Revelation of John 5:7 · Bible study
Revelation 5:7 Commentary: The Lamb Takes the Scroll
Greek · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
The Lamb takes the scroll from God's right hand, inaugurating the unfolding of redemption. A study of Christ's worthiness and authority.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Lamb, Christ, approaches the throne and takes the sealed scroll from God's right hand, receiving authority to execute the divine plan.
- Key words: βιβλίον (scroll), δεξιά (right hand, authority), εἴληφεν (has taken, perfect tense, completed with enduring significance).
- Main debate: What the scroll represents: the redemptive decrees of God, the Old Testament, or the Apocalypse itself (see Lange's list of seven views).
- Theological theme: Christ's exclusive worthiness to reveal and accomplish God's purposes, grounded in His sacrificial death.
- Best use: Teaching on the exaltation of Christ, the certainty of God's plan, and the basis for worship.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And He came and took the scroll from the right hand of the One seated on the throne.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Then he came, and he took it out of the right hand of him who sat on the throne.
KJV King James Version 1769
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And he came, and he taketh it out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and it came and took [it] out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y él vino, y tomó el libro de la mano derecha de aquel que estaba sentado en el trono.
E ele veio, e tomou o livro da mão direita daquele que estava sentado sobre o trono.
Il vint, et il prit le livre de la main droite de celui qui était assis sur le trône.
Und es kam und nahm das Buch aus der Hand des, der auf dem Stuhl saß.
En Het kwam, en heeft het boek genomen uit de rechter hand Desgenen, Die op den troon zat.
Ed esso venne e prese il libro dalla destra di Colui che sedeva sul trono.
Ten przyszedł i wziął one księgi z prawej ręki siedzącego na stolicy.
И Он пришел и взял книгу из десницы Сидящего на престоле.
這羔羊前來， 從 坐 寶座 的右手 裡拿了書卷。
And he came and took it out of the right hand of him who was seated on the high seat.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 5:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse marks the decisive turning point in John's heavenly vision. The Lamb, clearly Jesus Christ, approaches the throne and takes the scroll from the Father's right hand. Wesley and Gill both connect this action to Psalm 2:8, interpreting it as Christ receiving the nations as His inheritance. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown call it a formal investiture into universal and everlasting dominion. Vincent points to the Greek verb eilēphen (has taken), perfect tense alternating with an aorist, a vivid shift that underscores the completed action with lasting significance. The scroll (βιβλίον) had been introduced in 5:1, sealed with seven seals, held in God's right hand as a symbol of His sovereign plan. By taking it, the Lamb declares Himself worthy and able to execute that plan. Matthew Henry describes this as Christ receiving the book in order to unseal it and reveal its contents. The image startles: a slain Lamb receives what no angel or patriarch could claim. That is the point, worthiness flows from sacrificial death, not mere power.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Redemptive Decrees: The scroll represents God's eternal plan for judgment and salvation, as seen in the seven seals that unfold history (supported by Mede, Vitringa, and many modern commentators).
- Old Testament: The scroll is the Old Testament, sealed until Christ opens its meaning (an early view held by Origen, Augustine, and others listed in Lange).
- The Apocalypse Itself: The scroll is the book of Revelation, which John then receives and writes (a view associated with Alcasar and a few later interpreters).
What is clear: The Lamb is Jesus Christ, and his act of taking the scroll from the Father's right hand signifies his unique worthiness and authority to execute God's purpose.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The identity of the Lamb | All Christian traditions identify the Lamb as Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. | No debate: the Lamb is universally recognized as Christ, though some traditions emphasize different aspects of his character (e.g., his sacrifice vs. his royalty). |
| The meaning of the scroll | The scroll represents a divine plan or decree that requires a worthy mediator to open and execute. | Some early interpreters (e.g., Origen, Augustine) saw the scroll as the Old Testament, which only Christ could explain. Others, including most modern commentators, see it as God's hidden counsels concerning judgment and redemption. A few (e.g., Alcasar) identify it with the book of Revelation itself. |
| The nature of the Lamb's action | The taking of the scroll signifies Christ's reception of authority from the Father to carry out God's purposes. | Some (e.g., Barnes) struggle with the literal imagery of a lamb taking a scroll and propose a change of form; others accept the symbolic vision as communicating truth through a non-literal image. The act is seen either as a one-time event at Christ's ascension or as an eternal representation of his ongoing work. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting is the throne room of heaven, first described in Revelation 4. God sits on the throne, surrounded by twenty-four elders and four living creatures. In His right hand lies a scroll, a rolled document covered with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. In the ancient world, a sealed scroll represented a binding legal document, often a last will or a decree. To open the scroll required one with the proper authority. The search goes out: who is worthy? No one in heaven, on earth, or under the earth can open it. John weeps bitterly.
Then the elder announces the Lion of Judah, the Root of David, who has conquered. But when John looks, he sees not a lion but a Lamb, standing as though slain, with seven horns and seven eyes. The Lamb draws near to the throne and takes the scroll from the Father's open hand. The right hand was a place of honor and authority in both Hebrew and Greco-Roman cultures. The act of taking the scroll signifies receiving a commission. It is an official transfer of authority, as when a king hands a document to his representative. In the vision, the Lamb's ascent to the throne and his taking of the scroll encapsulate the exaltation of Christ and his role as the executor of God's redemptive plan. The scroll itself likely represents the divine decrees concerning judgment and salvation, which no created being could claim to open. The Lamb alone can break the seals and unfold history to its appointed end.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscripts. A few scribal variations involve word order (e.g., "and he came and took" vs. "and coming he took") but do not affect the meaning. The perfect tense eilēphen (has taken) is securely attested, reinforcing the graphic force Vincent observes.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has been a cornerstone for teaching Christ's mediatorial authority. Irenaeus and other early fathers cited it to show that only the incarnate Son can open the Father's counsels. Augustine and medieval interpreters often read the scroll as the Old Testament, fulfilled by Christ. During the Reformation, the verse was used to emphasize Christ's sole role as mediator and king. In liturgical settings, it echoes in hymns such as "Worthy Is the Lamb" and in the Eastern Orthodox liturgy's refrain "Only-begotten Son." Across traditions, the image of the Lamb taking the scroll anchors the conviction that history is in the hands of the Redeemer.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Lamb's approach (He came), Christ moves toward the throne, not in fear but as one who belongs there. His coming fulfills the longing of creation for a worthy redeemer.
- The Lamb's reception (He took), He receives the scroll from the Father's hand. This is not a passive inheritance but an active taking, a deliberate embrace of the divine mission.
- The Lamb's authority (out of the right hand), The right hand signifies power and honor. By taking the scroll from there, Christ is formally installed as the agent who will carry out God's judgments and bring salvation to completion.
Five-point outline
- The crisis: No one is worthy to open the scroll (vv.3, 4). John weeps because the plan of God seems locked.
- The announcement: The Lion of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered (v.5). Hope is born.
- The appearance: A Lamb standing as slain, with seven horns and seven eyes (v.6). Strength and sacrifice united.
- The action: He came and took the scroll from the Father's right hand (v.7). The decisive moment.
- The response: Worship breaks out, elders, living creatures, and then all creation fall before the Lamb (vv.8, 14). The universe acknowledges his worth.
Illustration hooks
- A relay race where the baton passes only to the one who has qualified. No other runner can take it. The Lamb alone has run the course and earned the right to carry the plan forward.
- A courtroom where a sealed will is read. Only the executor named in the will may open it. Christ is the executor of God's eternal purpose.
- A king handing a sealed decree to his most trusted servant, giving him authority to act in the king's name. The Lamb receives the scroll and holds the full authority of heaven.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does the Lamb need to take the scroll? Why could the Father not just open it Himself?
- What does this scene say about the role of Jesus in our salvation and in the future of the world?
- How can a Lamb, a victim, be the one who executes judgment?
Leading a Discussion
Open by reading Revelation 5:1, 10 aloud. Invite the group to imagine the scene: a throne, a sealed scroll, weeping, then a Lamb. This verse is the hinge, everything changes when the Lamb takes the scroll. Discuss how this moment shows us who Jesus is and what he does.
Discussion questions
- Why does John weep (v.4)? What does his weeping reveal about the importance of the scroll?
- What is the significance of the scroll being in God's right hand (5:1)? How does the right hand symbolize authority in Scripture?
- The Lamb is described as "standing, as though it had been slain" (v.6). Why does the image of a slain Lamb matter for the act of taking the scroll?
- In what ways does the Lamb's action fulfill the elder's announcement in v.5 about the Lion of Judah?
- How does this verse connect to the cross and resurrection? What does it tell us about Christ's present role in heaven?
- The perfect tense "has taken" (εἴληφεν) implies an action completed with ongoing effects. How does that shape our understanding of Christ's authority today?
- If the scroll represents God's plan for judgment and redemption, what comfort or challenge does that bring to your own life as you await the end?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Revelation of John 4:2 | Immediately I was in the Spirit. Behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting on the throne |
| Revelation of John 4:3 | that looked like a jasper stone and a sardius. There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald to look at. |
| Revelation of John 5:1 | I saw, in the right hand of him who sat on the throne, a book written inside and outside, sealed shut with seven seals. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke connects this scene with John 1:18, arguing that only the Son, who rests in the Father's bosom, can take the book and reveal its contents. Jesus alone possesses full knowledge of all God's hidden counsels and mysteries.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes resolves the difficulty of a literal lamb taking a scroll by arguing that John uses "lamb" as a figure for Christ's meekness and sacrifice, not his physical form. Just as with the Baptist's phrase, the image conveys moral attributes, so the action is performed by the Redeemer himself, not an animal.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes identify the Lamb's seven horns and seven eyes as symbols of Christ's complete power and perfect knowledge. The seven eyes specifically represent the fullness of the Holy Spirit, sent throughout the whole earth to accomplish God's purposes through the exalted Savior.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill’s emphasis is that no mere creature can approach God’s throne without a Mediator, but Christ drew near with full intent and took the book from the Father’s right hand. He received it as a commission to open it and bring about every event it foretells across history.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB sees the Lamb taking the scroll as a formal ceremony of investiture, where Christ receives universal and everlasting dominion as the Son of man. This single scene presents the entire end-goal of prophecy in summary. All the events that follow in the seals, trumpets, and vials merely lead up to this visible establishment of Christ's kingdom.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry draws attention to Christ's position in the very center of the Father's throne, indicating He shares the same divine seat and authority. No created being, angel or elder, stands as near; only the Lamb who was slain is qualified to take the sealed book and open its seals.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent draws attention to the Greek verb translated "took," noting it is literally "hath taken" in the perfect tense. He observes that the writer shifts between the aorist and perfect tenses, and this alternation gives the scene a vivid, graphic quality.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the Lamb taking the scroll as the glorious fulfillment of Psalm 2:8, "Ask of me." He points out that Christ's exaltation unfolds in stages: his ascension, then sending the Spirit, and now receiving the book as the sign that all power in heaven and earth has been given to him.