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Revelation 3:6-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Revelation 3:6-8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
6 “‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
To Philadelphia.[a] 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia,[b] write this:
“‘The holy one, the true,
who holds the key of David,
who opens and no one shall close,
who closes and no one shall open,(A)
says this:
8 “‘“I know your works (behold, I have left an open door[c] before you, which no one can close). You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
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- 3:7–13 The letter to Philadelphia praises the Christians there for remaining faithful even with their limited strength (Rev 3:8). Members of the assembly of Satan are again singled out (Rev 3:9; see Rev 2:9). There is no admonition; rather, the letter promises that they will be kept safe at the great trial (Rev 3:10–11) and that the victors will become pillars of the heavenly temple, upon which three names will be inscribed: God, Jerusalem, and Christ (Rev 3:12).
- 3:7 Philadelphia: modern Alasehir, ca. thirty miles southeast of Sardis, founded by Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamum to be an “open door” (Rev 3:8) for Greek culture; it was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17. Rebuilt by money from the Emperor Tiberius, the city was renamed Neo-Caesarea; this may explain the allusions to “name” in Rev 3:12. Key of David: to the heavenly city of David (cf. Is 22:22), “the new Jerusalem” (Rev 3:12), over which Christ has supreme authority.
- 3:8 An open door: opportunities for sharing and proclaiming the faith; cf. Acts 14:27; 1 Cor 16:9; 2 Cor 2:12.
Revelation 3:6-8
King James Version
Revelation 3:6-8
King James Version
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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 that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
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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Revelation 3:6-8
New International Version
Revelation 3:6-8
New International Version
6 Whoever has ears, let them hear(A) what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Philadelphia
7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia(B) write:
These are the words of him who is holy(C) and true,(D) who holds the key of David.(E) What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds.(F) See, I have placed before you an open door(G) that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(H)
Revelation 3:6-8
1599 Geneva Bible
Revelation 3:6-8
1599 Geneva Bible
6 Let him that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches.
7 ¶ [a]And write unto the Angel of the Church which is of Philadelphia, These things saith he that is Holy, and True, which hath the [b]key of David, which openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.
8 [c]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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Revelation 3:7 The sixth place is unto the Pastors of Philadelphia. The exordium is taken out of verse 18 of the first chapter.
- Revelation 3:7 All power of rule in commanding and forbidding, delivering and punishing. And the house of David is the Church, and the continual promise of David’s Kingdom belongeth to Christ.
- Revelation 3:8 The proposition of praise is in this verse, of promises, to bring home again them that wander, verse 9, and to preserve the godly, verse 10, and of exhortation, verse 11.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.