Revelation 3:8

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
I know	εἴδω eídō	G1492	used only in certain past tenses
thy	σοῦ soû	G4675	of thee
works	ἔργα. erga	G2041	toil (as an effort or occupation) · noun — accusative plural neuter
behold	ἰδοὺ idou	G2400	used as imperative lo! · interjection
I have set	δέδωκα dedōka	G1325	to give (used in a very wide application · verb — perfect active indicative, 1st person singular
before	ἐνώπιόν enōpion	G1799	in the face of (literally or figuratively) · preposition
thee	σοῦ soû	G4675	of thee
an	θύραν thuran	G2374	a portal or entrance (the opening or the closure · noun — accusative singular feminine
open	ἠνεῳγμένην ēneōgmenēn	G455	to open up (literally or figuratively · verb — perfect passive participle, accusative singular feminine
door	θύρα thýra	G2374	a portal or entrance (the opening or the closure
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
no man	οὐδεὶς oudeis	G3762	not even one (man · adjective — nominative singular masculine
can	δύναται dunatai	G1410	to be able or possible · verb — present middle or passive deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
shut	κλεῖσαι kleisai	G2808	to close (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist active infinitive
it	αὐτήν· autēn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular feminine
for	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
thou hast	ἔχεις echeis	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person singular
a little	μικρὰν mikran	G3398	small (in size · adjective — accusative singular feminine
strength	δύναμιν dunamin	G1411	force (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
hast kept	ἐτήρησάς etērēsas	G5083	perhaps akin to G2334 (θεωρέω)) · verb — aorist active indicative, 2nd person singular
my	μοῦ moû	G3450	of me
word	λόγον logon	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καί kaí	G2532	and
hast	ἠρνήσω ērnēsō	G720	to contradict · verb — aorist middle deponent indicative, 2nd person singular
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
denied	ἀρνέομαι arnéomai	G720	to contradict
my	μοῦ moû	G3450	of me
name	ὄνομά onoma	G3686	a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority · noun — accusative singular neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Corinthians 16:9 For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.
Colossians 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
Revelation 3:7 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…
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
2 Corinthians 2:12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,
Acts 14:27 And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the doo…
Luke 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 3:7-13

We have now come to the sixth letter, sent to one of the Asian churches, where observe, I. The inscription, showing, 1. For whom it was more immediately designed: The angel of the church of Philadelphia; this also was a city in Asia Minor, seated upon the borders of Mysia and Lydia, and had its name from that brotherly love for which it was eminent. We can hardly suppose that this name was given to it after it received the Christian religion, and that it was so called from that Christian affection that all believers have, and should have, one for another, as the children of one Father and the brethren of Christ; but rather that it was its ancient name, on account of the love and kindness whi…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 3:8

I have set--Greek, "given": it is My gracious gift to thee. open door--for evangelization; a door of spiritual usefulness. The opening of a door by Him to the Philadelphian Church accords with the previous assignation to Him of "the key of David." and--The three oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, and ORIGEN read, "which no man can shut." for--"because." a little--This gives the idea that Christ says, He sets before Philadelphia an open door because she has some little strength; whereas the sense rather is, He does so because she has "but little strength": being consciously weak herself, she is the fitter object for God's power to rest on [so AQUINAS], that so the Lord Christ may have all t…

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Adam Clarke on Revelation 3:8

I have set before thee an open door - I have opened to thee a door to proclaim and diffuse my word; and, notwithstanding there are many adversaries to the spread of my Gospel, yet none of them shall be able to prevent it. Thou hast a little strength - Very little political authority or influence; yet thou hast kept my word - hast kept the true doctrine; and hast not denied my name, by taking shelter in heathenism when Christianity was persecuted. The little strength may refer either to the smallness of the numbers, or to the littleness of their grace.

The Church Fathers

Behold, I have set before you an open door, etc. The door of heavenly knowledge, which Christ has opened to his Church, is never shut by any force or effort.
— Bede, Commentary on Revelation

He had said before, "who opens and no one shuts," lest anyone say that the door of the church, which God opens in the whole world, can be closed by anyone in some part of the world.
— Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 3:8

He shows the reason why the church has merited these gifts: because she does not have confidence in her own powers but in the power of Christ the king. And confessing that she has but little power, she is glorified, having been redeemed not in herself but in the Lord.
— Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 3:8

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Philadelphia — Brotherly love, a city of Lydia in Asia Minor, about 25 miles south-east of Sardis. It was the seat of one of the “seven churches” (Rev. 3:7-12). It came into the possession of the Turks in A.D.…
Door · .Of opportunity — .Of opportunity
Philadelphia · One of the seven congregations in — One of the seven congregations in

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Revelation 3:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 3:7-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 3:8

Adam Clarke on Revelation 3:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Revelation 3:8

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 3:7-13

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 3:8

Adam Clarke on Revelation 3:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Revelation 3:8

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Revelation 3:8