New King James Version
Revelation 3:4
4You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Revelation 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
- New International Version (NIV)Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
Context of Revelation 3:4
2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3Remember 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. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’
Read all of Revelation 3Revelation 3:4 word by word
ἀλλ᾽ ἔχεις ὀλίγα ὀνόματα ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἃ οὐκ ἐμόλυναν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ περιπατήσουσιν μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ ἐν λευκοῖς, ὅτι ἄξιοί εἰσιν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thou hastἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- a fewὀλίγοςoligos · little/fewG3641
- namesὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
- evenκαίkai · andG2532
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- SardisΣάρδειςSardeis · SardisG4554
- whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- haveμολύνωmolunō · to defileG3435
- notοὐou · noG3756
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- garmentsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- garmentsἱμάτιονhimation · clothingG2440
- they shall walkπεριπατέωperipateō · to walkG4043
- withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- whiteλευκόςleukos · whiteG3022
- forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
- they areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- worthyἄξιοςaxios · worthyG514
Cross-references for Revelation 3:4
- Revelation 11:13In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- Acts 1:15And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
- 1 Kings 19:18Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
- Isaiah 1:9Unless the Lord of hosts Had left to us a very small remnant, We would have become like Sodom, We would have been made like Gomorrah.
- Romans 11:4But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- Revelation 7:14And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
- Revelation 19:8And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
- Isaiah 52:1Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
- Isaiah 59:6Their webs will not become garments, Nor will they cover themselves with their works; Their works are works of iniquity, And the act of violence is in their hands.
- Isaiah 61:3To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
- Isaiah 64:6But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
- Zechariah 3:3Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
- Jude 1:23but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
- Revelation 3:5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
- Revelation 4:4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
- Revelation 6:11Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.
Commentaries on Revelation 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Thou hast a few names even in Sardis - A few persons, names being put for those who bore them. And as the members of the Church were all enrolled, or their names entered in a book, when admitted into the Church or when baptized, names are here put for the people themselves. See Revelation 3:5. Have not defiled their garments - Their souls. The Hebrews considered holiness as the garb of the soul, and evil actions as stains or spots on this garb. So in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Thou hast a few names even in Sardis - See the analysis of the chapter. The word “names” here is equivalent to “persons”; and the idea is, that even in a place so depraved, and where religion had so much declined, there were a few persons who had kept themselves free from the general contamination. In most cases, when error and sin prevail, there may be found a few who are worthy of the divine commendation; a few who show that true religion may exist even…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Soiled … garments symbolize an impure life (Zechariah 3:4), while white clothes represent purity (see Revelation 6:11; 7:13–14; 22:14). How they walk means how a person lives (see Genesis 17:1; Psalms 81:13; 82:5; Romans 8:4; Galatians 5:16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. The three oldest manuscripts prefix "but," or "nevertheless" (notwithstanding thy spiritual deadness), and omit "even." names--persons named in the book of life (Re 3:5) known by name by the Lord as His own. These had the reality corresponding to their name; not a mere name among men as living, while really dead (Re 3:1). The gracious Lord does not overlook any exceptional cases of real saints in the midst of unreal professors. not defiled their…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 3:4
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries