Revelation 10:1

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like pillars of fire.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — John records a vision of a mighty angel descending from heaven. This appearance occurs as he prepares to receive a small scroll that lies open in the angel’s hand.

The words — The Greek ἰσχυρὸν (ischuron) translates literally to "mighty," marking the angel’s overwhelming capacity. The participle καταβαίνοντα (katabainonta) means "coming down," specifying a deliberate descent from heaven.

The thread — The angel’s radiant face and fiery legs correspond to the descriptions in Revelation 1:15. The rainbow encircling his head and the surrounding brilliance align with the throne vision in Ezekiel 1:28.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note the angel’s posture and the scroll’s open state before any action follows. It demands attention to the visual markers of authority that precede the next command.

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 I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Cross-references

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.
Matthew 17:2 There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Revelation 1:15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.
Daniel 10:6 His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
Revelation 5:2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”
Revelation 4:3 The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.
Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trumpets.
Revelation 8:13 And as I observed, I heard an eagle flying overhead, calling in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the remaining three angels!”
Revelation 9:13 Then the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God
Genesis 9:11 And I establish My covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”