Translation
He had a small scroll that was open,
in his hand.
He placed his right foot on the sea,
Go to footnote numberand his left upon the earth.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
He had a short message
that was not sealed,
and he could do with it as he pleased. He had complete authority over the inaccessible places where unknown creatures live;
he also had authority over the familiar places which are the dwelling places of things we are familiar with.
Footnotes
1
The term “sea” can have various meanings, it is not always “death.” Here it seems to be the place of the unknown, including strange sea creatures that most people had only heard stories about. This can be assumed because of the reference to the things that live in heaven, on land and in the sea found in verse 6.
2
The fact that his right foot is on the sea and his left is on the earth, or the dry land, indicates that he has greater authority over the unknown (the sea) since the right hand or foot was the one having more honor, and power. It does not mean that God’s left-hand and foot are weak; we cannot be technical with imagery. It is a way of communicating that the things that are unknown to us, and thus a source of fear, are where God and His agents specialize.