Rev 16:12-21 | NETfull | STEP | Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water to prepare the way for the kings from the east.

Revelation of John 16:12-21

12 Then ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.} the sixth angel ^{▼▼ Grk “the sixth”; the referent (the sixth angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and dried up its water ^{▼▼ Grk “and its water was dried up.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.} to prepare the way ^{▼▼ Grk “in order that the way might be prepared.” Here the passive construction has been translated as an active one.} for the kings from the east. ^{▼▼ Grk “from the rising of the sun.” BDAG 74 s.v. ἀνατολή 2.a takes this as a geographical direction: “ἀπὸ ἀ. ἡλίου…from the east Rv 7:2; 16:12; simply ἀπὸ ἀ. …21:13.”} 13 Then ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.} I saw three unclean spirits ^{▼▼ According to the next verse, these three unclean spirits are spirits of demons.} that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of the demons performing signs who go out to the kings of the earth ^{▼▼ BDAG 699 s.v. οἰκουμένη 1 states, “the inhabited earth, the world…ὅλη ἡ οἰκ. the whole inhabited earth…Mt 24:14; Ac 11:28; Rv 3:10; 16:14.”} to bring them together for the battle that will take place on the great day of God, the All-Powerful. ^{▼▼ On this word BDAG 755 s.v. παντοκράτωρ states, “the Almighty, All-Powerful, Omnipotent (One) only of God…(ὁ) κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὁ π. …Rv 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 15:3; 16:7; 21:22.”}

15 (Look! I will come like a thief!
Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose ^{▼▼ Grk “and keeps.” BDAG 1002 s.v. τηρέω 2.c states “of holding on to someth. so as not to give it up or lose it…τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ Rv 16:15 (or else he will have to go naked).”} his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition ^{▼▼ On the translation of ἀσχημοσύνη (ascēmosunē) as “shameful condition” see L&N 25.202. The indefinite third person plural (“and they see”) has been translated as a passive here.} be seen.) ^{▼▼ These lines are parenthetical, forming an aside to the narrative. The speaker here is the Lord Jesus Christ himself rather than the narrator. Many interpreters have seen this verse as so abrupt that it could not be an original part of the work, but the author has used such asides before (1:7; 14:13) and the suddenness here (on the eve of Armageddon) is completely parallel to Jesus’ warning in Mark 13:15–16 and parallels.}
16 Now ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the resumption and conclusion of the remarks about the pouring out of the sixth bowl.} the spirits ^{▼▼ Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} gathered the kings and their armies ^{▼▼ Grk “gathered them”; the referent (the kings and [implied] their armies, v. 14) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} to the place that is called Armageddon ^{▼▼ There are many variations in the spelling of this name among the Greek mss, although ῾Αρμαγεδών (&armagedōn) has the best support. The usual English spelling is Armageddon, used in the translation.} ^{▼▼ Or “Harmagedon” (a literal transliteration of the Greek), or “Har-Magedon” (NASB), meaning “the Mount of Magedon” in Hebrew.} in Hebrew.

17 Finally ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “finally” to indicate the conclusion of the seven bowl judgments.} the seventh angel ^{▼▼ Grk “the seventh”; the referent (the seventh angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} poured out his bowl into the air and a loud voice came out of the temple from the throne, saying: “It is done!” 18 Then ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.} there were flashes of lightning, roaring, ^{▼▼ Or “sounds,” “voices.” It is not entirely clear what this refers to. BDAG 1071 s.v. φωνή 1 states, “In Rv we have ἀστραπαὶ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ βρονταί (cp. Ex 19:16) 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18 (are certain other sounds in nature thought of here in addition to thunder, as e.g. the roar of the storm?…).”} and crashes of thunder, and there was a tremendous earthquake – an earthquake unequaled since humanity ^{▼▼ The singular ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used generically here to refer to the human race.} has been on the earth, so tremendous was that earthquake. 19 The ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.} great city was split into three parts and the cities of the nations ^{▼▼ Or “of the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).} collapsed. ^{▼▼ Grk “fell.”} So ^{▼▼ Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Babylon’s misdeeds (see Rev 14:8).} Babylon the great was remembered before God, and was given the cup ^{▼▼ Grk “the cup of the wine of the anger of the wrath of him.” The concatenation of four genitives has been rendered somewhat differently by various translations (see the note on the word “wrath”).} filled with the wine made of God’s furious wrath. ^{▼▼ Following BDAG 461 s.v. θυμός 2, the combination of the genitives of θυμός (thumos) and ὀργή (orgē) in Rev 16:19 and 19:15 are taken to be a strengthening of the thought as in the OT and Qumran literature (Exod 32:12; Jer 32:37; Lam 2:3; CD 10:9). Thus in Rev 14:8 (to which the present passage alludes) and 18:3 there is irony: The wine of immoral behavior with which Babylon makes the nations drunk becomes the wine of God’s wrath for her.} 20 Every ^{▼▼ Grk “And every.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.} island fled away ^{▼▼ Or “vanished.”} and no mountains could be found. ^{▼▼ Every island fled away and no mountains could be found. Major geographical and topographical changes will accompany the Day of the Lord.} 21 And gigantic hailstones, weighing about a hundred pounds ^{▼▼ Here BDAG 988 s.v. ταλαντιαῖος states, “weighing a talent…χάλαζα μεγάλη ὡς ταλαντιαία a severe hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (the talent=125 librae, or Roman pounds of c. 343 gr. or 12 ounces each) (weighing about a hundred pounds NRSV) Rv 16:21.” This means each hailstone would weigh just under 100 pounds or 40 kilograms.} each, fell from heaven ^{▼▼ Or “the sky.” Due to the apocalyptic nature of this book, it is probably best to leave the translation as “from heaven,” since God is ultimately the source of the judgment.} on people, ^{▼▼ Grk “on men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used here in a generic sense to refer to people in general (the hailstones did not single out adult males, but would have also fallen on women and children).} but they ^{▼▼ Grk “the men”; for stylistic reasons the pronoun “they” is used here.} blasphemed God because of the plague of hail, since it ^{▼▼ Grk “the plague of it.”} was so horrendous. ^{▼▼ Grk “since the plague of it was exceedingly great.”}