TRV
Translation
King James Version
And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
KJV (with Strong's)
And G2532 the third G5154 angel G32 sounded G4537, and G2532 there fell G4098 a great G3173 star G792 from G1537 heaven G3772, burning G2545 as it were G5613 a lamp G2985, and G2532 it fell G4098 upon G1909 the third part G5154 of the rivers G4215, and G2532 upon G1909 the fountains G4077 of waters G5204;
Complete Jewish Bible
The third angel sounded his shofar; and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky onto a third of the rivers and onto the springs of water.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.
American Standard Version
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;
World English Bible Messianic
The third angel sounded, and a great star fell from the sky, burning like a torch, and it fell on one third of the rivers, and on the springs of the waters.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Then the thirde Angel blew the trumpet, and there fell a great starre from heauen, burning like a torche, and it fell into the thirde part of the riuers, and into the fountaines of waters.
Young's Literal Translation
And the third messenger did sound, and there fell out of the heaven a great star, burning as a lamp, and it did fall upon the third of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters,
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In the KJVVerse 30,838 of 31,102
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Commentary on Revelation 8 verses 7–13
7 ¶ The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of 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 the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of 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; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
Observe, I. The first angel sounded the first trumpet, and the events which followed were very dismal: There followed hail and fire mingled with blood, etc., Rev 8:7. There was a terrible storm; but whether it is to be understood of a storm of heresies, a mixture of monstrous errors falling on the church (for in that age Arianism prevailed), or a storm or tempest of war falling on the civil state, expositors are not agreed. Mr. Mede takes it to be meant of the Gothic inundation that broke in upon the empire in the year 395, the same year that Theodosius died, when the northern nations, under Alaricus, king of the Goths, broke in upon the western parts of the empire. However, here we observe, 1. It was a very terrible storm-fire, and hail, and blood: a strange mixture! 2. The limitation of it: it fell on the third part of the trees, and on the third part of the grass, and blasted and burnt it up; that is, say some, upon the third part of the clergy and the third part of the laity; or, as others who take it to fall upon the civil state, upon the third part of the great men, and upon the third part of the common people, either upon the Roman empire itself, which was a third part of the then known world, or upon a third part of that empire. The most severe calamities have their bounds and limits set them by the great God.
II. The second angel sounded, and the alarm was followed, as in the first, with terrible events: A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood, Rev 8:8. By this mountain some understand the leader or leaders of the heretics; others, as Mr. Mede, the city of Rome, which was five times sacked by the Goths and Vandals, within the compass of 137 years; first by Alaricus, in the year 410, with great slaughter and cruelty. In these calamities, a third part of the people (called here the sea or collection of waters) were destroyed: here was still a limitation to the third part, for in the midst of judgment God remembers mercy. This storm fell heavy upon the maritime and merchandizing cities and countries of the Roman empire.
III. The third angel sounded, and the alarm had the like effects as before: There fell a great star from heaven, etc., Rev 8:10. Some take this to be a political star, some eminent governor, and they apply it to Augustulus, who was forced to resign the empire to Odoacer, in the year 480. Others take it to be an ecclesiastical star, some eminent person in the church, compared to a burning lamp, and they fix it upon Pelagius, who proved about this time a falling star, and greatly corrupted the churches of Christ. Observe, 1. Where this star fell: Upon a third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters. 2. What effect it had upon them; it turned those springs and streams into wormwood, made them very bitter, that men were poisoned by them; either the laws, which are springs of civil liberty, and property, and safety, were poisoned by arbitrary power, or the doctrines of the gospel, the springs of spiritual life, refreshment, and vigour to the souls of men, were so corrupted and embittered by a mixture of dangerous errors that the souls of men found their ruin where they sought for their refreshment.
IV. The fourth angel sounded, and the alarm was followed with further calamities. Observe, 1. The nature of this calamity; it was darkness; it fell therefore upon the great luminaries of the heaven, that give light to the world - the sun, and the moon, and the stars, either the guides and governors of the church, or of the state, who are placed in higher orbs than the people, and are to dispense light and benign influences to them. 2. The limitation: it was confined to a third part of these luminaries; there was some light both of the sun by day, and of the moon and stars by night, but it was only a third part of what they had before. Without determining what is matter of controversy in these points among learned men, we rather choose to make these plain and practical remarks: - (1.) Where the gospel comes to a people, and is but coldly received, and has not its proper effects upon their hearts and lives, it is usually followed with dreadful judgments. (2.) God gives warning to men of his judgments before he sends them; he sounds an alarm by the written word, by ministers, by men's own consciences, and by the signs of the times; so that, if a people be surprised, it is their own fault. (3.) The anger of God against a people makes dreadful work among them; it embitters all their comforts, and makes even life itself bitter and burdensome. (4.) God does not in this world stir up all his wrath, but sets bounds to the most terrible judgments. (5.) Corruptions of doctrine and worship in the church are themselves great judgments, and the usual causes and tokens of other judgments coming on a people.
V. Before the other three trumpets are sounded here is solemn warning given to the world how terrible the calamities would be that should follow them, and how miserable those times and places would be on which they fell, Rev 8:13. 1. The messenger was an angel flying in the midst of heaven, as in haste, and coming on an awful errand. 2. The message was a denunciation of further and greater woe and misery than the world had hitherto endured. Here are three woes, to show how much the calamities coming should exceed those that had been already, or to hint how every one of the three succeeding trumpets should introduce its particular and distinct calamity. If less judgments do not take effect, but the church and the world grow worse under them, they must expect greater. God will be known by the judgments that he executes; and he expects, when he comes to punish the world, the inhabitants thereof should tremble before him.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 7–13. Public domain.
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TiconiusAD 390
COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:10
The “great star” is the devil, of whom the Lord spoke in the Gospel, “I saw Satan fall from heaven as fire or lightning.” It is possible that this passage also refers to ecclesiastical people, who living the spiritual life in the church, have become forgetful of themselves and like animals bend down to the things of the earth and fall from their positions of authority. We read what has been written of such persons: “Although he is in honor, he does not understand; he is compared to the senseless cattle and has become like them.”
Primasius of HadrumetumAD 560
COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8.2.10-11
It speaks of men who have fallen from heaven as though from the church, that is, of those who have the public reputation of shining brightly with good merits. For that reason they are compared to stars and torches, as did the apostle Jude, who called them “stars of seduction,” since they lead astray by a superficial splendor. And the Lord also compared such people with walls and “whitewashed tombs.”
Andreas of CaesareaAD 614
COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:10-11
Some say that the bitterness revealed through the wormwood is symbolic of the torment that comes to those sinners being punished in Gehenna, who, on account of their number, are reasonably called “waters.” But we think that these depictions signify the sufferings at the time, which has been shown. The star indicates either that these things come upon people from heaven, or it refers to the devil, of whom Isaiah says, “How has the Day Star, which rose in the morning, fallen from heaven.” For, through pleasure he gives people a foul and bitter destruction to drink and through this allows punishing torments to come upon them, although not to everyone, but by the longsuffering of God to a third part.… It is necessary, therefore, that we examine ourselves lest we be judged. As the holy apostle says, “For if we judged ourselves, we should not be judged, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened,” and we receive the sufferings that come upon us with thanksgiving. For those who are concerned about sicknesses in the body bear patiently the cuts and cauteries of the physician, for they desire to be healed. Therefore, [we should examine ourselves] so that being spiritually healthy and bringing no wood to fuel the fire of Gehenna, we might not be condemned with the world but eternally rule with Christ, to whom be glory, honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Revelation
And a great star fell from heaven, burning like a torch, etc. Heretics, whom Jude the apostle calls stars of seduction, falling from the height of the Church, try to infect the springs of divine Scriptures with the flame of their wickedness. They are not afraid to falsify not only the meaning but also the words frequently. They are worthy of the name "wormwood," whose slight mixing tends to embitter great sweetness.
Alcuin of YorkAD 804
COMMENTARY ON REVELATION
And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, as it were a burning torch. The Devil is called a star, whether because of the rank he first had or because he transformeth himself into an angel of light; [2 Cor. 11:14] a great star because he was given precedence over all other angels, and a burning torch because of the fervor of his evilness. We should not understand this fall to be the one when he was first ejected from the heavenly abodes, but the one when he was excluded from among the elect by the angel sounding the trumpet, that is by the Church preaching; for heaven is the Church, which the Lord inhabits by presiding over it. And it fell on the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters, that is upon human nature, which flows by from its birth with the currents of carnal pleasures and thus runs down to death.
OecumeniusAD 990
Commentary on Revelation
I believe this refers to the falling of the star, which, having angered God, made the waters bitter.
Waters are metaphorically called humans, as stated by the prophet regarding "the sounds of many waters; the wonders of the sea's waves are marvelous," (Ps. 92:4) and again "the rivers lifted up their voices, saying, Lord, the rivers lifted up their voices; the rivers lifted up their waves." (Ps. 92:3) These things are to be understood as a form of allegorical speech. However, it must not be disregarded that such events and similar ones occur perceptibly.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Revelation 8:10 vividly describes the third trumpet judgment, where a massive, fiery star falls from the sky, impacting a significant portion of the earth's fresh water sources—rivers and fountains. This catastrophic event contaminates these vital supplies, foreshadowing the widespread death and suffering that will ensue, highlighting God's severe but partial judgments on a rebellious world as part of a series of escalating divine interventions.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Revelation 8:10 is rich in Symbolism and Imagery. The "great star" is a potent symbol, likely representing more than just a literal astronomical body. In apocalyptic literature, stars can symbolize powerful spiritual beings (like angels, as suggested by the parallel in Revelation 9:1) or earthly rulers/powers. Its fall signifies a catastrophic descent from a position of prominence or power, bringing divine judgment. The phrase "burning as it were a lamp" employs a Simile, creating vivid Imagery of intense heat and light, emphasizing the destructive and fiery nature of the star's descent and impact. The repeated mention of "the third part" is a numerical Symbolism common in Revelation, indicating a significant but not total devastation, perhaps signifying a measure of divine restraint or a warning before ultimate destruction. The entire scene contributes to the overall Apocalyptic Genre of Revelation, using dramatic, often terrifying, imagery to convey profound theological truths about God's justice and sovereignty.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
The third trumpet judgment underscores the profound vulnerability of creation to divine judgment and the critical dependence of life on God's provision. By targeting fresh water sources, this judgment highlights how essential, life-sustaining elements can become instruments of divine wrath when humanity persistently rejects God. It serves as a stark reminder that God retains ultimate sovereignty over all creation and can, at any moment, withdraw the blessings that sustain life. This partial destruction also points to God's patience, offering a severe warning that greater judgments await if repentance is not forthcoming, echoing the principle that divine discipline often begins with limited, escalating consequences.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Revelation 8:10, though depicting a terrifying future event, offers profound lessons for believers today. It reminds us that our world, with all its vital resources, is ultimately under the sovereign hand of God. The fragility of our ecosystems and the potential for widespread suffering due to the corruption of essential resources should prompt us to greater stewardship of creation and a deeper reliance on God, the ultimate Sustainer of life. Furthermore, the partial nature of these judgments serves as a powerful call to repentance, both individually and corporately. It highlights God's justice, but also His long-suffering, providing opportunities for humanity to turn back to Him before final judgment. For those who trust in Christ, these passages, while sobering, reinforce the certainty of God's ultimate victory and the promise of a new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells and there will be no more curse.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "great star" in Revelation 8:10?
Answer: The "great star" in Revelation 8:10 is highly symbolic. While it could represent a literal celestial body, in apocalyptic literature, "stars" often symbolize powerful spiritual beings (like angels) or significant earthly leaders. The parallel passage in Revelation 9:1 describes another fallen star explicitly identified with an angel holding the key to the bottomless pit. This suggests that the "star" in Revelation 8:10 might also be a powerful spiritual entity, perhaps a fallen angel, acting as an agent of divine judgment. Its "burning as it were a lamp" emphasizes its fiery, destructive nature and the intense impact it has.
Why does the judgment specifically target "the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters"?
Answer: The targeting of "the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters" in Revelation 8:10 signifies a direct assault on essential fresh water sources, which are critical for human and animal life. In the ancient world, the contamination of these supplies would lead to widespread sickness and death, as further detailed in Revelation 8:11. The phrase "a third part" is a recurring motif in the trumpet judgments (Revelation 8:7-12), indicating a severe but not total devastation. This partial destruction suggests that these judgments serve as warnings or calls to repentance, rather than immediate, complete annihilation, showcasing God's justice tempered with a measure of restraint.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Revelation 8:10 describes a future judgment, its Christ-centered fulfillment is found in how these judgments ultimately point to the cosmic authority and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. He is the one who holds the keys of death and Hades (Revelation 1:18), and it is through His sovereign permission that these judgments unfold. The suffering depicted, though severe, serves to highlight the desperate need for the salvation that only Christ offers. Furthermore, the ultimate resolution of these woes is found in the New Creation, inaugurated by Christ's return, where He will make all things new (Revelation 21:5). In that new heavens and new earth, there will be no more curse, and the Lamb of God will lead His people to "springs of living water" (Revelation 7:17), a stark contrast to the bitter waters of judgment. Thus, even in scenes of devastation, the redemptive arc of God's plan, centered on Christ's ultimate triumph over sin and death, shines through, promising a future where all suffering is undone and life flows eternally from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Revelation 22:1).