Revelation 7:3

Revelation 7:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
• New International Version (NIV)“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads."
• New King James Version (NKJV)saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Context of Revelation 7:3

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” 4And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 5from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand,

Revelation 7:3 word by word

λέγων· μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὴν γῆν μήτε τὴν θάλασσαν μήτε τὰ δένδρα ἄχρι σφραγίσωμεν τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῶν μετώπων αὐτῶν.¶Read the interlinear

• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Do not harmἀδικέωadikeō · to harmG91
• the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• orμήτεmēte · neitherG3383
• the seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281
• the treesδένδρονdendron · treeG1186
• untilἄχριachri achris · untilG891
• sealedσφραγίζωsphragizō · to sealG4972
• the bond-servantsδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
• of our Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• foreheadsμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359

Cross-references for Revelation 7:3

• Revelation 6:6And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.”
• Revelation 9:4They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
• Isaiah 6:13Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”
• Isaiah 27:8You contended with them by banishing them, by driving them away. With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the east wind.
• Isaiah 65:8Thus says the Lord, “As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, for there is benefit in it,’ So I will act on behalf of My servants In order not to destroy all of them.
• Matthew 24:22Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
• Revelation 14:1Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads.
• Exodus 12:13The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
• Isaiah 26:20Come, my people, enter into your rooms And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course.
• Exodus 9:4But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing will die of all that belongs to the sons of Israel.”’”
• Zephaniah 2:3Seek the Lord, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
• Revelation 19:2because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.”
• Isaiah 54:17No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their vindication is from Me,” declares the Lord.
• Daniel 3:17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
• Daniel 6:16Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lions’ den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you.”
• Malachi 3:18So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

Commentaries on Revelation 7:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Till we have sealed the servants of our God - There is manifestly an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4; here. By sealing we are to understand consecrating the persons in a more especial manner to God, and showing, by this mark of God upon them, that they were under his more immediate protection, and that nothing should hurt them. It was a custom in the east, and indeed in the west too, to stamp with a hot iron the name of the owner upon the forehead or shoulder of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea … - Let the winds be restrained until what is here designated shall be done. These destroying angels were commanded to suspend the work of destruction until the servants of God could be rendered secure. The division here, as in Revelation 7:1, of the “earth, the sea, and the trees,” seems to include everything - water, land, and the productions of the earth. Nothing was to be injured until the angel should…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3Do not … until: God commands the four angels to hold back the winds for a short time. They must not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees until the servants of God receive his seal on their foreheads. The seal of the living God signifies belonging to God's family; God owns and protects his people (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13–14). In ancient times, sealing or tattooing showed ownership. The angel carrying the seal identified God's people, answering…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Hurt not--by letting loose the destructive winds. till we have sealed the servants of our God--parallel to Mt 24:31, "His angels ... shall gather together His elect from the four winds." God's love is such, that He cannot do anything in the way of judgment, till His people are secured from hurt (Ge 19:22). Israel, at the eve of the Lord's coming, shall be found re-embodied as a nation; for its tribes are distinctly specified (Joseph, however, being…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 7:3

• Angel (a Spirit)
• Israel
• Righteous
• Seal
• Servant
• Vision

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Light
• Tribe
• Apocalyptic Literature
• Blow
• Company
• Ethics
• Firebrand

Commentaries on Revelation 7

• 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