Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker identifies Himself as the First and the Last, addressing the angel of the church in Smyrna during a sequence of letters to seven congregations. This directive follows the call to hear the Spirit in Revelation 2:7 and precedes the assessment of Smyrna’s affliction in Revelation 2:9.
The words — The Greek term ἀγγέλῳ (angelō) literally means "messenger" or "angel," designating the human or spiritual recipient of the letter. The imperative γράψον (grapson) commands the scribe to "write down" the revelation for official transmission.
The thread — The title "the First and the Last" echoes Revelation 1:8 and Revelation 1:17, where the speaker claims eternal sovereignty and resurrection authority. The instruction to write to seven churches appears in Revelation 1:11, establishing a pattern of corporate correspondence.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that the speaker’s authority rests on the historical fact that He died and returned to life. A reader must accept this claim as the basis for receiving the message to the church.
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 unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Cross-references
- 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,
- Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.
- Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
- Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.