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Revelation 19:10

in Revelation 19

So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

And I fell down before his feet to worship him. And he saith unto me, See thou do it not: I am a fellow-servant with thee and with thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

KJV

And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

This verse in Revelation 19

Commentary

16 notes on this verse

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

Who hold the testimony of Jesus. After the Lord Jesus elevated the assumed man above the heavens, the angel feared being worshipped by a man, evidently worshipping the man-God above himself, which we read was done by men before the Lord's Incarnation and was not …

This site's exposition

I fell at his feet to worship him

John, overwhelmed, falls to worship the angel who has just spoken to him, and the angel refuses at once, see thou do it not, the same refusal repeated at the book's very close at 22:8-9, a standing witness against every creature-worship, angels included. I am thy fellowservant places the angel beside John rather than above him, and the reason given reaches past the moment, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, meaning that every true word of prophecy, in this book and in every age, bears witness to Christ and to him alone. This verse is the site's own answer to the continuationist question at its root: prophecy is not withdrawn, it simply never speaks of anything but Jesus.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers5 voices

A commentator

Augustine of Hippo

OF TRUE RELIGION 110 · Written in the 5th century.

proposed

The lowest person must worship the same God as is worshiped by the highest angel. In fact it is by refusing to worship him that human nature has been brought low. The source of wisdom and of truth is the same for angel and humankind, namely, the one unchangeable Wisdom and Truth. The very Virtue and changeless Wisdom of God who is consubstantial and coeternal with the Father, for our salvation deigned, in the temporal dispensation, to take upon himself our nature in order to teach us that humanity must worship what every rational intellectual creature must also worship. Let us believe that the highest angels and most excellent ministers of God want us to join them in the worship of the one God, in contemplation of whom they find their happiness. Even we are not made happy by seeing an angel but by seeing the Truth, by which we love the angels too and rejoice with them. We do not grudge that they should have readier access to the Truth and enjoy him without obstacle. Rather, we love them because we are bidden by our common Lord to hope for the same condition hereafter. So we honor them with love but not with divine worship. We do not build temples for them. They do not wish to be honored by us in that way, because they know that when we are good people we are ourselves the temples of the most high God.

A commentator

Apringius of Beja

TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:9-10 · Written before 600.

proposed

When the royal commands of God were heard, he fell down to worship him who was speaking with him. However, to respect the nature of his own office and to show that God is above all things, he prohibited this, saying, "Do not do this, …

A commentator

Primasius of Hadrumetum

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:10 · Written before 560.

proposed

Indeed, the whole point of prophecy and of the sanctifying work of the Spirit lies in the testimony of Jesus Christ, whom the entire law and all prophecy serve [as though slaves]. For this reason, when he manifested himself on the mountain between Moses and …

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

The accursed and God-hating Greeks, hearing how it is a doctrine among us that holy angels by the good pleasure of God protect nations and churches and each one individually. Of the nations it is written by the most wise Daniel and "I came because …

A commentator

Theophilus of Antioch

Theophilus to Autolycus, Book I, Chapter XIV · Written before 185.

proposed

Yet these also have spoken beforehand of the punishments that are to light upon the profane and unbelieving, in order that none be left without a witness, or be able to say, "We have not heard, neither have we known." But do you also, if …
9 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:10 · Written before 614.

proposed

"Do not worship me as one who is foretelling the future," the holy angel says. For the confession of Christ, that is, the testimony is the gift of the prophetic Spirit. And you should note also this. The prophecy [is given] for this reason, so …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

See that you do not do that. I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren. He had said earlier: I am the first and the last (Rev. 1). Therefore, he shows that the angel was sent in the figure of the Lord and the …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. For whatever the spirit of prophecy said is the testimony of Jesus, who has the testimony from the Law and the Prophets. Therefore, he says, do not worship me as God, since I have come to …

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

And I fell before his feet to worship him - It seems, mistaking him for the angel of the covenant. But he saith, See thou do it not - In the original, it is only, See not, with a beautiful abruptness. To pray to or worship the highest creature is flat idolatry.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

The Triumph of the Saints. 1 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:92%@v1-2

And I fell at his feet to worship him,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

I fell at his feet to worship him - Great as this angel was, St. John could not mistake him either for Jesus Christ, or for God the Father; nor was his prostration intended as an act of religious worship. It was merely an act of that sort of reverence which any Asiatic would pay to a superior. His mistake was, the considering that he was under obligation to the angel for the information which he had now received.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

at--Greek, "before." John's intending to worship the angel here, as in Re 22:8, on having revealed to him the glory of the new Jerusalem, is the involuntary impulse of adoring joy at so blessed a prospect.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

And I fell at his feet to worship him - At the feet of the angel. See the notes on Rev 19:9. This is a common posture of adoration in the East. See Rosenmuller’s “Morgenland, in loco.” notes on 1Co 14:25. John was entirely overcome with the majesty of the heavenly messenger, and with the amazing truths that he had disclosed to him, and in the overflowing of his feelings he fell upon the earth in the posture of adoration. Or it may be that he mistook the rank of him who addressed him, and supposed that he was the Messiah whom he had been accustomed to worship, and who had first Rev. 1 appeared to him. If so, his error was soon corrected. He was told by the angel himself who made these communications that he had no claims to such homage, and that the praise which he offered him should be rendered to God alone. It should be observed that there is not the slightest intimation that this was the Messiah himself, and consequently this does not contain any evidence that it would be improper to worship him. The only fair conclusion from the passage is, that it is wrong to offer religious homage to an angel. And he said unto me, See thou do it not - That is, in rendering the homage which you propose to me, you would in fact render it to a creature. This may be regarded as an admonition to be careful in our worship; not to allow our feelings to overcome us; and not to render that homage to a creature which is due to God alone. Of course, this would prohibit the worship of the Virgin Mary, and of any of the saints, and all that homage rendered to a created being which is due to God only. Nothing is more carefully guarded in the Bible than the purity and simplicity of worship; nothing is more sternly rebuked than idolatry; nothing is more contrary to the divine law than rendering in any way that homage to a creature which belongs of right to the Creator. […]

The words behind it

38 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Hebrews 1:14

    Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

    it leads to

    • Psalms 34:7

      The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them.

    • Psalms 103:20–21

      Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command.

    • Psalms 91:11–12

      For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

    • Daniel 6:22

      My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O…

  • Through

    John 5:39

    You pore over the Scriptures because you presume that by them you possess eternal life. These are the very words that testify about Me,

    it leads to

    • Luke 24:27

      And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

    • Luke 24:44

      Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets,…

    • 2 Peter 1:19–21

      We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day…

    • Acts 26:22–23

      But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Transfiguration, Gustave Doré. Public domain.
The Transfiguration, Gustave Doré. Public domain.
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:10; Apringius of Beja, TRACTATE ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:9-10; Augustine of Hippo, OF TRUE RELIGION 110; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 19:10 and Theophilus of Antioch, Theophilus to Autolycus, Book I, Chapter XIV.