Christian Standard Bible
Revelation 7:3
3“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Revelation 7:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
- New International Version (NIV)“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."
- New King James Version (NKJV)saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
Context of Revelation 7:3
1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, restraining the four winds of the earth so that no wind could blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel rising up from the east, who had the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were allowed to harm the earth and the sea, “Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of the sealed: 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the Israelites: 512,000 sealed from the tribe of Judah, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad,
Read all of Revelation 7Revelation 7:3 word by word
λέγων· μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα ἄχρι σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Hurtἀδικέωadikeō · to harmG91
- notμήmē · notG3361
- the earthὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
- neitherμήτεmēte · neitherG3383
- the seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281
- the treesδένδρονdendron · treeG1186
- tillἄχριachri achris · untilG891
- ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- we have sealedσφραγίζωsphragizō · to sealG4972
- the servantsδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
- of ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- foreheadsμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359
Cross-references for Revelation 7:3
- Revelation 6:6Then I heard something like a voice among the four living creatures say, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, but do not harm the oil and the wine.”
- Revelation 9:4They were told not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green plant, or any tree, but only those people who do not have God’s seal on their foreheads.
- Isaiah 6:13Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak that leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump.
- Isaiah 27:8You disputed with Israel by banishing and driving her away. He removed her with his severe storm on the day of the east wind.
- Isaiah 65:8The Lord says this: “As the new wine is found in a bunch of grapes, and one says, ‘Don’t destroy it, for there’s some good in it,’ so I will act because of my servants and not destroy them all.
- Matthew 24:22Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.
- Revelation 14:1Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him were 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
- Exodus 12:13The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
- Isaiah 26:20Go, my people, enter your rooms and close your doors behind you. Hide for a little while until the wrath has passed.
- Exodus 9:4But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die.”
- Zephaniah 2:3Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger.
- Revelation 19:2because his judgments are true and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands.
- Isaiah 54:17No weapon formed against you will succeed, and you will refute any accusation raised against you in court. This is the heritage of the Lord’s servants, and their vindication is from me.” This is the Lord’s declaration.
- Daniel 3:17If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king.
- Daniel 6:16So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!”
- Malachi 3:18So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Commentaries on Revelation 7:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Till we have sealed the servants of our God - There is manifestly an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4; here. By sealing we are to understand consecrating the persons in a more especial manner to God, and showing, by this mark of God upon them, that they were under his more immediate protection, and that nothing should hurt them. It was a custom in the east, and indeed in the west too, to stamp with a hot iron the name of the owner upon the forehead or shoulder of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea - Let the winds be restrained until what is here designated shall be done. These destroying angels were commanded to suspend the work of destruction until the servants of God could be rendered secure. The division here, as in Revelation 7:1, of the “earth, the sea, and the trees,” seems to include everything - water, land, and the productions of the earth. Nothing was to be injured until the angel should…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Do not … until: God commands the four angels to hold back the winds for a short time. They must not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until the servants of God receive his seal on their foreheads. The seal of the living God signifies belonging to God's family; God owns and protects his people (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13–14). In ancient times, sealing or tattooing showed ownership. The angel carrying the seal identified God's people, answering…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Hurt not--by letting loose the destructive winds. till we have sealed the servants of our God--parallel to Mt 24:31, "His angels ... shall gather together His elect from the four winds." God's love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Ge 19:22). Israel, at the eve of the Lord's coming, shall be found re-embodied as a nation; for its tribes are distinctly specified (Joseph, however, being…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 7:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 7
- 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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