Revelation 3:7

To the Church in Philadelphia

3:7 “To ¹  the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: ² 

“This is the solemn pronouncement of ³  the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors ⁴  no one can shut, and shuts doors ⁵  no one can open:

Revelation 21:25

21:25 Its gates will never be closed during the day ⁶  (and ⁷  there will be no night there). ⁸ 

Revelation 20:3

20:3 The angel ⁹  then ¹⁰  threw him into the abyss and locked ¹¹  and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)

Revelation 3:8

3:8 ‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put ¹²  in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) ¹³  I know ¹⁴  that you have little strength, ¹⁵  but ¹⁶  you have obeyed ¹⁷  my word and have not denied my name.

Revelation 11:6

11:6 These two have the power ¹⁸  to close up the sky so that it does not rain during the time ¹⁹  they are prophesying. They ²⁰  have power ²¹  to turn the waters to blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague whenever they want.

[3:7]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated due to differences between Greek and English style.

[3:7]  ² tn The phrase “the following” after “write” is supplied to clarify that what follows is the content of what is to be written.

[3:7]  ³ tn Grk “These things says [the One]…” See the note on the phrase “this is the solemn pronouncement of” in 2:1.

[3:7]  ⁴ tn The word “door” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. Since the following verse does contain the word “door” (θύραν, quran), that word has been supplied as the direct object here.

[3:7]  ⁵ tn See the note on the word “door” earlier in this verse.

[21:25]  ⁶ tn On the translation “during the day” see BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a, “But also, as in Thu. et al., of time within which someth. occurs, ἡμέρας during the day Rv 21:25.”

[21:25]  ⁷ tn The Greek connective γάρ (gar) most often expresses some sort of causal connection. However, in this context there is no causal force to the second phrase; γάρ simply expresses continuation or connection. Because of this it has been translated as “and.” See BDAG 189-90 s.v. 2.

[21:25]  ⁸ tn The clause has virtually the force of a parenthetical comment.

[20:3]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:3]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[20:3]  ¹³ tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.

[3:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “I have given.”

[3:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “to shut it,” but English would leave the direct object understood in this case.

[3:8]  ¹⁸ tn This translation is based on connecting the ὅτι (Joti) clause with the οἶδα (oida) at the beginning of the verse, giving the content of what is known (see also 3:1, 3:15 for parallels). Because of the intervening clause that is virtually parenthetical (see the note on the word “shut” earlier in this verse), the words “I know that” from the beginning of the verse had to be repeated to make this connection clear for the English reader. However, the ὅτι could be understood as introducing a causal subordinate clause instead and thus translated, “because you have.”

[3:8]  ¹⁹ tn Or “little power.”

[3:8]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[3:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “and having kept.” The participle ἐτήρησας (ethrhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. For the translation of τηρέω (threw) as “obey” see L&N 36.19. This is the same word that is used in 3:10 (there translated “kept”) where there is a play on words.

[11:6]  ²¹ tn Or “authority.”

[11:6]  ²² tn Grk “the days.”

[11:6]  ²³ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[11:6]  ²⁴ tn Or “authority.”