Revelation 2:20 kjv
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Revelation 2:20 nkjv
Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:20 niv
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:20 esv
But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Revelation 2:20 nlt
"But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman ? that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet ? to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
Revelation 2 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 50:18-21 | When you see a thief, you delight in him; you throw in your lot with adulterers... You did these things, and I kept silent... | Condemnation for tolerating or assenting to evil deeds. |
| Rom 1:32 | Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. | The danger of approving ungodliness in others. |
| 1 Cor 5:1-2 | It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you... you are arrogant! Shouldn't you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? | The need for church discipline against open sin. |
| Eph 5:11 | Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. | Believers must not condone evil but rather confront it. |
| 1 Tim 5:20 | As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. | Instruction to publicly rebuke persistent sinners. |
| Titus 3:10 | As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him. | The importance of separating from divisive individuals. |
| Matt 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning against deceptive false teachers. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies... | Forewarning about the rise of false teachers who exploit people. |
| Jude 1:4 | For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality... | Identification of those who distort grace for sinful ends. |
| 1 Tim 4:1-2 | Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. | Prophecy of defection from faith due to false doctrines. |
| 2 Tim 3:6-7 | For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions... | Description of false teachers preying on vulnerable individuals. |
| Titus 1:10-11 | For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families... | The need to silence those who teach falsely. |
| 1 Kings 16:31 | For he not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. | Introduces Queen Jezebel as an epitome of idolatry and wickedness. |
| 1 Kings 21:25 | (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD, urged on by Jezebel his wife.) | Highlights Jezebel's pervasive evil influence on a king and nation. |
| Ezek 16:15-17 | "But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your renown, and you lavished your harlotry on every passer-by." | Figurative language of spiritual unfaithfulness (adultery/harlotry) of Israel. |
| Hosea 1:2 | When the LORD first spoke through Hosea, he said to him, "Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by departing from the LORD." | Prophetic symbol of Israel's spiritual idolatry and unfaithfulness. |
| Jas 4:4 | You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. | Spiritual adultery linked to friendship with the world. |
| 1 Cor 6:18-19 | Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. | Strong admonition against sexual sin. |
| Eph 5:3 | But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. | The high standard of purity expected from believers. |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. | Connecting sexual immorality and covetousness with idolatry. |
| Acts 15:29 | "abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality." | Apostolic decree concerning practices divisive for early Jewish and Gentile believers. |
| 1 Cor 10:19-21 | Do I mean that food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. | Prohibits participation in idolatrous feasts as it signifies fellowship with demons. |
| Rev 2:14 | (To Pergamum) "But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam... to eat food sacrificed to idols and to practice sexual immorality." | Direct parallel, condemning similar idolatrous and immoral practices in another church. |
| Rom 6:18 | And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. | Believers' new identity as servants of righteousness. |
| 1 Pet 2:16 | Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cloak for evil, but living as servants of God. | Christian freedom should lead to service to God, not indulgence in sin. |
Revelation 2 verses
Revelation 2 20 Meaning
The Lord Jesus, who knows the deeds and hearts of all, addresses the church in Thyatira. Despite their commendable love, faith, service, and endurance, a significant condemnation is made: their culpable tolerance of a specific woman, symbolically named "Jezebel." This individual, claiming divine inspiration as a prophetess, actively teaches and deceives Christ's followers, leading them into immorality (sexual and spiritual idolatry) and the consumption of food offered to idols, thus compromising their faith and conduct. This highlights the severe spiritual danger of allowing false doctrine and immoral practices to permeate the church without strong discipline.
Revelation 2 20 Context
The church in Thyatira, situated in a wealthy trading city, was known for its deep spirituality in many respects, demonstrating growing love, faith, service, and perseverance. However, the Lord Jesus levels a severe charge against them for a critical failing: tolerating corrupting influences within their fellowship. The city of Thyatira was deeply intertwined with trade guilds (like the dyer's guild mentioned in connection with Lydia in Acts 16:14). Participation in these guilds was essential for economic survival but often involved banquets, feasts, and rituals honoring pagan gods, which could include immoral activities and the consumption of idol-sacrificed food. This message immediately follows the praise given to the church, making the contrast sharp and emphasizing the seriousness of the issue.
Revelation 2 20 Word analysis
- Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee: Despite Thyatira's commendable works listed in Rev 2:19, their good does not excuse their serious failing. Jesus holds them accountable.
- because thou sufferest: Greek eias (εἴας), from eao (ἐάω), meaning "to permit, allow, tolerate." This points to culpable negligence, not active participation. The church, or its leadership, allowed this corrupting influence to persist without confronting it, suggesting a compromise or lack of discernment and discipline.
- that woman Jezebel: Greek Iezabel (Ἰεζάβελ). This is highly symbolic, referencing the wicked Phoenician princess and wife of King Ahab from the Old Testament (1 Kings 16-2 Kings 9). Jezebel was known for introducing Baal worship, persecuting God's prophets, and promoting sexual immorality in the name of religion. In Revelation, "Jezebel" is likely not her actual name but a designation for a powerful, corrupting influence (perhaps an actual influential woman, or a group/spirit of false teaching) within the Thyatiran church that exhibited her characteristics: fostering idolatry and immorality under a religious guise. This signifies a spirit of opposition to God's truth, leading to spiritual harlotry.
- which calleth herself a prophetess: Greek prophētis (προφῆτις). This indicates she claimed divine inspiration and authority to teach. Her claim gave her an advantage and deceptive credibility within the community, making her more dangerous. Her prophecies were, by definition, false, perverting God's truth.
- to teach and to seduce: Greek didaskein (διδάσκειν - to teach, instruct) and planan (πλανᾶν - to lead astray, deceive, delude). She was actively imparting instruction that was heretical and intentionally leading people away from God's truth. The two verbs imply a calculated and effective spreading of error.
- my servants: Greek tous emous doulouς (τοὺς ἐμοὺς δούλους), emphasizing their belonging to Christ as His redeemed "bond-servants." Her actions were a direct offense against Christ's ownership and the sanctity of His purchased people.
- to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols: Greek porneuo (πορνεῦσαι) and phagein eidōlothytōn (φαγεῖν εἰδωλοθύτων). These two activities are consistently linked in the New Testament as forms of idolatry and compromise. "Fornication" refers to illicit sexual immorality, often connected to pagan temple prostitution, but also encompasses spiritual unfaithfulness to God (spiritual adultery/idolatry). "Eating things sacrificed to idols" directly refers to participation in pagan rituals or feasts associated with trade guilds, which were seen as communion with demons. Together, they represent a severe moral and spiritual defilement.
Words-group analysis
- "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest": This opening highlights Jesus' unwavering holiness and commitment to the church's purity. Good deeds do not justify complacency towards sin, particularly in leadership. "Sufferest" underlines the active allowance of corruption, an implicit acceptance or lack of moral courage to intervene.
- "that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess": This phrase details the identity and modus operandi of the internal threat. "Jezebel" is an immediate and severe Old Testament allusion, signifying systematic spiritual corruption from within. Her self-proclaimed prophetic authority makes her particularly dangerous, as she cloaks deceit in spiritual legitimacy, preying on trust and devotion.
- "to teach and to seduce my servants": This outlines the dual method and target of her destructive influence. She was not merely engaging in sin personally but actively proselytizing and leading others astray (teaching), deliberately drawing Christ's dedicated followers into error and sin (seducing). The phrase "my servants" emphasizes the direct challenge to Christ's divine authority and His possession of believers.
- "to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols": These represent the two key expressions of compromise promoted by "Jezebel." They signify both overt moral impurity (sexual acts often linked to pagan cults) and active participation in idolatrous worship, blurring the lines between Christian fidelity and pagan practices. In Revelation, "fornication" often symbolizes spiritual unfaithfulness to God, alongside physical acts, making this a comprehensive assault on Christian distinctiveness and devotion.
Revelation 2 20 Bonus section
- The tolerance exhibited by the Thyatiran church leadership towards "Jezebel" indicates a failure in their pastoral duty to guard the flock. While they were "doing more than at the first" (Rev 2:19), their increased activity did not excuse their passive stance on grave doctrinal and moral errors. This illustrates that good works and zeal cannot compensate for compromise with sin and false teaching.
- The specific mention of "my servants" highlights Jesus' personal affront. Leading His followers astray is an attack on His divine authority and ownership. It is not merely sin against individuals but a direct offense against the Lord Himself.
- The combination of "fornication" and "eating things sacrificed to idols" is crucial. This pairing strongly echoes the prohibitions from the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, emphasizing foundational Christian boundaries against syncretism and idolatry. It signifies the depth of spiritual and moral contamination caused by Jezebel's influence.
- The enduring symbolic power of "Jezebel" lies in her representation of spiritual harlotry within the body of God's people. This points to compromise from within, where a worldly spirit or deceptive doctrine corrupts pure devotion, leading believers away from their exclusive spiritual covenant with Christ.
Revelation 2 20 Commentary
Revelation 2:20 reveals Christ's righteous judgment against the church of Thyatira, despite its positive attributes, for tolerating destructive spiritual and moral compromise. The critical accusation is allowing "Jezebel," a false prophetess symbolic of corrupting doctrine and pagan compromise, to mislead His followers. Her teaching led believers to engage in literal sexual immorality and participate in idolatrous feasts, both of which are forms of spiritual adultery against God. This compromise likely stemmed from the socio-economic pressures in Thyatira, where guild membership, vital for livelihoods, involved pagan worship. Jesus sternly warns that genuine Christian fellowship requires absolute allegiance to God and a resolute stand against any influence, even one cloaked in spiritual authority, that promotes sin or idolatry, thereby endangering the spiritual purity and faithfulness of His church.
- Example: A modern church tolerating a leader who downplays sin, teaches a 'prosperity gospel' that prioritizes worldly gain over godliness, and whose followers engage in questionable business practices or live dual lives without accountability, is akin to Thyatira's compromise.
- Example: A spiritual community ignoring members' active participation in cults or philosophies that contradict foundational Christian doctrines, especially if it leads to moral laxity or a syncretistic faith.