Revelation 16:4
in Revelation 16And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the third poured out his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of the waters; and it became blood.
KJV
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
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This verse in Revelation 16
Commentary
9 notes on this verseUpon the rivers and fountains of waters - This is an allusion to the first Egyptian plague, Exo 7:20; and to those plagues in general there are allusions throughout this chapter. It is a sentiment of the rabbins that “whatever plagues God inflicted on the Egyptians in former times, he will inflict on the enemies of his people in all later times.” See a long quotation on this subject from Rabbi Tanchum in Schoettgen.
This site's exposition
the rivers and springs of water
on Revelation 16:4-7
The third bowl turns the rivers and springs of water to blood. The angel of the waters gives the reason: they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. The penalty matches the crime, as in Isaiah 49:26.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
[This bowl] contains all of the other nations who have been so overcome by natural error and enmeshed in impure lusts that they even think of divine things in a carnal manner. And so, by these waters one may understand the teachings of the Gentile …
The blood of the sea and waters plainly indicate the killings of those encamped near the waters in land battles, as is natural.
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the third poured out his bowl on the rivers, etc. And those who, to pour their poison into the unsuspecting, pretend to offer sweet things, will be punished with a worthy, eternal plague of vengeance.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The third poured out his phial on the rivers and fountains of water - Which were over all the earth. And they became blood - So that none could drink thereof.
And the third angel poured his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Here the heavenly hosts proclaim and applaud the righteousness of the judgments of God. The fourth vial was poured out on the sun,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters - This coincides also with the account of the sounding of the third trumpet Rev 8:10-11; “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters.” As to the meaning of the phrase, “rivers and fountains of waters,” see the notes on that passage. We found, it was supposed, in the application of that passage, that the invasion of the Roman empire by Attila, king of the Huns, was referred to, affecting mainly those parts of the empire where the rivers and streams had their origin. The analogy would lead us, in the fulfillment of the passage before us, to look for some similar desolations on those portions of Europe. See the notes at the close of Rev 16:7. And they became blood - This would properly mean that they became as blood; or became red with blood; and it would be fulfilled if bloody battles were fought near them, so that they seemed to run blood.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| τρίτος | tritos | third | G5154 → | 56 times |
| ἐξέχεεν | execheen | poured out | G1632 → | 27 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| φιάλην | phialen | bowl | G5357 → | 12 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| εἰς | eis | into | G1519 → | 1755 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ποταμοὺς | potamous | rivers | G4215 → | 17 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὰς | tas | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πηγὰς | pegas | springs | G4077 → | 11 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὑδάτων, | hudaton | waters, | G5204 → | 76 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐγένετο | egeneto | they became | G1096 → | 667 times |
| αἷμα. | haima | blood. | G129 → | 97 times |
ΚαὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
τρίτοςthird
tritosG5154 →56 times
ἐξέχεενpoured out
execheenG1632 →27 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
φιάληνbowl
phialenG5357 →12 times
αὐτοῦof him
autouG846 →5565 times
εἰςinto
eisG1519 →1755 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
ποταμοὺςrivers
potamousG4215 →17 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὰςthe
tasG3588 →19766 times
πηγὰςsprings
pegasG4077 →11 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
ὑδάτων,waters,
hudatonG5204 →76 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐγένετοthey became
egenetoG1096 →667 times
αἷμα.blood.
haimaG129 →97 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
Revelation 14:7And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea…
it leads to
- Exodus 20:11
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath…
- Revelation 15:4
Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”
- Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give…
- Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Exodus 20:11
Through
Isaiah 50:2Why was no one there when I arrived? Why did no one answer when I called? Is My hand too short to redeem you? Or do I lack the strength to deliver you? Behold,…
it leads to
- Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear.
- Isaiah 66:4
So I will choose their punishment and I will bring terror upon them, because I called and no one answered, I spoke and no one listened. But they did evil in My sight and…
- Numbers 11:23
The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.”
- Joshua 3:16
the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was…
- Isaiah 59:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Revelation
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation and Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 16:4.