Revelation 6:17
in Revelation 6For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?
KJV
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
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This verse in Revelation 6
Commentary
9 notes on this verseFor the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? As if they were saying, "If even a saint is terrified by the wrath of that God, who of us shall hold out?" We may disregard all that has …
This site's exposition
hid in the caves
on Revelation 6:15-17
Seven ranks, from the kings of the earth to every slave and free man, hide in the mountains. Their cry, Fall on us, echoes Hosea 10:8 and Luke 23:30, and the question, who is able to withstand it, is answered in chapter 7.
This site's exposition
who is able to withstand it
Gill saw that the Latin and the Syriac give Their wrath, the wrath of the One seated on the throne and of the Lamb. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown saw the question as who is able to stand justified before the Judge. Chapter 7 answers it.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And, he says, the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the powerful and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains …
The Medieval Church2 voices
And who will be able to stand? Certainly, the one who now strives to watch, to stand firm in faith, and to act manfully. If you interpret this earthquake literally as referring to the very day of judgment, it is not surprising that earthly kings …
For then the divine anger will burn righteously as a furnace, consuming those who built upon the foundation of faith with wood and chaff and stubble, as though food for the fire.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For the great day of his wrath is come,.... The Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions read, "of their wrath"; both of him that sits upon the throne, and of the Lamb, against the Heathen gods and Heathen persecutors, in answer to the cry of the martyrs in Rev 6:9. And who shall be able to stand? against either of them, or in their presence, and so as to bear their wrath and displeasure; all which expresses guilt, shame, fear, and despair.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Mt 24:7, end, the fourth seal; Mt 24:9, the fifth seal, the persecutions and abounding iniquity under which, as well as consequent judgments accompanied with gospel preaching to all nations as a witness, are particularly detailed, Mt 24:9-28; Mt 24:29, the sixth seal. to stand--to stand justified, and not condemned before the Judge.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
For the great day of his wrath - The decisive and manifest time in which he will execute judgment on the oppressors of his people. Who shall be able to stand? - No might can prevail against the might of God. All these things may literally apply to the final destruction of Jerusalem, and to the revolution which took place in the Roman empire under Constantine the Great. Some apply them to the day of judgment; but they do not seem to have that awful event in view.
The words behind it
13 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὅτι | hoti | because | G3754 → | 1292 times |
| ἦλθεν | elthen | has come | G2064 → | 628 times |
| ἡ | he | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἡμέρα | hemera | day | G2250 → | 389 times |
| ἡ | he | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μεγάλη | megale | great | G3173 → | 243 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὀργῆς | orges | wrath | G3709 → | 36 times |
| αὐτῶν, | auton | of them, | G846 → | 5565 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τίς | tis | who | G5101 → | 563 times |
| δύναται | dunatai | is able | G1410 → | 207 times |
| σταθῆναι;¶ | stathenai | to stand? | G2476 → | 153 times |
ὅτιbecause
hotiG3754 →1292 times
ἦλθενhas come
elthenG2064 →628 times
ἡthe
heG3588 →19766 times
ἡμέραday
hemeraG2250 →389 times
ἡ<the>
heG3588 →19766 times
μεγάληgreat
megaleG3173 →243 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
ὀργῆςwrath
orgesG3709 →36 times
αὐτῶν,of them,
autonG846 →5565 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τίςwho
tisG5101 →563 times
δύναταιis able
dunataiG1410 →207 times
σταθῆναι;¶to stand?
stathenaiG2476 →153 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 30:7How awful that day will be! None will be like it! It is the time of Jacob’s distress, but he will be saved out of it.
it leads to
- Malachi 4:1
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 12:1
“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning…
- Malachi 4:1
Through
Malachi 3:2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
it leads to
- Zechariah 13:9
This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They…
- Isaiah 4:4
when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
- 1 Corinthians 3:13–15
his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.
- Zechariah 13:9
Through
Psalms 76:7You alone are to be feared. When You are angry, who can stand before You?
it leads to
- Nahum 1:6
Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Nahum 1:6
Through
Joel 2:31The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
it leads to
- Revelation 6:12–13
And when I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,
- Matthew 24:29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will…
- Revelation 6:12–13
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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On this verse
About Revelation
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:14-17; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation.