The same opening formula is used in 2.1, with the exception of And at the beginning (it also appears in the next five letters). The name Smyrna means “myrrh”; it was a prosperous seaport city and had many Jewish residents. Sweet points out that it was the only one of the seven cities where Christianity never died out.

The words of: see the comments at 2.1.

The first and the last: see the comments at 1.17.

Who died and came to life: see the comments at 1.18. Here, instead of the continuative present “I am living,” the Greek text has the aorist “I lived,” that is, “I came (back) to life,” “[I] lived again” (Good News Translation), “I returned to life,” or “I became alive again.”

In light of the imminent persecution and the possible martyrdom of some of the believers (verse 10), the phrases used of Christ have special significance for the Christians in Smyrna.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Revelation to John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .