Revelation 4:11

“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The twenty-four elders, having cast their crowns before the throne (v. 10), address the One seated on it. This is a worship response in the heavenly throne room.

The words — ἄξιος (axios) carries the sense of "having the weight to bear," not merely "deserving." It frames worthiness as a capacity God possesses to receive what is offered, not a claim He makes on others.

The thread — Colossians 1:16 grounds all creation in the Son; Revelation 5:12 echoes the same "worthy" formula applied to the Lamb; Isaiah 40:28 names the Creator of the ends of the earth.

Why it lands — The verse ties glory to creation: God is honored not because He demands it but because everything exists by His will. It asks the reader to hold their own existence as contingent, not self-derived.

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

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Cross-references

Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
Revelation 5:12 In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.
Proverbs 16:4 The LORD has made everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Revelation 10:6 And he swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay!
Revelation 14:7 And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.”
Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.
Revelation 5:9 And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Psalms 29:1 A Psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.