Revelation 10:2

He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The mighty angel from Revelation 10:1, who descended from heaven wrapped in a cloud with a rainbow over his head, holds an open scroll while standing with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. This action occurs immediately before he cries out with a voice like a lion, prompting the seven thunders to speak.

The words — The Greek βιβλαρίδιον (biblaridion) means "a little scroll," and ἠνεῳγμένον (ēneōgmenon) indicates it is "opened" or laid open. These terms specify the document's size and its current accessible state in the angel's hand.

The thread — The hand holding a scroll recalls Ezekiel 2:9, where a hand extends with a written scroll. The angel's dual-foot stance on sea and land aligns with Revelation 10:5, where he lifts his right hand to heaven, and directly precedes Revelation 10:8, where a voice commands the taking of that same open scroll.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the angel's authoritative position over the created order and the ready availability of the scroll he carries. It calls the reader to prepare for the subsequent divine proclamation without adding details beyond the recorded actions.

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 he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,

Cross-references

Ezekiel 2:9 Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me, and in it was a scroll,
Revelation 10:5 Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven.
Revelation 10:8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and on the land.”
Revelation 5:1 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Psalms 2:8 Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
Psalms 65:5 With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
Revelation 6:3 And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”
Proverbs 8:15 By me kings reign, and rulers enact just laws;
Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.