Amplified Bible
Revelation 16:6
6for they have poured out the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the prophets, and You [in turn] have given them blood to drink. They deserve Your judgment.”
Revelation 16:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
- New International Version (NIV)for they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!"
- New King James Version (NKJV)For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
Context of Revelation 16:6
4Then the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of water; and they turned into blood. 5And I heard the angel of the waters saying, “Righteous and just are You, Who are and Who were, O Holy One, because You judged these things; for they have poured out the blood of the saints (God’s people) and the prophets, and You [in turn] have given them blood to drink. They deserve Your judgment.” 7And I heard [another from] the altar saying, “Yes, O Lord God, the Almighty [the Omnipotent, the Ruler of all], Your judgments are true and fair and righteous.” 8Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch humanity with [raging] fire.
Read all of Revelation 16Revelation 16:6 word by word
ὅτι αἷμα ἁγίων καὶ προφητῶν ἐξέχεαν, καὶ αἷμα αὐτοῖς δέδωκας πιεῖν· ἄξιοί εἰσιν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
- they have shedἐκχέωekcheō ekchunō · to pour outG1632
- the bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
- of saintsἅγιοςhagios · holy: saintG40
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
- thou hast givenδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- to drinkπίνωpinō piō poō · to drinkG4095
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- they areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- worthyἄξιοςaxios · worthyG514
Cross-references for Revelation 16:6
- Revelation 6:10They cried in a loud voice, saying, “O Lord, holy and true, how long now before You will sit in judgment and avenge our blood on those [unregenerate ones] who dwell on the earth?”
- Revelation 13:10If anyone is destined for captivity, he will go into captivity; if anyone kills with a sword, he must be killed with a sword. Here is [the call for] the patient endurance and the faithfulness of the saints [which is seen in the response of God’s people to difficult times].
- Revelation 17:6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints (God’s people), and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus [who were martyred]. When I saw her, I wondered in amazement.
- Revelation 18:24And in Babylon was found the blood of prophets and of saints (God’s people) and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
- Revelation 19:2because His judgments are true and righteous. He has judged [convicted and pronounced sentence on] the great prostitute (idolatress) who was corrupting and ruining and poisoning the earth with her adultery (idolatry), and He has imposed the penalty for the blood of His bond-servants on her.”
- Deuteronomy 32:42I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.’
- 2 Kings 24:4and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not pardon it.
- Isaiah 49:26I will make those who oppress you consume their own flesh [in mutually destructive wars] And they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; And all mankind will know [with a knowledge grounded in personal experience] that I, the Lord, am your Savior And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
- Isaiah 51:22So says your Lord, the Lord, who is also your God Who pleads the cause of His people, “Listen carefully, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering and intoxication, The cup of My wrath; You shall never drink it again.
- Jeremiah 2:30“In vain I have punished your people [with the consequences of their disobedience]; They received no insight from correction [and refused to change]. Your [own] sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion.
- Lamentations 4:13Because of the sins of her [counterfeit] prophets And the wickedness of her [unfaithful] priests, Who have shed in her midst The blood of the just and righteous;
- Matthew 7:2For just as you [hypocritically] judge others [when you are sinful and unrepentant], so will you be judged; and in accordance with your standard of measure [used to pass out judgment], judgment will be measured to you.
- Matthew 21:35But the tenants took his servants and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.
- Matthew 23:30and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
- Revelation 11:18And the nations (Gentiles) became enraged, and Your wrath and indignation came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and [the time came] to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints (God’s people) and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and [the time came] to destroy the destroyers of the earth.”
- Revelation 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.”
Commentaries on Revelation 16:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Thou hast given them blood to drink - They thirsted after blood and massacred the saints of God; and now they have got blood to drink! It is said that when Tomyris, queen of the Scythians, had vanquished Cyrus, she cut off his head and threw it into a vessel of blood, saying these words: Satia te sanguine, quem sitisti, cujusque insatiabilis semper fuisti; "Satisfy thyself with blood, for which thou hast thirsted, and for which thy desire has been…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6For they have shed the blood of saints - The nations here referred to. They have been engaged in scenes of bloody persecution, and this is a just recompense. And prophets - Teachers of religion; ministers of truth. It is not necessary to understand the word “prophets” here in its technical sense, as denoting those who are raised up by God and sent forth as inspired men, but it may be understood in its more common signification in the New Testament as…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6Punishing God's enemies is fair because they killed God's holy people and prophets. Since they shed blood, they must drink blood. The principle of lex talionis (the law of retribution), which is the basis of Roman and Jewish law, shows that God is completely fair in judging and rewarding people based on their actions (see Revelation 2:23; 11:18; 14:13; 18:6; 20:12, 13; 22:12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. (Re 11:18, end; Ge 9:6; Is 49:26.) An anticipation of Re 18:20, 24; compare Re 13:15. For--A, B, C, and Andreas omit.Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 16:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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