Revelation 9:4

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

2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 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 who have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Revelation 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

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• commandedἐρέωrheō · to sayG4483
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• thatἵνα μήhina mē · lest/so that... notG3363
• shouldἀδικέωadikeō · to harmG91
• grassχόρτοςchortos · grassG5528
• earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
• neitherοὐδέoude · norG3761
• anyπᾶςpas · allG3956
• thingχλωρόςchlōros · greenG5515
• treeδένδρονdendron · treeG1186
• butεἰ μήei mē · exceptG1508
• onlyμόνοςmonos · aloneG3441
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• whoὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• notοὐou · noG3756
• sealσφραγίςsphragis · sealG4973
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• inἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• foreheadsμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359

Cross-references for Revelation 9:4

• Revelation 6:6And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living beings say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.
• Revelation 7:3Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
• Job 1:10Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.
• Psalms 76:10Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
• Matthew 24:24For false Christs will arise, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect.
• 2 Timothy 3:8Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, rejected as concerning the faith.
• Revelation 8:7The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
• Revelation 14:1And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
• Exodus 12:23For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not permit the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you .
• Job 2:6And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; but save his life.
• Ezekiel 9:4And the LORD said to him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that are done in the midst of it.
• Ephesians 4:30And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed to the day of redemption.

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

• Locust
• Trumpet
• Vision
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Abaddon
• Angel
• Authority in Religion
• Color; Colors
• Forehead
• Government
• Grass
• Jair

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