Revelation 4:1

Revelation 4:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
• New International Version (NIV)After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
• New Living Translation (NLT)Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”

Context of Revelation 4:1

After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” 2Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald.

Revelation 4:1 word by word

Μετὰ ταῦτα εἶδον, καὶ ἰδοὺ θύρα ἠνεῳγμένη ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἡ πρώτη ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς σάλπιγγος λαλούσης μετ᾽ ἐμοῦ λέγων· ἀνάβα ὧδε, καὶ δείξω σοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• I lookedὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• a doorθύραthura · doorG2374
• openedἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• heavenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• the firstπρῶτοςprōtos · firstG4413
• voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• I heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
• as it wereὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• of a trumpetσάλπιγξsalpigx · trumpetG4536
• talkingλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• which saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Come upἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
• hitherὧδεhōde · hereG5602
• I will shewδεικνύωdeiknuō · to showG1166
• theeσύsu · youG4771
• mustδεῖdei · be necessaryG1163
• beγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096

Cross-references for Revelation 4:1

• Revelation 1:1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
• Exodus 1:1Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob:
• Matthew 3:16When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
• Mark 1:10And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.
• Luke 3:21When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened.
• Acts 7:56and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
• Acts 10:11and saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth.
• Revelation 1:10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,
• Revelation 16:17Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!”
• Revelation 11:12And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.
• Exodus 19:24Then the Lord said to him, “Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them.”
• Exodus 24:12Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”
• Exodus 34:2So be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself to Me there on the top of the mountain.
• Revelation 1:19Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this.
• Revelation 22:6Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.
• John 16:13However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Commentaries on Revelation 4:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1A door was opened in heaven - This appears to have been a visible aperture in the sky over his head.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1After this - Greek, “After these things”; that is, after what he had seen, and after what he had been directed to record in the preceding chapters. How long after these things this occurred, he does not say - whether on the same day, or at some subsequent time; and conjecture would be useless. The scene, however, is changed. Instead of seeing the Saviour standing before him Ezekiel 1:1, “The heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” The Hebrews…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1A vision of God, as on his glorious throne, around which were twenty-four elders and four living creatures. (1-8) Whose songs, and those of the holy angels, the apostle heard. (9-11) Verses 1-8 After the Lord Jesus had instructed the apostle to write to the churches "the things that are," there was another vision. The apostle saw a throne set in heaven, an emblem of the universal dominion of Jehovah. He saw a glorious One upon the throne, not described by…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1After this I … saw: This introductory phrase does not show the order of events (see also Revelation 7:9; 15:5; 18:1; compare 19:1). Instead, it signals a new vision that John receives. Come up here: The Lord’s voice invites John to see what will happen from God’s point of view.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-11Here begins the Revelation proper; and first, the fourth and fifth chapters set before us the heavenly scenery of the succeeding visions, and God on His throne, as the covenant God of His Church, the Revealer of them to His apostle through Jesus Christ. The first great portion comprises the opening of the seals and the sounding of the trumpets (fourth to eleventh chapters). As the communication respecting the seven churches opened with a suitable vision…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 4:1

• Trumpet
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• Doors
• Living creatures
• Rainbow
• Receive
• Abinoam
• Canaan; Canaanites
• Cherubim (1)
• Ethics
• Isaiah
• Jabin

Commentaries on Revelation 4

• 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