God’s Word Translation
Revelation 9:4
4They were told not to harm any grass, green plant, or tree on the earth. They could harm only the people who do not have the seal of God 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
2It opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and smoke came out of the shaft like the smoke from a large furnace. The smoke darkened the sun and the air. 3Locusts came out of the smoke onto the earth, and they were given power like the power of earthly scorpions. They were told not to harm any grass, green plant, or tree on the earth. They could harm only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. 5They were not allowed to kill them. They were only allowed to torture them for five months. Their torture was like the pain of a scorpion’s sting. 6At that time people will look for death and never find it. They will long to die, but death will escape 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 6:6I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s pay or three quarts of barley for a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine.”
- Revelation 7:3“Don’t harm the land, the sea, or the trees until we have put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
- Job 1:10Haven’t you put a protective fence around him, his home, and everything he has? You have blessed everything he does. His cattle have spread out over the land.
- Psalms 76:10Even angry mortals will praise you. You will wear the remainder of ⌞their⌟ anger.
- Matthew 24:24False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen.
- 2 Timothy 3:8As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men oppose the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and the faith they teach is counterfeit.
- 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 14:1I 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.
- Exodus 12:23The Lord will go throughout Egypt to kill the Egyptians. When he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, he will pass over that doorway, and he will not let the destroyer come into your home to kill you.
- Job 2:6The Lord told Satan, “He is in your power, but you must spare his life!”
- Ezekiel 9:4The Lord said to that person, “Go throughout the city of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of those who sigh and groan about all the disgusting things that are being done in the city.”
- Ephesians 4:30Don’t give God’s Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free ⌞from the world of sin⌟.
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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