SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:5
y de Jess, el Cristo, el testigo fiel, el Primognito de los muertos, y Príncipe de los reyes de la tierra. Al que nos am, y nos ha lavado de nuestros pecados con su sangre,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 1:5
Verse 5. The faithful witness] The true teacher, whose testimony is infallible, and whose sayings must all come to pass. The first-begotten of the dead] See the note on Col. i. 18.
The prince of the kings] o arcwn, The chief or head, of all earthly potentates; who has them all under his dominion and control, and can dispose of them as he will.
Unto him that loved us] This should begin a new verse, as it is the commencement of a new subject. Our salvation is attributed to the love of God, who gave his Son; and to the love of Christ, who died for us. See John iii. 16.
Washed us from our sins] The redemption of the soul, with the remission of sins, and purification from unrighteousness, is here, as in all the New Testament, attributed to the blood of Christ shed on the cross for man.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. And from Jesus Christ , etc.] Who, though the second Person in the Trinity, is mentioned last, because many things were to be said of him; and who is described in all his offices: in his prophetic office, the faithful witness ; as he is of his Father, of his mind and will, with respect to doctrine and worship; of his truth and faithfulness in his promises; and of his love, grace, and mercy, to his chosen; and of himself, of his true deity, proper sonship, and perfect equality with the Father; of his Messiahship, and of salvation through his obedience, sufferings, and death; and of all truth in general, to which he has bore a faithful testimony several ways, in his ministry, by his miracles, at his death, and by the shedding of his blood to seal it; by his Spirit since, and by the ministers of his word: he is described in his priestly office by the first begotten of the dead : being the first that rose from the dead by his own power, and to an immortal life; for though some few were raised before him, yet not by themselves, nor to live for ever, but to die again.
Moreover, he is the firstfruits of the resurrection, the pledge and earnest of it, as well as the efficient cause and exemplar of it. This character supposes that he died, as he did, for the sins of his people; and that he rose again from the dead, as he did, for their justification; and that he rose first as their head and representative, and opened the way of life for them. And he is described in his kingly office, for it follows, and the Prince of the kings of the earth : which is not to be understood figuratively of the saints, who have power over sin, Satan, and the world, through the efficacious grace of Christ, and of whom he is Prince or King; but literally of the kings and princes of this world, over whom Christ is King and Lord, who receive their crowns and kingdoms from him, and rule by him, and are accountable to him, as they one day must be. Next follows a doxology, or an ascription of glory to him, unto him that hath loved us ; his own, his people, his church, his chosen, and who are given him by his Father; these he has loved with an everlasting and unchangeable love, with a love of complacency and delight, which passes knowledge, and will never end: and which he has shown in espousing their persons, undertaking their cause, assuming their nature, and in nothing more than in giving himself for them as a propitiatory sacrifice, or in dying and shedding his precious blood for them, as is next expressed: and washed us from our sins in his own blood ; which shows that these persons were loved before washed; they were not first washed, and then loved, but first loved, and then washed. Love was the cause of washing, and not washing the cause of love; hence it appears that they were in themselves filthy, and unclean through sin; and that they could not cleanse themselves by anything they could do; and that such was the love of Christ to them, that he shed his precious blood for them, which is a fountain opened, to wash in for sin, and which cleanses from all sin. This is to be understood, not of the sanctification of their natures, which is the work of the Spirit, but of atonement for their sins, and justification from them by the blood of Christ, whereby they are so removed, that they are all fair, and without spot. It is afterwards said, that these same persons are made priests; and it may be observed, that the priests were always washed, before they performed their service, as such f13 . The Alexandrian copy and the Syriac and Arabic versions read, and hath loosed us from our sins in, or by his blood; that is, from the guilt of them, which was bound upon them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 4-8 - There can be no true peace, where there is not true grace; and wher grace goeth before, peace will follow. This blessing is in the name of God, of the Holy Trinity, it is an act of adoration. The Father i first named; he is described as the Jehovah who is, and who was, an who is to come, eternal, unchangeable. The Holy Spirit is called the seven spirits, the perfect Spirit of God, in whom there is a diversit of gifts and operations. The Lord Jesus Christ was from eternity, Witness to all the counsels of God. He is the First-born from the dead who will by his own power raise up his people. He is the Prince of the kings of the earth; by him their counsels are overruled, and to his they are accountable. Sin leaves a stain of guilt and pollution upo the soul. Nothing can fetch out this stain but the blood of Christ; an Christ shed his own blood to satisfy Divine justice, and purchase pardon and purity for his people. Christ has made believers kings an priests to God and his Father. As such they overcome the world, mortif sin, govern their own spirits, resist Satan, prevail with God in prayer, and shall judge the world. He has made them priests, given the access to God, enabled them to offer spiritual and acceptabl sacrifices, and for these favours they are bound to ascribe to his dominion and glory for ever. He will judge the world. Attention i called to that great day when all will see the wisdom and happiness of the friends of Christ, and the madness and misery of his enemies. Le us think frequently upon the second coming of Christ. He shall come, to the terror of those who wound and crucify him by apostacy: he shal come, to the astonishment of the whole world of the ungodly. He is the Beginning and the End; all things are from him and for him; he is the Almighty; the same eternal and unchanged One. And if we would be numbered with his saints in glory everlasting, we must now willin submit to him receive him, and honour him as a saviour, who we believ will come to be our Judge. Alas, that there should be many, who woul wish never to die, and that there should not be a day of judgment!
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ εποιησεν 4160 5656 V-AAI-3S ημας 2248 P-1AP βασιλεις 935 N-APM και 2532 CONJ ιερεις 2409 N-APM τω 3588 T-DSM θεω 2316 N-DSM και 2532 CONJ πατρι 3962 N-DSM αυτου 846 P-GSM αυτω 846 P-DSM η 3588 T-NSF δοξα 1391 N-NSF και 2532 CONJ το 3588 T-NSN κρατος 2904 N-NSN εις 1519 PREP τους 3588 T-APM αιωνας 165 N-APM των 3588 T-GPM αιωνων 165 N-GPM αμην 281 HEB
Vincent's NT Word Studies
5. Jesus Christ. The Son. Placed after the Spirit because what is to follow in verses 5-8 relates to Him. This is according to John's manner of arranging his thoughts so that a new sentence shall spring out of the final thought of the preceding sentence. Compare the Prologue of the Gospel, and verses 1, 2, of this chapter.The faithful witness (o martuv o pistov). For the phraseology see on 1 John iv. 9. For witness, see on John i. 7; 1 Pet. v. 1. As applied to the Messiah, see Psalms. lxxxix. 37; Isa. lv. 4. The construction again departs from the grammatical rule. The words witness, first-born, ruler, are in the nominative case, instead of being in the genitive, in apposition with Jesus Christ. This construction, though irregular, nevertheless gives dignity and emphasis to these titles of the Lord. See on verse 4. The word pistov, faithful is used (1), of one who shows Himself faithful in the discharge of a duty or the administration of a trust (Matt. xxiv. 45; Luke xii. 42). Hence, trustworthy (1 Cor. vii. 25; 2 Tim. ii. 2). Of things that can be relied upon (1 Tim. iii. 1; 2 Tim. ii. 11). (2), Confiding; trusting; a believer (Gal. iii. 9; Acts xvi. 1; 2 Cor. vi. 15; 1 Tim. v. 16). See on 1 John i. 9. The word is combined with ajlhqinov, true, genuine in chapter iii. 14; xix. 11; 215; xxii. 6. Richard of St. Victor (cited by Trench) says: "A faithful witness, because He gave faithful testimony concerning all things which were to be testified to by Him in the world. A faithful witness, because whatever He heard from the Father, He faithfully made known to His disciples. A faithful witness, because He taught the way of God in truth, neither did He care for any one nor regard the person of men. A faithful witness, because He announced condemnation to the reprobate and salvation to the elect. A faithful witness, because He confirmed by miracles the truth which He taught in words. A faithful witness, because He denied not, even in death, the Father's testimony to Himself. A faithful witness, because He will give testimony in the day of judgment concerning the works of the good and of the evil."
The first-begotten of the dead (o prwtotokov ek twn nekrwn). Rev., the first-born. The best texts omit ejk from. Compare Col. i. 18. The risen Christ regarded in His relation to the dead in Christ. He was not the first who rose from the dead, but the first who so rose that death was thenceforth impossible for Him (Rom. vi. 9); rose with that resurrection-life in which He will finally bring with Him those who sleep in Him (1 Thess. iv. 14). Some interpreters, rendering first-born, find in the phrase the metaphor of death as the womb which bare Him (see on Acts ii. 24). Others, holding by the rendering first-begotten, connect the passage with Ps. ii. 7, which by Paul is connected with the resurrection of Christ (Acts xiii. 32, 33). Paul also says that Jesus "was declared to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans i. 4). The verb tiktw which is one of the components of prwtotokov first-begotten or born, is everywhere in the New Testament used in the sense of to bear or to bring forth, and has nowhere the meaning beget, unless Jas. i. 15 be an exception, on which see note. In classical Greek the meaning beget is common.
The Ruler of the kings of the earth (o arcwn twn basilewn thv ghv). Through resurrection He passes to glory and dominion (Philippians ii. 9). The comparison with the kings of the earth is suggested by Psalms ii. 2. Compare Ps. lxxxix. 27; Isa. lii. 15; 1 Tim. vi. 16; and see Apoc. vi. 15; xvii. 4; xix. 16.
Unto Him that loved (tw agaphsanti). The true reading is ajgapwnti that loveth. So Rev. Christ's love is ever present See John xiii. 1. Washed (lousanti). Read lusanti loosed. Trench remarks on the variation of readings as having grown out of a play on the words loutron, a bathing, and lutron a ransom, both of which express the central benefits which redound to us through the sacrifice and death of Christ. He refers to this play upon words as involved in the etymology of the name Apollo as given by Plato; viz., the washer (o apolouwn) and the absolver (o apoluwn) from all impurities. Either reading falls in with a beautiful circle of imagery. If washed, compare Ps. li. 2; Isa. i. 16, 18; Ezekiel xxxvi. 25; Acts xxii. 16; Eph. v. 26; Tit. iii. 5. If loosed, compare Matthew xx. 28; 1 Tim. ii. 6; 1 Pet. i. 18; Heb. ix. 12; Gal. iii. 13; iv. 5; Apoc. v. 9; xiv. 3, 4.
