Bible Strands
Revelation 2:16
Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Christ addresses the church in Pergamum while confronting their tolerance of Nicolaitan teachings. He issues a command and follows it with a warning of imminent personal intervention.
The words — μετανὴησον (metanoēson) means "do repent," paired with ἔρχομαὶ (erchomai) meaning "I am coming" and ταχὺ (tachu) meaning "quickly." The syntax places the call to repentance before the declaration of swift arrival.
The thread — The phrase "sword of My mouth" directly parallels Revelation 1:16, where a sharp double-edged sword proceeds from His mouth, and 2 Thessalonians 2:8, which states the lawless one will be slain by the breath of His mouth. These references establish the mouth as the instrument of divine execution rather than a metaphor for spiritual warfare.
Why it lands — The text commands immediate abandonment of compromised doctrine to avoid facing the speaker's direct judgment. It presents repentance as the necessary condition to escape imminent confrontation.
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
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Cross-references
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and annihilate by the majesty of His arrival.
- Revelation 1:16 He held in His right hand seven stars, and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- Revelation 2:5 Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
- Isaiah 11:4 but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and with equity He will decide for the lowly of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth and slay the wicked with the breath of His lips.
- Revelation 2:12 To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.
- Revelation 19:15 And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
- Revelation 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse. And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
- Isaiah 49:2 He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.
- Acts 17:30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.