And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
Parallel translations
- WEB He had in his hand a little open book. He set his right foot on the sea, and his left on the land.
- BSB He held in his hand a small scroll, which lay open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.
- NKJV He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,
- NASB and he had in his hand a little scroll, which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land;
- NLT And in his hand was a small scroll that had been opened. He stood with his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The angel holds a small open scroll and plants his feet on sea and land. His stance claims authority over the whole earth.
Overview
The "little open book" contrasts with the sealed scroll of Revelation 5; its openness signals revelation now being disclosed. By standing on both sea and land, the angel symbolizes God's universal dominion and the worldwide reach of the message. This sets the stage for John's prophetic commission in the verses to follow. It affirms that God's word and rule extend over all creation, leaving no realm outside His authority.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Rev 10:5And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
- Ezek 2:9–10And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein;
- Rev 10:8–10And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
- Rev 5:1–5And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
- Matt 28:18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
- Ps 65:5By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
- Rev 6:3And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
- Ps 2:8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
- Prov 8:15–16By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.
- Isa 59:19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.
- Rev 6:1And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
- Eph 1:20–22Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
- Phil 2:10–11That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 10:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.