Revelation 9:18

Revelation 9:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
• New International Version (NIV)A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur that came out of their mouths.
• English Standard Version (ESV)By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.
• New King James Version (NKJV)By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths.

Context of Revelation 9:18

16I heard how many soldiers there were in their great army. There were 200 million soldiers who rode on horses. 17In my vision, I saw the soldiers and their horses. The soldiers had shields over the front of their bodies. The shields had many colours. They were bright red like fire, bright blue, and yellow like sulphur. The horses' heads looked like lions' heads. Fire, smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths. The fire, the smoke and the sulphur killed people. These three dangerous things killed a third of people everywhere. 19The horses had great power in their mouths and in their tails. Their tails were like snakes, with heads that could hurt people very much. 20But all the people that the fire, the smoke and the sulphur did not kill continued to do bad things. They did not change how they lived. They worshipped things that they had made for themselves. They worshipped demons and idols that they made from gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood. Those idols cannot see anything or hear anything. They cannot walk anywhere. But the people continued to worship them.

Revelation 9:18 word by word

ἀπὸ τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων ἀπεκτάνθησαν τὸ τρίτον τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Byὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• theseοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• threeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• threeτρεῖςtreis tria · ThreeG5140
• the third partτρίτοςtritos · thirdG5154
• of menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• killedἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
• byἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the smokeκαπνόςkapnos · smokeG2586
• the brimstoneθεῖονtheion · sulfurG2303
• issuedἐκπορεύωekporeuomai · to departG1607
• of theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• mouthsστόμαstoma · mouthG4750

Cross-references for Revelation 9:18

• Revelation 9:15So the four angels now became free. God had kept them ready for that special time, for that hour, in that day, in that month, in that year. They were now ready to kill a third of people everywhere.

Commentaries on Revelation 9:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18By these three was the third part of men killed - That is, By these was great carnage made.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18By these three - Three things - explained immediately as referring to the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone. Was the third part of men killed - See the notes on Revelation 8:7-12, on each of which verses we have notices of calamities that came upon the third part of the race, of the sea, of rivers, etc. We are not to suppose that this is to be taken literally, but the description is given as it appeared to John. Those immense numbers of horsemen would…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-21Verses 13-21 The sixth angel sounded, and here the power of the Turks seems the subject. Their time is limited. They not only slew in war, but brought a poisonous and ruinous religion. The antichristian generation repented not under these dreadful judgments. From this sixth trumpet learn that God can make one enemy of the church a scourge and a plague to another. The idolatry in the remains of the eastern church and elsewhere, and the sins of professed…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19The riders wore armor in colors matching their horses' plagues: red for fire, blue for smoke, and yellow for sulfur. These are signs of judgment in Scripture (see Revelation 14:10–11; 19:20; Genesis 19:24–28; Psalm 11:6; Ezekiel 38:22; Luke 17:29). The horses resemble the terrifying monsters from Greek stories depicted on ancient buildings and celebrated in old dramas. A third: See study note on Revelation 8:7–12.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. By these three--A, B, C, and Aleph read (apo for kupo), "From"; implying the direction whence the slaughter came; not direct instrumentality as "by" implies. A, B, C, Aleph also add "plagues" after "three." English Version reading, which omits it, is not well supported. by the fire--Greek, "owing to the fire," literally, "out of."Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 9:18

• Brimstone
• Cavalry
• Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena
• Vision
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Abaddon
• Angel
• Authority in Religion
• Government
• Revelation of John
• plague

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