- Psalms 145:17The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds.
- Isaiah 6:3And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”
- Isaiah 30:11Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.”
- Isaiah 41:14Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the Lord, “and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 47:4Our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 48:17Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.
- Isaiah 49:7Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, “Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You.”
- Isaiah 54:5For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the Lord of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.
- Isaiah 55:5Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.”
- Mark 1:24saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!”
Commentaries on Revelation 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7He that is holy - In whom holiness essentially dwells, and from whom all holiness is derived. He that is true - He who is the fountain of truth; who cannot lie nor be imposed on; from whom all truth proceeds; and whose veracity in his Revelation is unimpeachable. He that hath the key of David - See this metaphor explained, Matthew 16:19. Key is the emblem of authority and knowledge; the key of David is the regal right or authority of David. David could…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia - See the notes on Revelation 1:20. These things saith he that is holy - This refers undoubtedly to the Lord Jesus. The appellation holy, or the holy one, is one that befits him, and is not infrequently given to him in the New Testament, Luke 1:35; Acts 2:27; Acts 3:14. It is not only an appellation appropriate to the Saviour, but well adapted to be employed when he is addressing the churches. Our impression…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-13Verses 7-13 The same Lord Jesus has the key of government and authority in and over the church. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens a door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, opens the heart. He shuts the door of heaven against the foolish, who sleep away their day of grace; and against the workers of iniquity, how vain and confident soever they may be. The church in Philadelphia is commended; yet with a gentle…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Philadelphia was located in the foothills of the Timolus Mountains, with fertile plains to the east. The city often suffered from severe earthquakes, which left it weak and poor. This verse uses phrases from Isaiah 22:22. key of David: Jesus the Messiah, God's chosen one, is the successor to David’s royal line. As the gatekeeper of heaven, Jesus has the authority to open and close the way to heaven (compare Matthew 16:19).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. Philadelphia--in Lydia, twenty-eight miles southeast of Sardis, built by Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamos, who died A.D. 138. It was nearly destroyed by an earthquake in the reign of Tiberius [Tacitus, Annals, 2.47]. The connection of this Church with Jews there causes the address to it to have an Old Testament coloring in the images employed. It and Smyrna alone of the seven receive unmixed praise. he that is holy--as in the Old Testament, "the…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 3:7
In the dictionaries
Notes
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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries