God’s Word Translation
Revelation 14:2
2Then I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of raging water and the noise of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music played by harpists.
Revelation 14:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
- New International Version (NIV)And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps.
Context of Revelation 14:2
1I looked, and the lamb was standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with him who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. Then I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of raging water and the noise of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music played by harpists. 3They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the leaders. Only the 144,000 people who had been bought on earth could learn the song. 4These 144,000 virgins are pure. They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They were bought from among humanity as the first ones offered to God and to the lamb.
Read all of Revelation 14Revelation 14:2 word by word
Καὶ ἤκουσα φωνὴν ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς φωνὴν ὑδάτων πολλῶν καὶ ὡς φωνὴν βροντῆς μεγάλης, καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ἣν ἤκουσα ὡς κιθαρῳδῶν κιθαριζόντων ἐν ταῖς κιθάραις αὐτῶν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- I heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- a voiceφωνήphōnē · voice/sound: voiceG5456
- fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- heavenὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
- asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
- of manyπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
- watersὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
- of a greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- thunderβροντήbrontē · thunderG1027
- of harpersκιθαρῳδόςkitharōdos · harpistG2790
- harpingκιθαρίζωkitharizō · to play the harpG2789
- withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- harpsκιθάραkithara · harpG2788
Cross-references for Revelation 14:2
- Revelation 10:4When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write it down. I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don’t write it down.”
- Revelation 11:12The witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them.
- Revelation 19:1After these things I heard what sounded like the loud noise from a large crowd in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God.
- Revelation 1:15His feet were like glowing bronze refined in a furnace. His voice was like the sound of raging waters.
- Revelation 19:6I heard what sounded like the noise from a large crowd, like the noise of raging waters, like the noise of loud thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king.
- Psalms 93:4The Lord above is mighty— mightier than the sound of raging water, mightier than the foaming waves of the sea.
- Isaiah 17:13The people will make noise like raging water. But the Lord will yell at them, and they will run far away. They will be chased away like husks on the mountains being blown by the wind, like whirling dust being blown by a storm.
- Ezekiel 43:2I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the sound of rushing water, and the earth was shining because of his glory.
- Revelation 1:10I came under the Spirit’s power on the Lord’s day. I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet,
- Revelation 8:7When the first angel blew his trumpet, hail and fire were mixed with blood, and were thrown on the earth. One-third of the earth was burned up, one-third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
- Revelation 9:1When the fifth angel blew his trumpet, I saw a star that had fallen to earth from the sky. The star was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit.
- Revelation 10:3Then he shouted in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke with voices of their own.
- Revelation 11:15When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule as king forever and ever.”
- Exodus 19:16On the morning of the second day, there was thunder and lightning with a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud blast from a ram’s horn ⌞was heard⌟. All the people in the camp shook with fear.
- Exodus 20:18All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance.
- Zechariah 9:14The Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will go out like lightning. The Almighty Lord will blow the ram’s horn and will march in the storms from the south.
Commentaries on Revelation 14:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The voice of many waters - That is, of multitudes of various nations. The voice of harpers - Though the sounds were many and apparently confused, yet both harmony and melody were preserved.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2And I heard a voice from heaven - Showing that the scene is laid in heaven, but that John in the vision was on the earth. As the voice of many waters - As the sound of the ocean, or of a mighty cataract. That is, it was so loud that it could be heard from heaven to earth. No comparison could express this more sublimely than to say that it was like the roar of the ocean. As the voice of a great thunder - As the loud sound of thunder. And I heard the voice…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3This great choir sang a new song that only those redeemed from the earth could learn. These people had died and were already with the Lord. This might explain why John did not include the content of their refrain for readers still facing life's challenges (compare 2 Corinthians 12:4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. from--Greek, "out of." voice of many waters--as is the voice of Himself, such also is the voice of His people. I heard the voice of harpers--A, B, C, and Origen read, "the voice which I heard (was) as of harpers."Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 14:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 14
- 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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