Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
I am rich (oti plousiov eimi). Recitative oti like quotation marks before direct quotation. Old adjective from ploutov, riches, wealth. Laodicea was a wealthy city and the church "carried the pride of wealth into its spiritual life" (Swete).
Have gotten riches (peplouthka). Perfect active indicative of ploutew, old verb from ploutov, used here of imagined spiritual riches which the church did not possess, just the opposite of church in Smyrna (poor in wealth, rich in grace). This church was in a rich city and was rich in pride and conceit, but poor in grace and ignorant of its spiritual poverty (ouk oidav, knowest not).
The wretched one (o talaipwrov). Old adjective from tlaw, to endure, and pwrov, a callus, afflicted, in N.T. only here and Romans 7:24. Note the one article in the predicate with all these five adjectives unifying the picture of sharp emphasis on "thou" (su), "thou that boastest."
Miserable (eleeinov). Pitiable as in 1 Corinthians 15:19.
Poor (ptwxov). See Revelation 2:9 for spiritual poverty. Perhaps some local example of self-complacency is in mind.
Blind (tuflov). Spiritual blindness as often (Matthew 23:17), and note "eye-salve" in verse Revelation 3:18.
Naked (gumnov). "The figure completes the picture of actual poverty" (Beckwith). See Revelation 3:15-16.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Romans 7:24
Revelation 2:9
Revelation 18:3
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