Revelation 10:2

And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land. The preaching of the Christian faith is spread by land and sea. But, allegorically, stronger members are set in greater dangers, and others in suitable places. For God does …

And so St. John (as Patmos lies near Asia) could conveniently take the book out of his left hand. This sealed book was first in the right hand of him that sat on the throne: thence the Lamb took it, and opened the seals. And now this little book, containing the remainder of the other, is given opened, as it was, to St. John.

And he had in his hand a little book open,....

An account of seven thunders which the apostle heard, as echoing to the voice of this angel, and communicating some discoveries, which the apostle was not yet allowed to write,

he had--Greek, "Having." in his hand--in his left hand: as in Re 10:5 (see on Re 10:5), he lifts up his right hand to heaven. a little book--a roll little in comparison with the "book" (Re 5:1) which contained the whole vast scheme of God's purposes, not to be fully read till the final consummation.

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

A little book open - Meaning probably some design of God long concealed, but now about to be made manifest. But who knows what it means? His right foot upon the sea, and his left - on the earth - To show that he had the command of each, and that his power was universal, all things being under his feet.

And he had in his hand a little book open - This is the first thing that indicated the purpose of his appearing, or that would give any distinct indication of the design of his coming from heaven. The general aspect of the angel, indeed, as represented in the former verse, was that of benignity, and his purpose, as there indicated, was light and peace. But still there was nothing which would denote the particular design for which he came, or which would designate the particular means which he would employ. Here we have, however, an emblem which will furnish an indication of what was to occur as the result of his appearing. To be able to apply this, it will be necessary, as in all similar cases, to explain the natural significancy of the emblem: (1) “The little book.” The word used here - βιβλαρίδιον biblaridion - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament except in Rev 10:8-10 of this chapter. The word βιβλίον biblion - “book” - occurs frequently: Mat 19:7; Mar 10:4 - applied to a bill of divorcement; Luk 4:17, Luk 4:20; Joh 20:30; Joh 21:25; Gal 3:10; 2Ti 4:13; Heb 9:19; Heb 10:7. In the Apocalypse this word is of common occurrence: Rev 1:11; Rev 5:1-5, Rev 5:7-9; Rev 6:14, rendered “scroll”; Rev 17:8; Rev 20:12; Rev 21:27; Rev 22:7, Rev 22:9-10, Rev 22:18-19. The word was evidently chosen here to denote something that was special in the size or form of the book, or to distinguish it from what would be designated by the ordinary word employed to denote a book. The word properly denotes “a small roll” or “volume”; a “little scroll” (Robinson’s Lexicon, Pollux. Onomast. vii. 210). It is evident that something was intended by the diminutive size of the book, or that it was designed to make a distinction between this and that which is indicated by the use of the word “book” in the other parts of the Apocalypse. […]