Christian Standard Bible
Revelation 9:4
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.
Revelation 9:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
- New International Version (NIV)They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
- English Standard Version (ESV)They 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 the seal of God on their foreheads.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
Context of Revelation 9:4
2He opened the shaft to the abyss, and smoke came up out of the shaft like smoke from a great furnace so that the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the shaft. 3Then locusts came out of the smoke on to the earth, and power was given to them like the power that scorpions have on the earth. They 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. 5They were not permitted to kill them but were to torment them for five months; their torment is like the torment caused by a scorpion when it stings someone. 6In those days people will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.
Read all of Revelation 9Revelation 9:4 word by word
καὶ ἐρρέθη αὐταῖς ἵνα μὴ ἀδικήσουσιν τὸν χόρτον τῆς γῆς οὐδὲ πᾶν χλωρὸν οὐδὲ πᾶν δένδρον, εἰ μὴ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους οἵτινες οὐκ ἔχουσιν τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπωνRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- it was commandedἐρῶereō · to sayG2046
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- they shouldἀδικέωadikeō · to harmG91
- notμήmē · notG3361
- the grassὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the grassχόρτοςchortos · grassG5528
- of the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
- neitherοὐδέoude · norG3761
- anyπᾶςpas · allG3956
- green thingχλωρόςchlōros · greenG5515
- treeδένδρονdendron · treeG1186
- butεἰei · if: notG1487
- onlyμόνοςmonos · aloneG3441
- thoseὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
- menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
- which haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- notοὐou · noG3756
- the sealσφραγίςsphragis · sealG4973
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- foreheadsμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359
Cross-references for Revelation 9:4
- 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 7:3“Don’t harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we seal the servants of our God on their foreheads.”
- Job 1:10Haven’t you placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
- Psalms 76:10Even human wrath will praise you; you will clothe yourself with the wrath that remains.
- Matthew 24:24For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
- 2 Timothy 3:8Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth. They are men who are corrupt in mind and worthless in regard to the faith.
- Revelation 8:7The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
- 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 12:23When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, he will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike you.
- Job 2:6“Very well,” the Lord told Satan, “he is in your power; only spare his life.”
- Ezekiel 9:4“Pass throughout the city of Jerusalem,” the Lord said to him, “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the detestable practices committed in it.”
- Ephesians 4:30And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.
Commentaries on Revelation 9:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They should not hurt the grass - Neither the common people, the men of middling condition, nor the nobles. However, this appears rather to refer to the prudent counsels of a military chief, not to destroy the crops and herbage of which they might have need in their campaigns. Which have not the seal of God - All false, hypocritical, and heterodox Christians.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And it was commanded them - The writer does not say by whom this command was given, but it is clearly by someone who had the direction of them. As they were evoked from the “bottomless pit” by one who had the key to that dark abode, and as they are represented in Revelation 9:11 as under the command of one who is there called Abaddon, or Apollyon - the Destroyer - it would seem most probable that the command referred to is one that is given by him; that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The locusts come down to earth from the smoke. They have the power to sting like scorpions. They are fiercer than those in the Egyptian plague (see Exodus 10:14–15). Instead of eating plants, these locusts attack people like stinging scorpions. Only people without the seal of God (see Revelation 7:1–8) experience this painful judgment. The stings cause painful torture but do not cause death (Revelation 9:5–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. not hurt the grass ... neither ... green thing ... neither ... tree--the food on which they ordinarily prey. Therefore, not natural and ordinary locusts. Their natural instinct is supernaturally restrained to mark the judgment as altogether divine. those men which--Greek, "the men whosoever." in, &c.--Greek, "upon their forehead." Thus this fifth trumpet is proved to follow the sealing in Re 7:1-8, under the sixth seal. None of the saints are hurt by…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 9:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 9
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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