Revelation 16:1-21

The Bowls of God’s Wrath

16:1 Then ¹  I heard a loud voice from the temple declaring to the seven angels: “Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls containing God’s wrath.” ²  16:2 So ³  the first angel ⁴  went and poured out his bowl on the earth. Then ⁵  ugly and painful sores ⁶  appeared on the people ⁷  who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.

16:3 Next, ⁸  the second angel ⁹  poured out his bowl on the sea and it turned into blood, like that of a corpse, and every living creature that was in the sea died.

16:4 Then ¹⁰  the third angel ¹¹  poured out his bowl on the rivers and the springs of water, and they turned into blood. 16:5 Now ¹²  I heard the angel of the waters saying:

“You are just ¹³  – the one who is and who was,

the Holy One – because you have passed these judgments, ¹⁴ 

16:6 because they poured out the blood of your saints and prophets,

so ¹⁵  you have given them blood to drink. They got what they deserved!” ¹⁶ 

16:7 Then ¹⁷  I heard the altar reply, ¹⁸  “Yes, Lord God, the All-Powerful, ¹⁹  your judgments are true and just!”

16:8 Then ²⁰  the fourth angel ²¹  poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was permitted to scorch people ²²  with fire. 16:9 Thus ²³  people ²⁴  were scorched by the terrible heat, ²⁵  yet ²⁶  they blasphemed the name of God, who has ruling authority ²⁷  over these plagues, and they would not repent and give him glory.

16:10 Then ²⁸  the fifth angel ²⁹  poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast so that ³⁰  darkness covered his kingdom, ³¹  and people ³²  began to bite ³³  their tongues because ³⁴  of their pain. 16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings ³⁵  and because of their sores, ³⁶  but nevertheless ³⁷  they still refused to repent ³⁸  of their deeds.

16:12 Then ³⁹  the sixth angel ⁴⁰  poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water ⁴¹  to prepare the way ⁴²  for the kings from the east. ⁴³  16:13 Then ⁴⁴  I saw three unclean spirits ⁴⁵  that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth ⁴⁶  to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. ⁴⁷ 

16:15 (Look! I will come like a thief!

Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ⁴⁸  his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ⁴⁹  be seen.) ⁵⁰ 

16:16 Now ⁵¹  the spirits ⁵²  gathered the kings and their armies ⁵³  to the place that is called Armageddon ⁵⁴  in Hebrew.

16:17 Finally ⁵⁵  the seventh angel ⁵⁶  poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” 16:18 Then ⁵⁷  there were flashes of lightning, roaring, ⁵⁸  and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity ⁵⁹  has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 16:19 The ⁶⁰  great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ⁶¹  collapsed. ⁶²  So ⁶³  Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ⁶⁴  filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ⁶⁵  16:20 Every ⁶⁶  island fled away ⁶⁷  and no mountains could be found. ⁶⁸  16:21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds ⁶⁹  each, fell from heaven ⁷⁰  on people, ⁷¹  but they ⁷²  blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it ⁷³  was so horrendous. ⁷⁴ 

Isaiah 66:6

66:6 The sound of battle comes from the city;

the sound comes from the temple!

It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.

Isaiah 66:14-16

66:14 When you see this, you will be happy, ⁷⁵ 

and you will be revived. ⁷⁶ 

The Lord will reveal his power to his servants

and his anger to his enemies. ⁷⁷ 

66:15 For look, the Lord comes with fire,

his chariots come like a windstorm, ⁷⁸ 

to reveal his raging anger,

his battle cry, and his flaming arrows. ⁷⁹ 

66:16 For the Lord judges all humanity ⁸⁰ 

with fire and his sword;

the Lord will kill many. ⁸¹ 

Jeremiah 51:11

51:11 “Sharpen ⁸²  your arrows!

Fill your quivers! ⁸³ 

The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in ⁸⁴  the kings of Media. ⁸⁵ 

For he intends to destroy Babylonia.

For that is how the Lord will get his revenge –

how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple. ⁸⁶ 

Ezekiel 10:2-7

10:2 The Lord ⁸⁷  said to the man dressed in linen, “Go between the wheelwork ⁸⁸  underneath the cherubim. ⁸⁹  Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” He went as I watched.

10:3 (The cherubim were standing on the south side ⁹⁰  of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court.) 10:4 Then the glory of the Lord arose from the cherub and moved to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud while the court was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory. 10:5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard from the outer court, like the sound of the sovereign God ⁹¹  when he speaks.

10:6 When the Lord ⁹²  commanded the man dressed in linen, “Take fire from within the wheelwork, from among the cherubim,” the man ⁹³  went in and stood by one of the wheels. ⁹⁴  10:7 Then one of the cherubim ⁹⁵  stretched out his hand ⁹⁶  toward the fire which was among the cherubim. He took some and put it into the hands of the man dressed in linen, who took it and left.

Luke 12:49

Not Peace, but Division

12:49 “I have come ⁹⁷  to bring ⁹⁸  fire on the earth – and how I wish it were already kindled!

[16:1]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[16:1]  ² tn Or “anger.” Here τοῦ θυμοῦ (tou qumou) has been translated as a genitive of content.

[16:2]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the directions given by the voice from the temple.

[16:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “the first”; the referent (the first angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:2]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:2]  ⁶ tn Or “ulcerated sores”; the term in the Greek text is singular but is probably best understood as a collective singular.

[16:2]  ⁷ tn Grk ‘the men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:3]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “next” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:3]  ⁹ tn Grk “the second”; the referent (the second angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:4]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:4]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the third”; the referent (the third angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:5]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the somewhat parenthetical nature of the remarks that follow.

[16:5]  ¹³ tn Or “righteous,” although the context favors justice as the theme.

[16:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “because you have judged these things.” The pronoun ταῦτα (tauta) is neuter gender.

[16:6]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this judgment is the result of what these wicked people did to the saints and prophets.

[16:6]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “They are worthy”; i.e., of this kind of punishment. By extension, “they got what they deserve.”

[16:7]  ¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:7]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “the altar saying.”

[16:7]  ¹⁹ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[16:8]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “the fourth”; the referent (the fourth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:8]  ²² tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:9]  ²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “thus” to indicate the implied result of the bowl poured on the sun.

[16:9]  ²⁴ tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:9]  ²⁵ tn On this phrase BDAG 536 s.v. καῦμα states, “burning, heat Rv 7:16…καυματίζεσθαι κ. μέγα be burned with a scorching heat 16:9.”

[16:9]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:9]  ²⁷ tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.

[16:10]  ²⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “the fifth”; the referent (the fifth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:10]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so that” to indicate the implied result of the fifth bowl being poured out.

[16:10]  ³¹ tn Grk “his kingdom became dark.”

[16:10]  ³² tn Grk “men,” but this is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") and refers to both men and women.

[16:10]  ³³ tn On this term BDAG 620 s.v. μασάομαι states, “bite w. acc. τὰς γλώσσας bite their tongues Rv 16:10.”

[16:10]  ³⁴ tn The preposition ἐκ (ek) has been translated here and twice in the following verse with a causal sense.

[16:11]  ³⁵ tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”

[16:11]  ³⁶ tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).

[16:11]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.

[16:11]  ³⁸ tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.

[16:12]  ³⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:12]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.

[16:12]  ⁴² tn Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.

[16:12]  ⁴³ tn Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12; simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”

[16:13]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:13]  ⁴⁵ sn According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.

[16:14]  ⁴⁶ tn BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”

[16:14]  ⁴⁷ tn On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”

[16:15]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”

[16:15]  ⁴⁹ tn On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (aschmosunh) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.

[16:15]  ⁵⁰ sn These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15-16 and parallels.

[16:16]  ⁵¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption and conclusion of the remarks about the pouring out of the sixth bowl.

[16:16]  ⁵² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:16]  ⁵³ tn Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:16]  ⁵⁴ tc There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek mss, although ῾Αρμαγεδών (&armagedwn) has the best support. The usual English spelling is Armageddon, used in the translation.

[16:17]  ⁵⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “finally” to indicate the conclusion of the seven bowl judgments.

[16:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “the seventh”; the referent (the seventh angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:18]  ⁵⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[16:18]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”

[16:18]  ⁵⁹ tn The singular ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used generically here to refer to the human race.

[16:19]  ⁶⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:19]  ⁶¹ tn Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).

[16:19]  ⁶² tn Grk “fell.”

[16:19]  ⁶³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).

[16:19]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “the cup of the wine of the anger of the wrath of him.” The concatenation of four genitives has been rendered somewhat differently by various translations (see the note on the word “wrath”).

[16:19]  ⁶⁵ tn Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (qumo") and ὀργή (orgh) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9). Thus in Rev 14:8 (to which the present passage alludes) and 18:3 there is irony: The wine of immoral behavior with which Babylon makes the nations drunk becomes the wine of God’s wrath for her.

[16:20]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[16:20]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “vanished.”

[16:20]  ⁶⁸ sn Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.

[16:21]  ⁶⁹ tn Here BDAG 988 s.v. ταλαντιαῖος states, “weighing a talent…χάλαζα μεγάλη ὡς ταλαντιαία a severe hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (the talent=125 librae, or Roman pounds of c. 343 gr. or 12 ounces each) (weighing about a hundred pounds NRSV) Rv 16:21.” This means each hailstone would weigh just under 100 pounds or 40 kilograms.

[16:21]  ⁷⁰ tn Or “the sky.” Due to the apocalyptic nature of this book, it is probably best to leave the translation as “from heaven,” since God is ultimately the source of the judgment.

[16:21]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “on men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a generic sense to refer to people in general (the hailstones did not single out adult males, but would have also fallen on women and children).

[16:21]  ⁷² tn Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.

[16:21]  ⁷³ tn Grk “the plague of it.”

[16:21]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”

[66:14]  ⁷⁵ tn “and you will see and your heart will be happy.”

[66:14]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “and your bones like grass will sprout.”

[66:14]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “and the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, and anger to his enemies.”

[66:15]  ⁷⁸ sn Chariots are like a windstorm in their swift movement and in the way that they kick up dust.

[66:15]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “to cause to return with the rage of his anger, and his battle cry [or “rebuke”] with flames of fire.”

[66:16]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “flesh” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV “upon all men”; TEV “all the people of the world.”

[66:16]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “many are the slain of the Lord.”

[51:11]  ⁸² sn The imperatives here and in v. 12 are directed to the soldiers in the armies of the kings from the north (here identified as the kings of Media [see also 50:3, 9; 51:27-28]). They have often been addressed in this prophecy as though they were a present force (see 50:14-16; 50:21 [and the study note there]; 50:26, 29; 51:3) though the passage as a whole is prophetic of the future. This gives some idea of the ideal stance that the prophets adopted when they spoke of the future as though already past (the use of the Hebrew prophetic perfect which has been referred to often in the translator’s notes).

[51:11]  ⁸³ tn The meaning of this word is debated. The most thorough discussion of this word including etymology and usage in the OT and Qumran is in HALOT 1409-10 s.v. שֶׁלֶט, where the rendering “quiver” is accepted for all the uses of this word in the OT. For a more readily accessible discussion for English readers see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:422-23. The meaning “quiver” fits better with the verb “fill” than the meaning “shield” which is adopted in BDB 1020 s.v. שֶׁלֶט. “Quiver” is the meaning adopted also in NRSV, REB, NAB, and NJPS.

[51:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “The Lord has stirred up the spirit of…” The verb is rendered here as a prophetic perfect. The rendering “arouse a spirit of hostility” is an attempt to render some meaning to the phrase and not simply ignore the word “spirit” as many of the modern English versions do. For a fuller discussion including cross references see the translator’s note on v. 1.

[51:11]  ⁸⁵ sn Media was a country in what is now northwestern Iran. At the time this prophecy was probably written they were the dominating force in the northern region, the most likely enemy to Babylon. By the time Babylon fell in 538 b.c. the Medes had been conquered and incorporated in the Persian empire by Cyrus. However, several times in the Bible this entity is known under the combined entity of Media and Persia (Esth 1:3, 4, 18, 19; 10:2; Dan 5:28; 6:8, 12, 15; 8:20). Dan 5:31 credits the capture of Babylon to Darius the Mede, which may have been another name for Cyrus or the name by which Daniel refers to a Median general named Gobryas.

[51:11]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “For it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for his temple.” As in the parallel passage in 50:28, the genitival construction has been expanded in the translation to clarify for the English reader what the commentaries in general agree is involved.

[10:2]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:2]  ⁸⁸ tn The Hebrew term often refers to chariot wheels (Isa 28:28; Ezek 23:24; 26:10).

[10:2]  ⁸⁹ tc The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, and Targum mss read plural “cherubim” while the MT is singular here, “cherub.” The plural ending was probably omitted in copying the MT due to the similar beginning of the next word.

[10:3]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “right side.”

[10:5]  ⁹¹ tn The name (“El Shaddai”) has often been translated “God Almighty,” primarily because Jerome translated it omnipotens (“all powerful”) in the Latin Vulgate. There has been much debate over the meaning of the name. For discussion see W. F. Albright, “The Names Shaddai and Abram,” JBL 54 (1935): 173-210; R. Gordis, “The Biblical Root sdy-sd,” JTS 41 (1940): 34-43; and especially T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 69-72.

[10:6]  ⁹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man dressed in linen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “the wheel.”

[10:7]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “the cherub.”

[10:7]  ⁹⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds, “from among the cherubim.”

[12:49]  ⁹⁷ sn This mission statement, “I have come to bring fire on the earth,” looks to the purging and division Jesus causes: See Luke 3:9, 17; 9:54; 17:29 for fire, 5:32; 7:34; 9:58; 12:51 for the topic of mission.

[12:49]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “cast.” For βάλλω (ballw) in the sense of causing a state or condition, see L&N 13.14.