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1. Revelation 1:2
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Revelation 1:2
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of
Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Revelation 1:2
Bare witness (emarturēsen). First aorist active indicative of
martureō, which, along with martus and marturia, is common in
all the Johannine books (cf. Rev 22:18, Rev 22:20), usually with
peri or hoti, but with cognate accusative as here in Rev 22:16,
Rev 22:20; 1Jn 5:10. Epistolary aorist here, referring to this
book.
The word of God (ton logon tou theou). Subjective genitive,
given by God. The prophetic word as in Rev 1:9; Rev 6:9; Rev
20:4, not the personal Word as in Rev 19:14.
The testimony of Jesus Christ (tēn marturian Iēsou
Christou). Subjective genitive again, borne witness to by Jesus
Christ.
Even of all the things that he saw (hosa eiden). Relative
clause in apposition with logon and marturian.
Revelation 1:2
So it is an easy book for me to plunge into, because I know you
are going to be blessed, even though I may not say anything
worthwhile. Because we are going to be reading the words of
this prophecy and hearing the words of this prophecy, and so
there is a built-in promise blessing for you. You can’t escape it.
It is there promised to you by the Lord, those that read and
those that hear. So I am going to be blessed. And if you keep
up with your reading, you will be blessed, and you will be
blessed as you hear.
Not only hearing,
but also keeping those things which are written therein: for the
time is at hand.

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There has always been in the church the sense of urgency and
immediacy as far as the return of Jesus Christ. The time is
short, we are told in verse one. Here in verse three, "the time is
at hand." And there is a sense in which that is perennially true.
Time is always short for each of us. We don’t know how much
time we do have. If we live to be one hundred years, time is
short, such a short time especially in comparison to eternity.
So, now the greeting of John beginning with verse four,
Revelation 1:2
Bare record (ἐμαρτύρησεν)
See on Joh 1:7. Rev., bear witness. The reference is to the
present book and not to the Gospel. The aorist tense is the
epistolary aorist. See on 1Jn 2:13, and compare the introduction
to Thucydides' “History:” “Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote
(ξυνέγραψε) the history of the war,” etc.; placing himself at the
reader's stand point, who will regard the writing as occurring in
the past.
Word of God
Not the personal Word, but the prophetic contents of this book.
See Rev 22:6.
Testimony (μαρτυρίαν)
For the phrase to witness a witness see Joh 4:32. For the
peculiar emphasis on the idea of witness in John, see on Joh
1:7. The words and the ides are characteristic of Revelation as
of the Gospel and Epistles.
And (τε)
Omit. The clause all things that he saw is in apposition with the
Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, marking these
as seen by him. Rev. adds even.
All things that he saw (ὅσα εἶδεν)
Lit., as many things as he saw. In the Gospel John uses the
word εἶδεν saw, only twice of his own eye-witness (Joh 1:40;

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Joh 20:8). In Revelation it is constantly used of the seeing of
visions. Compare Rev 1:19. For the verb as denoting the
immediate intuition of the seer, see on Joh 2:24.
Revelation 1:2
Who hath testified - In the following book. The word of God -
Given directly by God. And the testimony of Jesus - Which he
hath left us, as the faithful and true witness. Whatsoever things
he saw - In such a manner as was a full confirmation of the
divine original of this book.
Revelation 1:2
Who bare record. "To bear witness" (μαρτυρεῖν) and "witness,"
or "testimony’’ (μαρτυρία), are characteristic of St. John’s
writings, and serve to connect together his Gospel, the First
Epistle, and the Apocalypse. Such words should be carefully
noted, and, so far as possible, uniformly translated, in order to
mark their frequency in the English Version. The Authorized
Version rings the changes on "bear witness," "bear record,"
"give record," and "testify," for μαρτυρεῖν; and on "witness,"
"record," and "testimony," for μαρτυρία. The Revised Version
has here made great improvements. To bear witness to the
truth and the Word of God was St. John’s special function
throughout his long life, and to this fact he calls attention in all
his chief writings (see Haupt on 1Jn 5:6). The testimony of
Jesus Christ, like "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" (verse 1),
means that which he gave, not that which tells about him. And
of all things that he saw; better, as in the Revised Version,
even of all things that he saw, taking δσα εἵδεν in apposition
with what precedes. The seer is here speaking of the visions of
the Apocalypse, not of the events in Christ’s life. The aorists,
ἐμαρτύρησεν and εἵδεν, are rightly compared to the συνέγραψε
of Thucydides (1.1; 6.7, 93).
Revelation 1:2
Who bore record of the word of God,.... Of the essential and
eternal Word of God, his only begotten Son; as John the apostle
did in his Gospel, and in his epistles, and also in this book; and

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which is a clear evidence of his being the writer of it,
And of the testimony of Jesus Christ; that is, the Gospel,
which testifies of the person of Christ, of the truth of his
divinity, and reality of his human nature; of the union of the two
natures, divine and human, his person: of his several offices, of
prophet, priest and King; of what he did and suffered for his
people; and of the blessings of grace which they receive by him:
and of all things that he saw; with his bodily eyes, as the
human body of Christ, the miracles he wrought in it, the
transfiguration of it on the mount, the crucifixion of it, and the
piercing of it with a spear, and the resurrection of it from the
dead; and also the visions recorded in this book; and such a
faithful witness serves greatly to confirm the authority of this
book, and to recommend the perusal of it. The Complutensian
edition and the Arabic version read, "which are, and which
shall", or "must be hereafter", as in Rev 1:19.
Revelation 1:2
bare record of — “testified the word of God” in this book.
Where we would say “testifies,” the ancients in epistolary
communications use the past tense. The word of God constitutes
his testimony; Rev 1:3, “the words of this prophecy.”
the testimony of Jesus — “the Spirit of prophecy” (Rev
19:10).
and of all things that, etc. — The oldest manuscripts omit
“and.” Translate, “whatsoever things he saw,” in apposition with
“the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 1:2
Who bare record of the word of God - Who bore witness to,
or testified of ἐμαρτύρησεν emarturēsen the Word of God. He
regarded himself merely as a “witness” of what he had seen,
and claimed only to make a fair and faithful “record” of it. “This
is the disciple which “testifieth” (ὁ μαρτυρῶν ho marturōn) of

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these things, and wrote these things,” Joh 21:24. “And he that
saw it bare record” - μεμαρτύρηκε memarturēke Joh 19:35.
Compare also the following places, where the apostle uses the
same word of himself: 1Jn 1:2; 1Jn 4:14. The expression here,
“the word of God,” is one the meaning of which has been much
controverted, and is important in its bearing on the question
who was the author of the Book of Revelation. The main inquiry
is, whether the writer refers to the “testimony” which he bears
in this book respecting the “word of God”; or whether he refers
to some testimony on that subject in some other book with
which those to whom he wrote were so familiar that they would
at once recognize him as the author; or whether he refers to the
fact that he had borne his testimony to the great truths of
religion, and especially respecting Jesus Christ, as a preacher
who was well known, and who would be characterized by this
expression.
The phrase “the word of God” - τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ ton logon
tou Theou - occurs frequently in the New Testament (compare
Joh 10:35; Act 4:31; Act 6:2, Act 6:7; Act 11:1; Act 12:24);
and may either mean the Word or doctrine respecting God - that
which teaches what God is - or what he speaks or teaches. It is
more commonly used in the latter sense (compare the passages
referred to above), and especially refers to what God speaks or
commands in the gospel. The fair meaning of this expression
would be, that John had borne faithful witness to, or testimony
of, the truth which God had spoken to man in the gospel of
Christ. So far as the “language” used here is concerned, this
might apply either to a written or an oral testimony; either to a
treatise like that of his gospel, to his preaching, or to the record
which he was then making. Vitringa and others suppose that the
reference here is to the gospel which he had published, and
which now bears his name; Lucke and others, to the revelation
made to him in Patmos, the record of which he now makes in
this book; Prof. Stuart and others, to the fact that he was a
teacher or preacher of the gospel, and that (compare Rev 1:9)
the allusion is to the testimony which he had borne to the
gospel, and for which he was an exile in Patmos. Is it not

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possible that these conflicting opinions may be to some extent
harmonized, by supposing that in the use of the aorist tense -
ἐμαρτύρησε emarturēse - the writer meant to refer to a
characteristic of himself, to wit, that he was a faithful witness of
the Word of God and of Jesus Christ whenever and however
made known to him?
With an eye, perhaps, to the record which he was about to
make in this book, and intending to include that may he not also
refer to what had been and was his well-known character as a
witness of what God communicated to him? He had always
borne this testimony. He always regarded himself as such a
witness. He had been an eyewitness of what had occurred in the
life and at the death of the Saviour (see the notes on 2Pe 1:17-
18), and had, in all his writings and public administrations,
horne witness to what he had seen and heard; for that Rev 1:9
he had been banished to Patmos: and he was now about to
carry out the same characteristic of himself by bearing witness
to what he saw in these new revelations. This would be much in
the manner of John, who often refers to this characteristic of
himself (compare Joh 19:35; Joh 21:24; 1Jn 1:2), as well as
harmonize the different opinions. The meaning, then, of the
expression, “who bare record of the word of God,” as I
understand it, is, that it was a characteristic of the writer to
bear simple but faithful testimony to the truth which God
communicated to people in the gospel. If this be the correct
interpretation, it may be remarked:
(a) That this is such language as John the apostle would be
likely to use, and yet
(b) That it is not such language as an author would be likely
to adopt if there was an attempt to forge a book in his name.
The artifice would be too refined to occur probably to anyone,
for although perfectly natural for John, it would not be so
natural for a forger of a book to select this circumstance and
weave it thus unostentatiously into his narrative.

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And of the testimony of Jesus Christ - That is, in accordance
with the interpretation above, of the testimony “which Jesus
Christ bore for the truth”; not of a testimony “respecting” Jesus
Christ. The idea is, that Jesus Christ was himself “a witness” to
the truth, and that the writer of this book was a witness merely
of the testimony which Christ had borne. Whether the testimony
of Jesus Christ was borne in his preaching when in the flesh, or
whether made known to the writer by him at any subsequent
period, it was his office to make a faithful record of that
testimony. As he had always before done that, so he was about
to do it now in the new revelation made to him in Patmos, which
he regarded as a new testimony of Jesus Christ to the truth, Rev
1:1. It is remarkable that, in confirmation of this view, John so
often describes the Lord Jesus as a witness, or represents him
as having come to hear his faithful testimony to the truth. Thus,
in Rev 1:5; “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful and true
witness.” “I am one that bear witness - ὁ μαρτυρῶν ho
marturōn - of myself,” Joh 8:18. “To this end was I born, and
for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness -
ἵνα μαρτυρήσω hina marturēsō - to the truth,” Joh 18:37.
“These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness” - ὁ
μάρτυς ὁ πιστὸς ho martus ho pistos, ... Rev 3:14. Of this
testimony which the Lord Jesus came to bring to man respecting
eternal realities, the writer of this book says that he regarded
himself as a witness. To the office of bearing such testimony he
had been dedicated; that testimony he was now to bear, as he
had always done.
And of all things that he saw - Ὅσα τε εἰδεν Hosa te eiden.
This is the common reading in the Greek, and according to this
reading it would properly mean, “and whatsoever he saw”; that
is, it would imply that he bore witness to “the Word of God,”
and to “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” and to “whatever he
saw” - meaning that the things which he saw, and to which he
refers, were things additional to those to which he had referred
by “the Word of God,” and the “testimony of Christ.” From this it
has been supposed that in the former part of the verse he refers

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to some testimony which he had formerly borne, as in his gospel
or in his preaching, and that here he refers to what he “saw” in
the visions of the Revelation as additional to the former. But it
should be remembered that the word rendered “and” - τε te - is
missing in a large number of manuscripts (see Wetstein), and
that it is now omitted in the best editions of the Greek
Testament - as by Griesbach, Tittmann and Hahn. The evidence
is clear that it should be omitted; and if so omitted, the
reference is to whatever he had at any time borne his testimony
to, and not particularly to what passed before him in the visions
of this book.
It is a general affirmation that he had always borne a faithful
testimony to whatever he had seen respecting the Word of God
and the testimony of Christ. The correct rendering of the whole
passage then would be, “And sending by his angel, he signifies
it to his servant John, who bare record of” (that is, whose
character and office it was to bear his testimony to) “the word
of God” (the message which God has sent to me), “and the
testimony of Jesus Christ” (the testimony which Christ bore to
the truth), “whatsoever he saw.” He concealed nothing; he held
nothing back; he made it known precisely as it was seen by
him. Thus interpreted, the passage refers to what was a general
characteristic of the writer, and is designed to embrace all that
was made known to him, and to affirm that he was a faithful
witness to it. There were doubtless special reasons why John
was employed as the medium through which this
communication was to be made to the church and the world.
Among these reasons may have been the following:
(a) That he was the “beloved disciple.”
(b) That he was the only surviving apostle.
(c) That his character was such that his statements would be
readily received. Compare Joh 19:35; Joh 21:24; 3Jn 1:12.
(d) It may be that his mind was better suited to be the

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medium of these communications than that of any other of
the apostles - even if they had been then alive.
There is almost no one whose mental characteristics are less
correctly understood than those of the apostle John. Among the
most gentle and amiable of people; with a heart so suited for
love as to be known as “the beloved disciple” - he yet had
mental characteristics which made it proper that he should be
called “a son of thunder” Mar 3:17; a mind suited to preserve
and record the profound thoughts in his gospel; a mind of high
poetic order, suited for the magnificent conceptions in this book.
Revelation 1:2
record. witness. See p. 1511. The verb Occurs only here and
Rev 22:16, Rev 22:20 in Rev.
the word of God. Thus a direct prophetic communication, as
1Sa 9:27. 1Ki 12:22. 1Ch 17:3. Yet Compare Rev 1:9; Rev 6:9;
Rev 19:13; Rev 20:4.
word. App-121.
testimony = witness. See Joh 1:7 and p. 1511.
and, &c. Not merely "heard" but saw in vision.
all things that = whatsoever things.
saw. App-133.
Revelation 1:2
who bare record] i.e. who bears witness in the present work.
The past tense is used, as constantly in Greek—e.g. in St John’s
own Epistle, I. Rev 2:14—of the act of a writer which will be
past when his work comes to be read. The “witness” John is said
to bear is that contained in this Book—not, as some have
imagined, in his Gospel.

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There is, however, some evidence to the identity of authorship
of the two, in the resemblance between the attestations to the
authority of this Book in these three verses, and to that of the
Gospel in Rev 21:24. The two may be presumed to proceed
from the same persons, probably the elders of the Church of
Ephesus.
the word of God] His word made known to man, especially as
revealed to St John himself; not the personal Word of God of St
John’s Gospel Rev 1:1 and Rev 19:13, as He is immediately
mentioned under another name.
the testimony of Jesus Christ] See Rev 22:16 for a similar
description of the special Revelation of this book. Both ‘the
word’ and ‘the testimony’ are repeated in Rev 1:9 where they
refer to the general Revelation of Christian truth for which the
Seer was in exile.
Revelation 1:2
Who bare record of the word of God - Is there a reference
here to the first chapter of John’s gospel, In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, etc.? Of this Word John
did bear record. Or, does the writer mean the fidelity with which
he noted and related the word - doctrines or prophecies, which
he received at this time by revelation from God? This seems
more consistent with the latter part of the verse.
Revelation 1:2
John faithfully described what he saw as the Word of God
and the testimony of Jesus Christ. What John saw was a
communication from—and about—Jesus Christ Himself.1
Revelation 1:2
bare record of—“testified the word of God” in this book. Where
we would say “testifies,” the ancients in epistolary
1
John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of
the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985), 2:928.

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communications use the past tense. The word of God constitutes
his testimony; Rev 1:3, “the words of this prophecy.”
the testimony of Jesus—“the Spirit of prophecy” (Rev 19:10).
and of all things that, &c.—The oldest manuscripts omit
“and.” Translate, “whatsoever things he saw,” in apposition with
“the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.”2
Revelation 1:2
who testifies to everything he saw—
In contrast to many Old Testament prophets who heard the
word of the Lord, the revelation to John was largely an optical
experience—an apocalyptic vision. As G.B. Caird writes, “Much
of the New Testament is written for those who have ears to
hear, but this book is written for those who have eyes to see.”3
that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
Since the Revelation comes ultimately from God through his
mediator Christ (see above), John calls it “the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus Christ.” The fact that John shares “the
word of God,” rather than the word of a mere human being, is
extremely significant. We humans may say, “Let this pig sprout
wings and fly,” but our speaking the words will not make it
happen. However, when the sovereign God speaks a word, then
whatever he says is done. This is called “performance
language”—language that accomplishes what it says. We see it,
for example, in Genesis 1:3, where “God said, ‘Let there be
light,’ and there was light.” The same idea appears in Isaiah
55:10–11:
As the rain and the snow
2
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, A. R. Fausset et al., A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New
Testaments, On Spine: Critical and Explanatory Commentary. (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997),
Re 1:2.
3
G.B. Caird, The Revelation of St. John the Divine, Harper’s New Testament Commentaries (New York and Evanston:
Harper & Row, 1966), p. 13.

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come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Jesus is called “the Word of God” (e.g., in John 1) because he
“performs” or accomplishes God’s will. In like manner, John calls
Revelation “the word of God,” which means that what God says
in this book concerning the present and the future is reality. It
will be accomplished.3
Revelation 1:2
“Witness” was especially a legal term, although its sense had
been widely extended beyond that. Christians were being
betrayed to Roman law courts, but in the context of Revelation,
“witness” is the Christian proclamation of knowledge about
Jesus, providing evidence in the light of the court of God’s final
judgment (cf. Is 43:8–12; 44:8–9).4
Revelation 1:2
The Testimony of John.
“John” is identified only as one who testifies to everything he
saw.* The title makes no claim that John was a creative writer
or a literary or religious genius. He simply transcribed a vision.
What John saw is summed up in the twin phrases, the word of
God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. These phrases reiterate
3
Christopher A. Davis, Revelation, The College Press NIV commentary (Joplin, Mo.: College Press Pub., 2000), 91.
4
Craig S. Keener and InterVarsity Press, The IVP Bible Background Commentary : New Testament (Downers Grove, Ill.:
InterVarsity Press, 1993), Re 1:2.
* 1:2 According to the NIV, John testifies, but the Greek verb is aorist, or past tense: he “testified.” The heading looks
back on John’s completed letter (1:4–22:21) after the fact. John “testified” by writing this letter, and his testimony is
now complete. A more accurate translation would be “who testified to everything he had seen.”

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the assertion in verse 1 that God is the ultimate source and
Jesus is the immediate source of all that is going to be revealed.
The word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ are not two
messages, but one. Word of God recalls the message of the
biblical prophets (compare “word of the Lord” in Jer 1:2, 4; Ezek
1:3; Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; Jon 1:1; Mic 1:1; Zeph 1:1; Hag 1:1;
Zech 1:1; Mal 1:1). Like many of those oracles, it is based on
what someone “saw” (Is 1:1; Ezek 1:1; Amos 1:1; Obad 1:1,
Mic 1:1, Nahum 1:1). Now, however, the word of God is
identified with the testimony of Jesus Christ because it is by
virtue of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead that John will be
called and commissioned to write (compare vv. 12–18). The
prophets’ “word of the Lord” becomes in this last book of the
Bible the word of the risen Jesus.5
Revelation 1:2
The Word of God is the Gospel (6:9); it does not come back
void (Isaiah 55:11); it is the “sword” which comes from the
Messiah’s mouth, by which he conquers and rules (v. 16&N;
19:15).
The testimony of Yeshua the Messiah. See 1:9. 6
Revelation 1:2
John faithfully reported the word of God and the
testimony of Jesus Christ—everything he saw. NLT
John saw
the vision and then faithfully reported … everything he saw. He
saw the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation, according to John, is God’s Word—not simply John’s
narration of what he saw. It is an eternal message. The
testimony “of” Jesus Christ could also be translated “from” Jesus
5
J. Ramsey Michaels, vol. 20, Revelation, The IVP New Testament commentary series (Downers Grove, Ill., USA:
InterVarsity Press, 1997), Re 1:2.
6
David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic
ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996, c1992), Re 1:2.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used
by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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Christ. The words of this book describe the promises and actions
of God that have come true through Jesus. Revelation, as
difficult as it may be to understand, should not be neglected. It
should be read and studied, for it is the Word of God and the
testimony of Christ to all believers, from the first century to
today.7
Revelation 1:2
ὄς ἐμαρτύρησεν τὸν λόγον του̂ θεου̂ καὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ʼΙησου̂
Χριστου̂ ὅσα ει̂̓δεν, “who now bears witness to all the visions
he saw which is the message from God, that is, the witness
borne by Jesus.” The verb μαρτυρει̂ν, “to witness,” occurs only
here and in 22:16, 18, 20, and therefore probably belongs to
the latest version of Revelation (see Introduction, Section 5:
Source Criticism). In other early Christian texts, cognates of
μαρτ- are used for the proclamation of the Gospel (Acts 10:42–
43; 18:5; 20:21; Eph 4:17). The phrase ὁ λόγος του̂ θεου̂,
“the word/message of God,” occurs seven times in Revelation
(1:2, 9; 6:9; 17:17 [plural: οἱ λόγοι του̂ θεου̂]; 19:9 [plural:
ου̂ͅτοι οἱ λόγοι ἀληθινοὶ του̂ θεου̂]; 19:13; 20:4). Four times
the phrases “the word of God” and “the testimony by Jesus” are
closely associated or virtually equated (1:2, 9; 6:9; 20:4).
John’s use of this phrase suggests that he considers himself a
prophet in the tradition of the OT prophets who received the
word of God (Hos 1:1; Joel 1:1; Jer 1:2, 4, 11). In the LXX the
phrase λόγος κυρίου, “word of the Lord,” is a stereotypical
formula used to categorize a sequence of revelatory experiences
(Zech 1:1; Jonah 1:1; Mic 1:1; Zeph 1:1). It is possible that the
καί joining “the word of God” and “the witness of Jesus Christ” is
epexegetical; i.e., “the word of God” is further defined by the
phrase “the witness of Jesus Christ.” It is possible to understand
7
Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, Revelation Bruce B. Barton ... [Et Al.] ; General Editor, Grant Osborne., Life
application Bible commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2000), 3.
OT Old Testament
LXX The Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT
i.e. id est, that is

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the phrase “the witness of Jesus Christ” in two ways; i.e., “of
Jesus” is either a subjective genitive, “the witness borne by
Jesus,” or an objective genitive, “the witness about Jesus
Christ.” The first alternative seems more likely, because in
Revelation the witness is given by the subject of the phrase
(6:9; 11:7; 12:11; 20:4; see Strathman, TDNT 4:500;
Trites, Witness, 156–58). This further suggests that the phrase
τὴν μαρτυρίαν ʼΙησου̂ Χριστου̂, “the testimony borne by
Jesus,” i.e., “what Jesus testifies,” means “the contents of the
book” (Dehandschutter, “Witness,” 285), because it is followed
by “whatever he saw.”
ὅσα, a neuter plural accusative correlative adjective from ὅσος,
is used here to denote size or quantity and emphasizes the
completeness of the revelation transmitted by John. Since this
clause is in apposition to the accusative noun cluster “the
message from God, namely, the testimony by Jesus,” John
claims to have seen a message, a striking idiom probably based
on the usage of OT prophetic books (see Amos 1:1: “the words
of Amos which he saw”; Hab 1:1: “the oracle of God which
Habakkuk saw”).8
Revelation 1:2
Bare witness (ἐμαρτυρησεν [emarturēsen]). First aorist active
indicative of μαρτυρεω [martureō], which, along with μαρτυς
[martus] and μαρτυρια [marturia], is common in all the
Johannine books (cf. 22:18, 20), usually with περι [peri] or ὁτι
[hoti], but with cognate accusative as here in 22:16, 20; I John
5:10. Epistolary aorist here, referring to this book. The word of
God (τον λογον του θεου [ton logon tou theou]). Subjective
genitive, given by God. The prophetic word as in 1:9; 6:9; 20:4,
not the personal Word as in 19:14. The testimony of Jesus
Christ (την μαρτυριαν Ἰησου Χριστου [tēn marturian Iēsou
TDNT G. Kittel and G. Friedrich, eds., tr. G. W. Bromiley Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 vols., ET
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964–76)
8
David E. Aune, vol. 52A, Word Biblical Commentary : Revelation 1-5:14, electronic ed., Logos Library System; Word
Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 19.

16. Revelation 1:2
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Christou]). Subjective genitive again, borne witness to by Jesus
Christ. Even of all the things that he saw (ὁσα εἰδεν [hosa
eiden]). Relative clause in apposition with λογον [logon] and
μαρτυριαν [marturian]. 9
Revelation 1:2
Bare record (ἐμαρτύρησεν). See on John 1:7. Rev., bear
witness. The reference is to the present book and not to the
Gospel The aorist tense is the epistolary aorist. See on 1 John
2:13, and compare the introduction to Thucydides’ “History:”
“Thucydides, an Athenian, wrote (ξυνέγραψε) the history of the
war,” etc.; placing himself at the reader’s standpoint, who will
regard the writing as occurring in the past.
Word of God. Not the personal Word, but the prophetic
contents of this book. See 22:6.
Testimony (μαρτυρίαν). For the phrase to witness a witness
see John 5:32. For the peculiar emphasis on the idea of witness
in John, see on John 1:7. The words and the idea are
characteristic of the Apocalypse as of the Gospel and Epistles.
And (τε). Omit. The clause all things that he saw is in
apposition with the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ, marking these as seen by him. Rev. adds even.
All things that he saw (ὅσα εἶδεν). Lit., as many things as he
saw. In the Gospel John uses the word εἶδεν saw, only twice of
his own eye-witness (1:40; 20:8). In the Apocalypse it is
constantly used of the seeing of visions. Compare 1:19. For the
9
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the
Southern Baptist Convention. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Re 1:2.
Rev. Revised Version of the New Testament.
Lit. Literally.

17. Revelation 1:2
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verb as denoting the immediate intuition of the seer, see on
John 2:24.10
10
Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.,
2002), 2:i-410.

18. Revelation 1:2
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References: