Revelation 3:7

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And, unto the messenger of the assembly, in Philadelphia, write: - These things, saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no one shall shut, and shutteth and no one openeth:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: "Here is a message from the one who is holy and true, the one who holds the key of David. When he opens something, it cannot be closed. And when he closes something, it cannot be opened.

Revised Standard Version
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And wryte vnto ye tydinges bringer of ye cogregacio of Philadelphia: this sayth he yt is holy and true which hath ye keye of Dauid: which openyth and noma shutteth and shutteth and no ma openeth.

Hebrew Names Version
"To the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: "He who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and that shuts and no one opens, says these things:

New American Standard Bible
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

New Century Version
"Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: "This is what the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David, says. When he opens a door, no one can close it. And when he closes it, no one can open it.

Update Bible Version
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens and none shall shut, and that shuts and none opens:

Webster's Bible Translation
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth:

World English Bible
"To the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: "He who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and that shuts and no one opens, says these things:

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write, These things saith the Holy, the True One, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and none shutteth, and shutteth and none openeth.

Weymouth's New Testament
"To the minister of the Church at Philadelphia write as follows: "`This is what the holy One and the true says--He who has the key of David--He who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one shall open.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And to the aungel of the chirche of Filadelfie write thou, These thingis seith the hooli and trewe, that hath the keie of Dauid; which openeth, and no man closith, he closith, and no man openith.

English Revised Version
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and none shall shut, and that shutteth, and none openeth:

Berean Standard Bible
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens, no one will shut; and what He shuts, no one will open.

Contemporary English Version
This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: I am the one who is holy and true, and I have the keys that belonged to David. When I open a door, no one can close it. And when I close a door, no one can open it. Listen to what I say.

Amplified Bible
"And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:

American Standard Version
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth:

Bible in Basic English
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia say: These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, opening the door so that it may be shut by no one, and shutting it so that it may be open to no one.

Complete Jewish Bible
"To the angel of the Messianic Community in Philadelphia, write: ‘Here is the message of HaKadosh, the True One, the one who has the key of David, who, if he opens something, no one else can shut it, and if he closes something, no one else can open it .

Darby Translation
And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith the holy, the true; he that has the key of David, he who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one shall open:

International Standard Version
"To the messengerangel">[fn] of the church in Philadelphia, write:Job 1:12:14; Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:19; Luke 1:32; Acts 3:14; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 1:5,18; 5:14; 6:10; 19:11;">[xr] 'The one who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens a door thatwho opens and">[fn] no one can shut, and who shuts a door thatwho shuts and">[fn] no one can open, says this:

Etheridge Translation
And to the angel of the church which is in Philadelphia write: These saith the Holy, the True, who hath the key of David; who openeth and no man shutteth, [fn] and who shutteth and no man openeth.

Murdock Translation
And to the angel of the church which is at Philadelphia, write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, who openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth;

King James Version (1611)
And to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write, These things saith he that is Holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of Dauid, he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth;

New Living Translation
"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:

New Life Bible
"Write this to the angel of the church in the city of Philadelphia: ‘He Who is holy and true, Who holds the key of David, Who opens and no man can shut, Who shuts and no man can open, says this:

New Revised Standard
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens:

English Standard Version
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And write vnto ye Angel of ye Church which is of Philadelphia, These things saith he yt is Holy, and True, which hath ye keye of Dauid, which openeth and no man shutteth, & shutteth & no man openeth,

George Lamsa Translation
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he who is the holy one, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And write vnto ye Angel of the Church of Philadelphia, this sayth he that is holy and true, which hath the key of Dauid, which openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth.

Good News Translation
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: "This is the message from the one who is holy and true. He has the key that belonged to David, and when he opens a door, no one can close it, and when he closes it, no one can open it.

Christian Standard Bible®
“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,

King James Version
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

Lexham English Bible
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: "This is what the holy one, the true one, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one can open, says:

Literal Translation
And to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, the One having "the key of David," "the One opening, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens:" Isa. 22:22

Young's Literal Translation
`And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things saith he who is holy, he who is true, he who is having the key of David, he who is opening and no one doth shut, and he shutteth and no one doth open!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And wryte vnto ye angell of the cogregacio of Philadelphia: this sayth he yt is holy and true, which hath the keye of Dauid: which openyth and noman shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.

Mace New Testament (1729)
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write, "THESE things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth what no man can shut; and shutteth what no man can open:

THE MESSAGE
Write this to Philadelphia, to the Angel of the church. The Holy, the True—David's key in his hand, opening doors no one can lock, locking doors no one can open—speaks:

New English Translation
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open:

New King James Version
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": Isaiah 22:22">[fn]

Simplified Cowboy Version
"To the angel of the outfit in Philadelphia, write these words:

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

Contextual Overview

⁷ And, unto the messenger of the assembly, in Philadelphia, write: - These things, saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no one shall shut, and shutteth and no one openeth: ⁸ I know thy works, - lo! I have set before thee an open door, as to which, no one, can shut it, - that thou hast, a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. ⁹ Lo! I give them of the synagogue of Satan, who are affirming themselves to be, Jews, and are not, - but say what is false, - lo! I will cause them, that they shall have come, and shall bow down before thy feet, and shall get to know that, I, loved thee. ¹⁰ Because thou didst keep my word of endurance, I also, will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. ¹¹ I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that, no one, take thy crown. ¹² He that overcometh, I will make, him, a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and, outside, shall he in nowise go forth any more; and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my new name. ¹³ He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to the: Revelation 1:11, Revelation 2:1

Philadelphia: Philadelphia, so called for its founder, Attalus Philadelphus, still exists in the town called Allahshehr, "the city of God," "a column in a scene of ruins." It is situated on the slopes of three or four hills, the roots of mount Tmolus, by the river Cogamus, twenty seven miles ese from Sardis, about long. 28 degrees 40 minutes, lat. 38 degrees 23 minutes. The number of houses is said to be about 3,000, of which 250 are Greek, the rest Turkish; and the Christians have twenty-five places of worship, five of them large and regular churches, a resident bishop, and twenty inferior clergy.

he that is holy: Revelation 4:8, Revelation 6:10, Psalms 16:10, Psalms 89:18, Psalms 145:17, Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah 30:11, Isaiah 41:14, Isaiah 41:16, Isaiah 41:20, Isaiah 47:4, Isaiah 48:17, Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 54:5, Isaiah 55:5, Mark 1:24, Luke 4:34, Acts 3:14

he that is true: Revelation 3:14, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 6:10, Revelation 15:3, Revelation 16:7, Revelation 19:2, Revelation 19:11, Revelation 21:5, Matthew 24:35, John 14:6, 1 John 5:20

the key: Revelation 1:18, Isaiah 22:22, Luke 1:32

he that openeth: Revelation 5:3-5, Revelation 5:9, Job 11:10, Job 12:14, Matthew 16:19

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:21 - my name Leviticus 20:26 - the Lord Deuteronomy 33:8 - with thy 2 Kings 6:17 - open his eyes 2 Chronicles 7:13 - If I shut up heaven Job 6:10 - the Holy One Job 14:5 - thou hast Psalms 89:19 - to thy holy Psalms 99:9 - for the Proverbs 30:3 - the holy Isaiah 5:16 - God that is holy Isaiah 43:15 - the Lord Isaiah 57:15 - whose Ezekiel 44:15 - the sons Daniel 9:24 - the most Matthew 18:18 - General Mark 13:34 - the porter Luke 24:45 - General John 10:3 - the porter Acts 2:27 - thine Acts 7:52 - the Just One Acts 12:10 - which Acts 14:27 - opened Acts 16:14 - whose Romans 1:7 - To all Romans 3:4 - let God 1 Corinthians 16:9 - door 2 Corinthians 1:18 - as 2 Corinthians 2:12 - and a 2 Corinthians 3:3 - the epistle Colossians 4:3 - that 1 Thessalonians 5:12 - and are Hebrews 7:26 - holy 1 Peter 1:15 - is 1 John 2:20 - the Holy Revelation 1:4 - to the Revelation 1:20 - The seven stars Revelation 3:8 - an open Revelation 15:4 - thou only Revelation 19:9 - Write

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
And they were both of them naked, the man and his wife, - and put not each other to shame.

Genesis 3:5
For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then shall your eyes be opened, - and ye shall become like God, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 3:10
And he said, The sound of thee, heard I in the garden, and I was afraid, for, naked, was I, so I hid myself.

Genesis 3:11
And he said, Who told thee that, naked, thou wast? Of the tree whereof I commanded thee not to eat, hast thou eaten?

Deuteronomy 28:34
so that thou shalt be mad, - for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.

2 Kings 6:20
And it came to pass, when they had entered Samaria, that Elisha said, O Yahweh! open the eyes of these men, that they may see! And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw, and lo! they were in the midst of Samaria!

Isaiah 28:20
For too short is the couch to stretch oneself out, - And, the coverlet, too narrow, when one draweth up his feet.

Isaiah 59:6
Their thread, shall not become a garment, Neither shall they cover themselves with their fabrics, - Their fabrics, are fabrics of iniquity, Yea the product of violence is in their hands;

Luke 16:23
And, in hades, lifting up his eyes, being in torments, he seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,.... Of the city of Philadelphia, :-; According to the Apostolical Constitutions m, one Demetrius was ordained bishop of this church by the Apostle John; but this is not to be depended on; nor is it known who this angel was: however, certain it is there was a church in this place in the "second" century, in the times of Ignatius, who wrote an epistle to it, and which then had a bishop or pastor over it, whom he mentions n, though not his name. And in the same century twelve Philadelphians suffered martyrdom at the same time Polycarp did o; and in the "third" century a church remained in this place; and also in the "fourth", since a bishop of this church was in the council at Nice; and in the "fifth" century, a presbyter of Philadelphia was in the synod at Ephesus under Celestine; and in the "sixth" century, a bishop of this place assisted at the fifth synod at Constantinople; and in the "eighth" century, Stephen, bishop of the church here, was in the Nicene synod p; and there are now very many that bear the name of Christians of the Greek Church in this place q. This church is an emblem of, and represents the church in that period of time, in which will be the spiritual reign of Christ. Its name signifies "brotherly love", which in this interval will be very remarkable; saints shall not envy, vex, and distress one another any more; they shall be one in the hand of the Lord, and among themselves. Love, which is now so cold, and so much wanting in our present Sardian church state, will be exceeding warm and fervent, and in its highest pitch in the Philadelphian state. The characters Christ here assumes point at the holiness of life, truth of doctrine, and purity of discipline, for which this church state will be distinguished: in this period of time an open door for the Gospel will be set; it will be preached in its power and purity, and; will be greatly succeeded; the fulness of the Gentiles will be brought in, and the Jews will be converted; hypocrites and formal professors will be discerned and detected; great honour and respect will be shown the church by all men; and this state will be an emblem and pledge of the new Jerusalem state, of which mention is made in this epistle, or the thousand years' personal reign of Christ with all his saints:

these things saith he that is holy; which character not only agrees with Christ, as God, who is the Holy One of Israel, and equally glorious in holiness as his Father, but as man; his nature was free from original sin; his life from any actual transgression; his doctrines were pure and holy, and so were all his works, and all his administrations in each of his offices: and, as Mediator, he is the cause and author of holiness to his people; they are sanctified in him, and have their sanctification from him, and are sanctified by him: this character he chooses now to take, because he was sending an epistle to such as were lovers of holiness, and famous for it, both internal and external; so that while he describes himself, he points at persons, the members of churches in this interval:

he that is true; truly God, and truly man: true and faithful in the discharge of his several offices, and in the trust reposed in him, both of the grace and persons of the saints, and in what he undertook to do for them: he is truth itself, the truth of types, promises, and prophecies; and the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; and is therefore to be depended on in every prediction and promise; and this title of Christ may have some view to the truth of doctrine which shall, in this period, prevail, and to the faithfulness and integrity of his people to his cause and interest:

he that hath the key of David; mention is made of David, because he was a type of Christ; and because from him Christ came according to the flesh, and whose throne he was to sit upon, in a spiritual sense; and because, in this period of time, the Jews are to be converted, who will seek the Lord their God, and David their king: and by the key of David is meant the key of the house of David; that is, the church of Christ, of which David's house and family were a type: and this key is either the key of knowledge, or it is expressive of power and authority. Christ has the key of knowledge, he knows all the persons of his people, all their affairs, and what they do in his house, and how they behave there: he has the key of knowledge in the Scriptures, and gives it to his ministers. And it may also design his authority in his house and church, in fixing the ordinances of it, in bestowing gifts on men, and in dispensing the blessings of grace and goodness; this may have some regard to the pure discipline of this church, as well as to its light and knowledge in the doctrines of the Gospel. The Targum on Isaiah 22:22 interprets the key of the house of David, of שולטן, "the dominion" or "government of the house of David".

He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth; he opens the Scriptures, which are shut to a natural man, as he did in his own personal ministry, when here on earth, and now by his Spirit; and none can shut them, either men or devils, or hinder the spread of light and knowledge by them: he opens the door of the Gospel, and gives an opportunity to preach it, and liberty of mind and expression to his ministers, and a door of utterance to them, and of entrance for it into the hearts of men, which none can shut, or hinder: he opens the door of the church, which is himself, and lets in his sheep into the sheepfold, into a Gospel church state, and the ordinances of it; and he opens the door of heaven by his blood and righteousness, and gives his people liberty and boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and brings many sons to glory in spite of all the opposition of men and devils: on the other hand, when he pleases, he shuts up the Scriptures, and the eyes of men from seeing what is in them; he shuts up the door of the Gospel, and forbids the preaching of it in this and that place; and the door of heaven will be shut by him at the last day, when all called to the marriage of the Lamb are entered, and there will be no opening. This shows the sovereignty, power, and authority of Christ, and which he will exercise in this church state, see Job 12:14. A like phrase is in the Talmud r, כיון שסוגר שוב אינו פותח, "when he shuts again, there is none that opens".

m L. 7. c. 46. n Ignat. Epist. p. 39. Ed. Voss. o Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 4. c. 15. p Eccl. Hist. Magdeburg. cent. 3. c. 2. p. 2. cent. 4. c. 2. p. 3. cent. 5. c. 2. p. 3. cent. 6. c. 2. p. 4. cent. 8. c. 2. p. 4. q Smith. Notitia, p. 143. r T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 44. 2. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 70. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia - See the notes on Revelation 1:20.

These things saith he that is holy - This refers undoubtedly to the Lord Jesus. The appellation holy, or the holy one, is one that befits him, and is not infrequently given to him in the New Testament, Luke 1:35; Acts 2:27; Acts 3:14. It is not only an appellation appropriate to the Saviour, but well adapted to be employed when he is addressing the churches. Our impression of what is said to us will often depend much on our idea of the character of him who addresses us, and solemnity and thoughtfulness always become us when we are addressed by a holy Redeemer.

He that is true - Another characteristic of the Saviour well suited to be referred to when he addresses people. It is a characteristic often ascribed to him in the New Testament (John 1:9, John 1:14, John 1:17; John 8:40, John 8:45; John 14:6; John 18:37; 1 John 5:20), and one which is eminently adapted to impress the mind with solemn thought in view of the fact that he is to pronounce on our character, and to determine our destiny.

He that hath the key of David - This expression is manifestly taken from Isaiah 22:22, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder.” See the passage explained in the notes on that place. As used by Isaiah, the phrase is applied to Eliakim; and it is not to be inferred, because the language here is applied to the Lord Jesus, that originally it had any such reference. “The application of the same terms,” says Prof. Alexander on Isaiah 22:22, “to Peter Matthew 16:19, and to Christ himself Revelation 3:7, does not prove that they here refer to either, or that Eliakim was a type of Christ, but merely that the same words admit of different applications.” The language is what properly denotes authority or control - as when one has the key of a house, and has unlimited access to it; and the meaning here is, that as David is represented as the king of Israel residing in a palace, so he who had the key to that palace had regal authority.

He that openeth, and no man shutteth, ... - He has free and unrestrained access to the house; the power of admitting anyone, or of excluding anyone. Applied here to the Saviour, as king in Zion, this means that in his kingdom he has the absolute control in regard to tire admission or exclusion of anyone. He can prescribe the terms; he can invite whom he chooses; he can exclude those whom he judges should not be admitted. A reference to this absolute control was every way proper when he was addressing a church, and is every way proper for us to reflect on when we think of the subject of our personal salvation.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Epistle to the Church at Philadelphia.

Verse Revelation 3:7. He that is holy — In whom holiness essentially dwells, and from whom all holiness is derived.

He that is true — He who is the fountain of truth; who cannot lie nor be imposed on; from whom all truth proceeds; and whose veracity in his Revelation is unimpeachable.

He that hath the key of David — See this metaphor explained, Matthew 16:19. Key is the emblem of authority and knowledge; the key of David is the regal right or authority of David. David could shut or open the kingdom of Israel to whom he pleased. He was not bound to leave the kingdom even to his eldest son. He could choose whom he pleased to succeed him. The kingdom of the Gospel, and the kingdom of heaven, are at the disposal of Christ. He can shut against whom he will; he can open to whom he pleases. If he shuts, no man can open; if he opens, no man can shut. His determinations all stand fast, and none can reverse them. This expression is an allusion to Isaiah 22:22, where the prophet promises to Eliakim, under the symbol of the key of the house of David, the government of the whole nation; i.e., all the power of the king, to be executed by him as his deputy; but the words, as here applied to Christ, show that He is absolute.