Revelation 1:17

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — John, writing to the seven churches of Asia, recounts his physical collapse before the glorified Christ he has just described in vv. 12–16. Christ's right hand rests on him as He speaks the command.

The words — ἔπεσα (epesa), aorist active indicative, "I fell," carries the suddenness of the reaction — a single, involuntary act, not a gradual sinking. The prepositional phrase πρὸς τοὺς πόδας (pros tous podas) pins the body to the ground at His feet.

The thread — "The First and the Last" is YHWH's self-designation in Isaiah 44:6 and reappears in Revelation 22:13. Daniel 10:8 records a comparable prostration before a heavenly vision, with all strength gone from the seer.

Why it lands — The verse places the reader in John's position: the glory of Christ does not invite admiration from a distance but produces collapse and a command to stop fearing. It asks what one would actually do before that face.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

King James Version

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

Cross-references

Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Daniel 8:17 As he came near to where I stood, I was terrified and fell facedown. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”
Isaiah 41:4 Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”
Isaiah 48:12 Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.
Revelation 2:8 To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.
Ezekiel 1:28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.
Daniel 10:17 How can I, your servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in me.”
Isaiah 41:10 Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.