Revelation 1:8 BSB — MannaFest

Revelation 1:8

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

I am the Alpha and the Omega, saith the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

KJV

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

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Commentary

4 voices

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

Discourses Against the Arians 3.4 (373)

The Godhead of the Son is the Father's. It is indivisible. Thus there is one God and none other but he. So, since they are one, and the Godhead itself one, the same things are said of the Son, which are said of the Father, except his being said to be Father. For instance, it is said that he is God: "And the Word was God." It is said that he is Almighty, "Thus says he who was and is and is to come, the Almighty." It is said that he is Lord, "one Lord Jesus Christ."

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

I am Alpha and Omega,.... These are the words of Christ himself, appearing at once, and confirming what John had said of him, concerning his person, offices, and future coming: Alpha is the first letter, and Omega the last in the Greek alphabet, and signifies that Christ is the first and the last, as it is interpreted in Rev 1:11, and is a character often given to the divine Being in prophetic writings; see Isa 41:4; and is no small proof of the proper deity of Christ.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

I am Alpha and Omega - I am from eternity to eternity. This mode of speech is borrowed from the Jews, who express the whole compass of things by א aleph and ת tau, the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet; but as St. John was writing in Greek, he accommodates the whole to the Greek alphabet, of which Α alpha and Ω omega are the first and last letters. With the rabbins מא ועד ת meeleph vead tau, “from aleph to tau,” expressed the whole of a matter, from the beginning to the end.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

21 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Ἐγώ	Egō	I myself	G1473 →
εἰμι	eimi	am	G1510 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
ἄλφα	alpha	Alpha	G1 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
ὦ	ō	Omega	G5598 →
λέγει	legei	says	G3004 →
κύριος	kurios	Lord	G2962 →
ὁ	ho	<the>	G3588 →
θεός,	theos	God,	G2316 →
ὁ	ho	who	G3588 →
ὢν	ōn	is being	G1510 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	who	G3588 →
ἦν	ēn	was	G1510 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
ὁ	ho	who	G3588 →
ἐρχόμενος,	erchomenos	is coming,	G2064 →
ὁ	ho	the	G3588 →
παντοκράτωρ.¶	pantokratōr	Almighty.	G3841 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Isaiah 44:6
Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.
leads to
- Isaiah 41:4
  Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”
  Reached by 4 independent paths from here.
- Revelation 22:13
  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Isaiah 43:10–11
  “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may consider and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me no god was formed,…
- Isaiah 44:8
  Do not tremble or fear. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are My witnesses! Is there any God but Me? There is no other Rock; I know not one.”
- Isaiah 45:5–6
  I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
Through
Revelation 21:6
And He told me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give freely from the spring of the water of life.
leads to
- John 7:37–38
  On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
- John 4:10
  Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
- Revelation 7:17
  For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Featured studies on this passage

On Revelation 1:8

Names of God

God reveals himself by name. Each name given in a specific historical moment, in response to a specific situation. Twenty-eight names along a revelation timeline — from Elohim at creation to YHWH-Shammah at the restored city — closing with Jesus' "I AM."

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St John on Patmos (Bosch; photo Gemäldegalerie Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Revelation: the Study Guide

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On Revelation 1:8

The Seven Churches of Revelation

Asia Minor, late 1st century. Seven cities along a clockwise postal route — Ephesus to Laodicea — each receiving a letter from the risen Christ. Praises, rebukes, promises. A Matt-13 parallel reading discoverable for those who want it.

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The Ancient of Days (frontispiece to Europe a Prophecy) — William Blake

On Revelation 1:8

The Son of Man — Daniel 7:13–14

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Walks through Revelation 1

Apocalyptic Literature

The Bible's genre of the unveiling — from Daniel's beasts to Revelation's throne, where history is shown its appointed end.

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Walks through Revelation 1

Revelation, the Canon's Closing Scroll, MannaFest

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About Revelation

The Transfiguration — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Revelation: the study guide →Read chapter 1 →The featured study →

Continue: Revelation 1 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Revelation

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Revelation