God’s Word Translation
Revelation 16:12
12The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great Euphrates River. The water in the river dried up to make a road for the kings from the east.
Revelation 16:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
- New International Version (NIV)The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east might be prepared.
Context of Revelation 16:12
10The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast. Its kingdom turned dark. People gnawed on their tongues in anguish 11and cursed the God of heaven for their pains and their sores. However, they would not stop what they were doing. The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great Euphrates River. The water in the river dried up to make a road for the kings from the east. 13Then I saw three evil spirits like frogs come out of the mouths of the serpent, the beast, and the false prophet. 14They are spirits of demons that do miracles. These spirits go to the kings of the whole world and gather them for the war on the frightening day of God Almighty.
Read all of Revelation 16Revelation 16:12 word by word
Καὶ ὁ ἕκτος ἐξέχεεν τὴν φιάλην αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν μέγαν τὸν Εὐφράτην, καὶ ἐξηράνθη τὸ ὕδωρ αὐτοῦ ἵνα ἑτοιμασθῇ ἡ ὁδὸς τῶν βασιλέων τῶν ἀπὸ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- theἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- sixthἕκτοςhektos · sixthG1623
- poured outἐκχέωekcheō ekchunō · to pour outG1632
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- vialφιάληphialē · bowlG5357
- uponἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- theΕὐφράτηςEuphratēs · EuphratesG2166
- greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- riverποταμόςpotamos · riverG4215
- the waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
- was dried upξηραίνωxērainō · to dryG3583
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- the wayὁδόςhodos · roadG3598
- of the kingsβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
- ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
- the eastἀνατολήanatolē · eastG395
- ·ἥλιοςhēlios · sunG2246
- might be preparedἑτοιμάζωhetoimazō · to make readyG2090
Cross-references for Revelation 16:12
- Revelation 9:14The voice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are held at the great Euphrates River.”
- Revelation 11:14The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe will soon be here.
- Isaiah 8:7That is why the Lord is going to bring against them the raging and powerful floodwaters of the Euphrates River— the king of Assyria with all his power. It will overflow all its channels and go over all its banks.
- Revelation 17:15The angel also said to me, “The waters you saw, on which the prostitute is sitting, are people, crowds, nations, and languages.
- Isaiah 11:15The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River with his scorching wind and divide it into seven streams so that people can walk over it in their sandals.
- Isaiah 42:15I will lay waste to mountains and hills. I will dry up all their vegetation. I will turn rivers into islands. I will dry up ponds.
- Isaiah 44:27He says to the deep water, “Dry up.” So I will dry up your rivers.
- Jeremiah 50:38A drought will diminish their water supply, and it will dry up. Babylon is a land of idols, statues that will go crazy with fear.
- Jeremiah 51:36This is what the Lord says: I am going to take up your cause and get revenge for you. I will dry up Babylon’s sea and make its springs dry.
- Isaiah 41:2“Who has raised up from the east someone to whom the Lord gives victory with every step he takes? Nations are handed over to him. He defeats kings. With his sword he turns them into dust. With his bow he turns them into straw blown by the wind.
- Ezekiel 38:1The Lord spoke his word to me. He said,
- Daniel 11:43He will control gold and silver treasures and all Egypt’s treasuries. Libya and Sudan will surrender to him.
Commentaries on Revelation 16:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Upon the great river Euphrates - Probably meaning the people in the vicinity of this river; though some think that the Tiber is intended. The water thereof was dried up - The people discomfited, and all impediments removed. The kings of the east - There seems to be an allusion here to the ruin of Babylon by Cyrus, predicted by the Prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah 50:1-51:64. But what city or people is pointed out by this Babylon it is in vain to conjecture.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates - On the situation of that river, and the symbolical meaning of this language, see the notes on Revelation 9:14-21. The reference there was supposed to be to the Turkish power, and the analogy of interpretation would seem to require that it should be so understood here. There is every reason, therefore, to suppose that this passage has reference to something in the future history of…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-16Verses 12-16 This probably shows the destruction of the Turkish power, and of idolatry, and that a way will be made for the return of the Jews. Or, take it for Rome, as mystical Babylon, the name of Babylon being put for Rome, which was meant, but was not then to be directly named. When Rome is destroyed, her river and merchandise must suffer with her. And perhaps a way will be opened for the eastern nations to come into the church of Christ. The great…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The Euphrates, the largest river in Mesopotamia, lay between Babylon and Israel. It marked the eastern border of the Roman Empire. If it dried up, kings from the east could move their armies westward (compare Revelation 9:13–16). From John's perspective as an ancient Jewish writer, people would always associate these armies with Mesopotamia, not with countries farther east like China or India.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. angel--so Coptic and Andreas. A, B, C, Vulgate, and Syriac omit. kings of the east--Greek, "the kings who are from the rising of the sun." Reference to the Euphrates similarly occurs in the sixth trumpet. The drying up of the Euphrates, I think, is to be taken figuratively, as Babylon itself, which is situated on it, is undoubtedly so, Re 17:5. The waters of the Euphrates (compare Is 8:7, 8) are spiritual Babylon's, that is, the apostate Church's (of…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 16:12
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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