Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The Lord God speaks this declaration to John on the island of Patmos, positioned between the vision of the coming figure in Revelation 1:7 and John’s own account of his exile in Revelation 1:9.

The words — The text employs ἄλφα (alpha) for the first letter and ὦ (ō) for the last, using the Greek alphabet’s termini to frame the speaker’s identity.

The thread — This phrasing parallels Isaiah 44:6, where the LORD declares “I am the first and I am the last,” and resurfaces in Revelation 22:13 with the expanded titles “the Beginning and the End.”

Why it lands — The verse explicitly defines the speaker’s existence as continuous across all time, demanding acknowledgment of a sovereign authority that “is and was and is to come.”

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

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

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.
Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed, and after Me none will come.
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 21:6 And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
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.”
Revelation 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne,
Revelation 11:17 saying: “We give thanks to You, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
Revelation 4:8 And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
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,