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Revelation 8:5

in Revelation 8

Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder, and rumblings, and flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the angel taketh the censer; and he filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it upon the earth: and there followed thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

KJV

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

This verse in Revelation 8

Commentary

16 notes on this verse
And the angel took the censer - Rev 8:3. This is a new symbol, designed to furnish a new representation of future events. By the former it had been shown that there would be much prayer offered; by this it is designed to show that, notwithstanding the prayer that would be offered, great and fearful calamities would come upon the earth. This is symbolized by casting the censer upon the earth, as if the prayers were not heard any longer, or as if prayer were now in vain.

This site's exposition

the prayers of all the saints

on Revelation 8:3-5

An angel offers much incense along with the prayers of all the saints on the altar of the martyrs' cry at 6:9-10. He took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it to the earth, so the saints' prayers are answered in judgment.

This site's exposition

filled it with fire from the altar

The censer that carried prayer up now carries fire down. Barnes reads the act as a new symbol, showing that fearful calamities would come on the earth even while much prayer was offered. Wesley reads the thunder, lightning and earthquake as signs of the judgments about to follow.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers3 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

Then the divine angel took the censer, filled it with the fire of God, and threw it to the earth; and there were voices, sounds of thunder, lightning flashes, and an earthquake. Perhaps one of the angels cast this divine fire upon Mount Sinai, and …

A commentator

Caesarius of Arles

EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:5, HOMILY 6 · Written before 542.

proposed

Jesus received his body, that is, the church, and he filled her with the fire of the Holy Spirit in order that the will of the Father might be fulfilled. "And there were voices and thunder and lightning and earthquakes." All of these things are …

A commentator

Ticonius

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:5 · Written before 390.

proposed

The Lord received his body, that is, the church, and filled her with fire from the altar to accomplish the Father's will. This is to say that he filled [the church] with the power of loosing and of binding, which consists in sacrifices and the …

The Medieval Church2 voices

A commentator

Andreas of Caesarea

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:4-5 · Written before 614.

proposed

The prayers of the saints offered through an administering angel cause the censer filled with the avenging fire to be poured out upon the earth. This is just as it was revealed long ago to Ezekiel by one of the cherubim, that he should receive …

A commentator

Alcuin of York

COMMENTARY ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth. The angel took the censer when the Lord joined human nature to himself within the Virgin's womb; or we may take it as referring …
8 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church4 voices

A commentator

Alcuin of York

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

QUESTION: What is meant by what is said in the second book after a few words, and there were thunders and voices and lightnings, and a great earthquake? ANSWER: He moved the earth with the thunder of heavenly threats, the voice of exhortation, the lightning …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And there were thunders, and voices, and lightnings, and an earthquake. With the thunder of divine threat, and the voice of exhortation, and the lightning of miracles, He moved the earth, some following, others preceding, these saying: "He is good," but others: "No, but he …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And the angel took the censer, etc. Rightly he introduces the censer filled with fire. For God does not give the Spirit by measure (John 3). This we properly know was fulfilled in the humanity of Christ, in whom all the fullness of the Divinity …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And he cast it into the earth. Thus also the Lord in the Gospel: "I came to cast fire upon the earth" (Luke 12).

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

And there were thunderings, and lightnings, and voices, and an earthquake - These, especially when attended with fire, are emblems of God's dreadful judgments, which are immediately to follow.
And the angel took the censer,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

cast it into the earth--that is, unto the earth: the hot coals off the altar cast on the earth, symbolize God's fiery judgments about to descend on the Church's foes in answer to the saints' incense-perfumed prayers which have just ascended before God, and those of the martyrs.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Cast it into the earth - That is, upon the land of Judea; intimating the judgments and desolations which were now coming upon it, and which appear to be farther opened in the sounding of the seven trumpets. There were voices - All these seem to point out the confusion, commotions, distresses, and miseries, which were coming upon these people in the wars which were at hand.

The words behind it

28 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 4:5

    From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 11:19

      Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake,…

      Reached by 2 separate paths from here.

    • Revelation 1:4

      John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from Him who is and was and is to come, and from the seven Spirits before His throne,

    • Revelation 16:17–18

      Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”

    • Revelation 5:6

      Then I saw a Lamb who appeared to have been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven…

  • Through

    Acts 16:26

    Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

    it leads to

    • Acts 4:31

      After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

    • Acts 5:19

      But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,

  • Through

    Revelation 11:19

    Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake,…

    it leads to

    • Revelation 16:21

      And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.

    • Ezekiel 38:22

      I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.

Where this verse is studied

About Revelation

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan and Hubert van Eyck, about 1430 to 1432. Public domain.
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; Alcuin of York, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS MANUAL ON REVELATION; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:4-5; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:5, HOMILY 6; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; 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 Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:5.