Revelation 2:13

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

Here also we are to consider, I. The inscription of this message. 1. To whom it was sent: To the angel of the church of Pergamos. Whether this was a city raised up out of the ruins of old Troy, a Troy nouveau (as our London was once called), or some other city of the same name, is neither certain nor material; it was a place where Christ had called and constituted a gospel church, by the preaching of the gospel and the grace of his Spirit making the word effectual. 2. Who it was that sent this... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 2:12-17

2:12-17 And to the angel of the Church in Pergamum, write: These things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where your home is. I know that it is where the throne of Satan is; and yet you hold fast to my name, and have not denied your loyalty to me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan has his home. But I have a few things against you. You have among you some people who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 2:13

I know thy works ,.... Both good and bad, and which in that pure part of this church, which opposed the growing corruptions of antichrist, were for the most part good, And where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is . Pergamos was a city very much given to idolatry, here Satan reigned while it was Pagan, and so was a fit emblem of the idolatrous church of Rome. Pausanias says F1 L. 1. sive Attica, p. 8. , the country the Pergamenes inhabited was sacred to the Cabiri, the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 2:13

Where Satan's seat is - Ὁπου ὁ θρονος του Σατανα· Where Satan has his throne - where he reigns as king, and is universally obeyed. It was a maxim among the Jews, that where the law of God was not studied, there Satan dwelt; but he was obliged to leave the place where a synagogue or academy was established. Thou holdest fast my name - Notwithstanding that the profession of Christianity exposed this Church to the bitterest persecution, they held fast the name of Christian, which they... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

The epistle to the Church at Pergamum. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

Pergamos: the impure Church. In studying this letter to the Church at Pergamos, we will arrange our thoughts in two divisions. I. LET US STUDY THE CHURCH ITSELF . We gather four things concerning. 1 . It is directly under the eye of Christ, and responsible to him. This is a feature common to all the Churches. But it is imperative on us ever to keep this fact in the foreground of our thinking about Church life. 2 . It was in a very peculiar situation. Some three... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

The epistle to the Church at Pergamos. It would be altogether fitting to take the title of this letter from that which our Lord takes as his own, and term it, " The sharp two-edged sword." For this letter is largely illustrative of its work. In Revelation 1:1-20 . we saw it in St. John's vision; here we see it in the experience of the Church. But whilst the main reference is to that vision, there is farther appropriateness from the allusions to the wilderness life of Israel, with... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

(3) The epistle to the Church in Pergamum: the faithful Church waning from internal decay. He "that hath the sharp two-edged sword" bears it not in vain. It is a keen weapon of judgment against all adversaries, and may be a true and effectual warning to faithless ones within the Church and threatening ones without. The adversary has his seat in the city where this Church finds its centre. With persecuting violence assailing it, this Church has maintained its faithfulness to its Lord.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:12-17

The words of Christ to the congregation at Pergamos. "And to the angel of the Church in Pergamos," etc. "Few, if any, parts of the world present greater attractions than Pergamos to the student of nature, history, or art. It is associated with memorable names and wonderful exploits. It is the native land of Homer, the oldest of the world's poets, and of Herodotus, the father of history, and "three of the seven wise men here began their life. Among the wonders of the world it boasted its... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 2:13

I know where thou dwellest . The words, "thy works and," are certainly an insertion here—both external and internal evidence are against them. Even where Satan's throne is. We must translate θρόνος "throne" here, as in Revelation 1:4 ; Revelation 3:21 ; Revelation 4:2 , Revelation 4:3 , Revelation 4:5 , Revelation 4:6 , Revelation 4:9 , Revelation 4:10 , etc. Throughout the Apocalypse heaven and hell are set over against one another; and as God has his throne, so also has... read more

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