What Does Revelation 1:4 Mean in the King James?

John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Revelation 1:4 · KJV
The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

The favor and wholeness spoken over you come from the One who is, was, and is coming, and from the seven breaths before the throne.

This greeting speaks to you now: favor and wholeness come from the One who holds being, what was, and what is coming, and from the seven breaths before the throne. They are spoken over you as gifts from that living source.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

The false belief this undoes is that you must produce your own favor and wholeness; the verse names their source beyond your effort.

πνευμάτων

pneumatōn

GROWS FROM

πνευ-

pneu-

Breathing or blowing; breath and wind belong to this word family.

The Greek word rendered “Spirits” belongs to the same family as words for breathing and wind. English can make it sound like an abstract category, while the word also carries the sense of breath: the greeting names the seven breaths before the throne as a source of favor and wholeness.

ALSO GROWS

pneō: To breathe or blow.

πνέω

It makes the breath-and-wind sense of pneuma audible in a related verb.

pnoē: Breath or a blowing wind.

πνοή

This branch links the verse’s “Spirits” to wind as a movement of breath.

χάρις

charis

GROWS FROM

χαρ-

char-

Favor, graciousness, or a freely given gift.

“Grace” in this verse is charis. The verse opens with favor as something that comes to you, not something you manufacture. Its word family also reaches toward joy and freely granting, giving the greeting the shape of a gift received.

ALSO GROWS

chara: Joy.

χαρά

This related word lets favor open toward the joy it can carry.

charizomai: To grant freely or show favor; in some contexts, to forgive.

χαρίζομαι

It shows charis as favor expressed through freely giving or releasing.

εἰρήνη

eirēnē

GROWS FROM

εἰρην-

eirēn-

Peace and wholeness; the word family conveys peace, though its deeper etymology is uncertain.

Here peace is spoken alongside favor as something that reaches you from the divine presence. Read as wholeness, it carries more than the absence of conflict: it names an intactness received with the greeting.

ALSO GROWS

eirēneuō: To live in peace or make peace.

εἰρηνεύω

This verb shows peace as something expressed in the way life is held together.

eirēnikos: Peaceful or peaceable.

εἰρηνικός

This related word gives a quality to the wholeness spoken over you.

Favor and wholeness are spoken as gifts that come from the divine presence and reach people in their present lives.

The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
Numbers 6:25-26 · KJVThe LORD’s gracious favor and peace are both given as gifts that reach the person addressed.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:27 · KJVPeace comes as a gift from the speaker, placing wholeness with the person addressed now.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Revelation 22:21 · KJVThe book closes by speaking grace to its readers, as this verse opens by speaking favor and wholeness to you.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:2 · KJV

The Greek word translated “wind” here, ⁨πνοή⁩ (pnoē), belongs to the breath-and-blowing family of ⁨πνεῦμα⁩ (pneuma), the word rendered “Spirits” in Revelation. The connection lets the seven before the throne be heard through the same language of breath and wind.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us

Revelation 1:4 KJV Meaning