New International Version
Revelation 2:1
1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
Revelation 2:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
- English Standard Version (ESV)"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:
Context of Revelation 2:1
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Read all of Revelation 2Revelation 2:1 word by word
Τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ λυχνιῶν τῶν χρυσῶν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Unto the angelὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Unto the angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angel: messengerG32
- of the churchἐκκλησίαekklēsia · assemblyG1577
- of EphesusἘφεσῖνοςEphesinos · EphesusG2179
- writeγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
- These thingsὅδεhode hēde tode · thisG3592
- saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- he that holdethκρατέωkrateō · to grasp/seizeG2902
- theἀστήρastēr · starG792
- sevenἑπτάhepta · sevenG2033
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- right handδεξιόςdexios · rightG1188
- who walkethπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
- the midstμέσοςmesos · midstG3319
- of theλυχνίαluchnia · lampstandG3087
- goldenχρύσεοςchruseos · goldenG5552
Cross-references for Revelation 2:1
- Revelation 2:8“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
- Revelation 3:1“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.
- Revelation 1:11which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”
- Revelation 1:16In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.
- Revelation 8:10The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—
- Revelation 12:1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.
- John 5:35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
- Revelation 1:12I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
- Ezekiel 28:13You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
- Matthew 18:20For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
- Matthew 28:20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Commentaries on Revelation 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus - By , angel, we are to understand the messenger or person sent by God to preside over this Church; and to him the epistle is directed, not as pointing out his state, but the state of the Church under his care. Angel of the Church here answers exactly to that officer of the synagogue among the Jews called ציבור שליח sheliach tsibbur, the messenger of the Church, whose business it was to read, pray, and teach in the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The Epistle to the Church at Ephesus The contents of the epistle to the church at Ephesus - the first addressed - are these: (1)The attribute of the Saviour referred to is, that he “holds the stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks,” Revelation 2:1. (2)he commends them for their patience, and for their opposition to those who are evil, and for their zeal and fidelity in carefully examining into the character of some who…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Epistles to the churches in Asia, with warnings and encouragements, To the church at Ephesus; (1-7) at Smyrna; (8-11) at Pergamos; (12-17) and at Thyatira. (18-29) Verses 1-7 These churches were in such different states as to purity of doctrine and the power of godliness, that the words of Christ to them will always suit the cases of other churches, and professors. Christ knows and observes their state; though in heaven, yet he walks in the midst of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1To the angel … write: This repeated command introducing each of the seven letters shows the message's importance. Ephesus became the main city of the Roman province of Asia. It had the temple of Artemis (see Acts 19:23–35) and became the richest banking center in that region. The people of Ephesus were very independent. They refused help from Alexander to rebuild their temple after its destruction in the 300s BC. They argued that one god should not build…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-29Each of the seven epistles in this and the third chapter, commences with, "I know thy works." Each contains a promise from Christ, "To him that overcometh." Each ends with, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." The title of our Lord in each case accords with the nature of the address, and is mainly taken from the imagery of the vision, Re 1:12-16. Each address has a threat or a promise, and most of the addresses have…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 2:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 2
- 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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