What Does Revelation 1:1 Mean in the King James?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Revelation names a covering being removed until what was hidden becomes visible.
THE MEANING
This verse meets you as an unveiling: what is given becomes visible through signs and is carried to the servants. What must soon unfold is shown through a chain of giving, showing, and signifying. The hidden becomes perceptible.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that you must force hidden truth into view dissolves here: the unveiling is given, shown, and signified.
THE ROOT
ἀποκάλυψις
apokalypsis
GROWS FROM
καλυπ-
The stem kalyp- (καλυπ-) carries the sense of covering or concealing.
The word translated “Revelation” names an uncovering: what is hidden comes out from under its cover. The verse presents that unveiling as given and carried onward until it becomes visible to the servants.
ALSO GROWS
kalýptō: to cover, hide
καλύπτω
This is the covering at the heart of the word for unveiling: what is revealed was hidden beneath it.
apokalýptō: to uncover, reveal
ἀποκαλύπτω
This verb names the removal of the covering, the movement from hiddenness into view.
ἐσήμανεν
esēmanen
GROWS FROM
σημ-
The stem sēm- (σημ-) carries the sense of a sign or mark.
The message is signified, made known by signs, so the unveiling takes a perceptible form. This word family keeps sign and making-known together, a connection that “signified” can leave faint in English.
ALSO GROWS
sēma: a sign, mark
σῆμα
The sign is the seed of the verb: the message becomes known through what marks or indicates it.
sēmeion: a sign, token, indication
σημεῖον
This branch shows that what is signified comes through an indication that can be perceived.
Χριστοῦ
Christou
GROWS FROM
χρι-
The stem chri- (χρι-) means to anoint, to smear with oil.
“Christ” means the anointed one: it names a nature and role, not a surname. The unveiling is bound to Jesus as the anointed one himself.
ALSO GROWS
chriō: to anoint
χρίω
This verb gives the action behind the title: the anointed one is the one marked by anointing.
chrisma: anointing
χρῖσμα
This noun names the anointing itself, keeping the title connected to the act and its mark.
THE PATTERN
What is hidden becomes perceptible when God reveals it and gives it a form that can be received.
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.THE THREAD
And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.Revelation closes by repeating the opening’s chain: the Lord sends an angel to show his servants what must soon happen. That echo frames the whole book as an unveiling carried through a messenger.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us