English · ASV

Revelation 8

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The Seventh Seal and Heavenly Silence 1–2

1
And when he opened the seventh seal, there followed a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. ​
2
And I saw the seven angels that stand before God; and there were given unto them seven trumpets. ​

Prayers of the Saints and Preparation for Judgment 3–6

3
And another angel came and stood over the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should add it unto the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ​
4
And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand.
5
And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake. ​
6
And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. ​

The First Four Trumpets and the Three Woes 7–13

7
And the first sounded, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. ​
8
And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; ​
9
and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.
10
And the third angel sounded, and there fell from heaven a great star, burning as a torch, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of the waters;
11
and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. ​
12
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; that the third part of them should be darkened, and the day should not shine for the third part of it, and the night in like manner. ​
13
And I saw, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid heaven, saying with a great voice, Woe, woe, woe, for them that dwell on the earth, by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, who are yet to sound. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Revelation 8

Verse 1

silence in heaven about the space of half an hour — Hemiorion, 'half an hour', occurs only here in the New Testament. The silence is that of 'let all the earth keep silence before him' (Hab 2:20) and 'Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand' (Zeph 1:7). It follows the opening of the last of the seven seals.

Verse 2

the seven angels which stood before God — The angels 'stand' in the presence of God, as Gabriel says of himself: 'I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God' (Luke 1:19). Salpinx, the trumpet, was blown for Israel's wars: seven priests bore seven trumpets before the ark at Jericho (Josh 6:4), and the trumpet announces the day of the LORD (Joel 2:1).

Verse 3

the prayers of all saints — Libanotos is a censer and thymiama incense. The 'golden altar which was before the throne' recalls the altar of incense (Ex 30:1). The prayers of the saints are already 'golden vials full of odours' in 5:8, and here much incense is given to the angel to offer with them.

Verse 5

filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth — The censer holds fire from the altar, as the high priest took on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:12). The coals from between the cherubim are scattered over the city in Ezek 10:2. The 'voices, and thunderings, and lightnings' are those that proceed from the throne in 4:5, and now an earthquake follows.

Verse 6

prepared themselves to sound — Hetoimazo is to make ready; the same verb is used of the four angels 'prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year' in 9:15. The trumpets of Israel were blown in war so that the people 'shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies' (Num 10:9).

Verse 7

hail and fire mingled with blood — One plague of Egypt was 'hail, and fire mingled with the hail' (Ex 9:23–24). 'The third part' recurs through the trumpets (vv.7–12). 'Green grass' is chloros, as in the pale horse of 6:8. This first trumpet falls on the earth, and the second, third and fourth on the sea, the rivers and the lights of heaven.

Verse 8

a great mountain burning with fire — 'As it were' marks a likeness: John sees something like a burning mountain. The LORD says to Babylon, 'O destroying mountain… and will make thee a burnt mountain' (Jer 51:25). The sea turning to blood recalls the first plague on the Nile (Ex 7:20–21), and here a third part of the sea is struck.

Verse 11

Wormwood — Apsinthos occurs only here in the New Testament. In the law it is named beside gall as the fruit of a root that turns away from the LORD (Deut 29:18), and the LORD says of unfaithful Israel, 'I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink' (Jer 9:15). 'Made bitter' is pikraino, as in 10:9–10.

Verse 12

the third part of the sun was smitten — Plesso is to strike. The darkening of the lights echoes the plague of 'darkness which may be felt' (Ex 10:21) and the day of the LORD, when 'the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine' (Isa 13:10; Joel 2:31). Here the day and night each lose a third.

Verse 13

Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth — Mesouranema, the midst of heaven, occurs only in Revelation (8:13; 14:6; 19:17). The threefold woe matches the three trumpets still to sound, and the woes are numbered in 9:12 and 11:14. 'Inhabiters of the earth' (katoikeo) are those of 6:10, on whom the martyrs asked for judgment.