What Does Revelation 1:14 Mean in the King James?
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
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
The Greek word for white also carries brightness, placing the head’s radiance beside eyes that burn with fire.
THE MEANING
The image holds whiteness and fire in one face: its radiance is clear, and its gaze is searching. You stand before a presence in which nothing is blurred or concealed.
THE ROOT
λευκός
leukos
GROWS FROM
λευκ-
leuk-
White or bright; a stem joining whiteness with brilliance.
The stem λευκ- carries whiteness and brightness together, and λευκαίνω uses the same seed for making white. The repeated snow-and-wool image therefore holds radiance and whiteness as one quality, beside eyes burning with fire.
ALSO GROWS
leukainō: To make white, whiten.
λευκαίνω
The same stem appears in Revelation’s image of robes made white, linking whiteness here with a state that can be brought about.
leukotēs: Whiteness, brightness.
λευκότης
This noun makes explicit the shared quality carried by the white head and the snowlike comparison.
THE PATTERN
When divine presence is unveiled, luminous whiteness and fire make its brightness and searching gaze visible.
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.THE THREAD
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.The verb translated “made them white” is λευκαίνω, built on the same λευκ- stem as λευκός, the word behind the whiteness here. Across the two verses, whiteness is both seen in the revealed figure and borne by those whose robes are washed.
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