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Revelation 8:9

in Revelation 8

a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.

KJV

And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

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This verse in Revelation 8

Commentary

13 notes on this verse

A commentator

Ticonius

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:8-9 · Written before 390.

Another edition has the reading "[a third of] those who have souls" and shows thereby that they have died a spiritual death, similar to that which the apostle said about the widow, "She who is self-indulgent is dead." And so the passage suggests that one …

This site's exposition

a great mountain burning with fire

on Revelation 8:8-9

The second trumpet throws something like a great mountain into the sea, and A third of the sea turned to blood, as the Nile did. The words something like mark an appearance John describes rather than names.

This site's exposition

a third of the ships were destroyed

The judgment reaches all that lives or sails on the sea: a third of the living creatures in the sea died. The measure of a third keeps the blow partial, as in every trumpet before the last three.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 550.

proposed

The divine apostle writes to the Romans, saying: "that creation was subjected to futility, not willingly but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself will be set free from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of …

A commentator

Ticonius

COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:9 · Written before 390.

proposed

When he speaks customarily of the part that has a soul, he refers to persons who are spiritually dead and separated from the kingdom of God. "And a third of the birds fell to the ground." Therefore, that third that died in the sea destroyed …

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Alcuin of York

COMMENTARY ON REVELATION · Written before 804.

proposed

And the second angel sounded the trumpet: and as it were a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood: and the third part of those creatures died in it, which had life, and …

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And a third of the ships perished. Another Edition, by saying "And they corrupted a third of the ships," signifies that the third that died killed another third, that is, the succeeding one, with harmful tradition and useless imitation of doctrine.

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Revelation · Written before 735.

proposed

And a third of them died, those that had souls in the sea. He said, "those that have souls," to show that the spiritually living were dead. Just as the Apostle says of the voluptuous widow: "Living," he says, "she is dead" (I Tim. V).
5 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

proposed

And how many states were utterly destroyed by those inhuman conquerors! Much likewise of this was literally fulfilled. How often was the sea tinged with blood!
And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea,....

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died - The effect was as if one-third of all the fish in the sea were cut off. Of course this is not to be taken literally. It is designed to describe an effect, pertaining to the maritime portion of the world, as if a third portion of all that was in the sea should perish. The natural interpretation would be to apply it to some invasion or calamity pertaining to the sea - to the islands, to the maritime regions, or to commerce.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

The symbolical interpreters take the ships here to be churches. For the Greek here for ships is not the common one, but that used in the Gospels of the apostolic vessel in which Christ taught: and the first churches were in the shape of an inverted ship: and the Greek for destroyed is also used of heretical corruptings (1Ti 6:5).

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

The third part of the ships were destroyed - These judgments seem to be poured out upon some maritime nation, destroying much of its population, and much of its traffic.

The words behind it

19 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.

Related verses

10 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Revelation 8:7Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.4 worksIsaiah 2:16against every ship of Tarshish, and against every stately vessel.4 worksRevelation 16:3And the second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it turned to blood like that of the dead, and every living thing in the sea died.4 worksRevelation 8:10Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.3 worksRevelation 8:12Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.3 worksPsalms 48:7With a wind from the east You wrecked the ships of Tarshish.3 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Revelation 9:15So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.3 worksZechariah 13:8And in all the land, declares the LORD, two-thirds will be cut off and perish, but a third will be left in it.2 worksExodus 7:21The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. And there was blood throughout the land of Egypt.2 worksIsaiah 23:1This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.1 works

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 8:12

    Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light,…

    it leads to

    • Joel 2:31

      The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

    • Joel 2:10

      Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

    • Isaiah 13:10

      For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

  • Through

    Revelation 8:7

    Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the…

    it leads to

    • 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.

    • Revelation 9:4

      They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

  • Through

    Revelation 8:10

    Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

    it leads to

    • Revelation 16:4

      And the third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and springs of water, and they turned to blood.

    • Isaiah 14:12

      How you have fallen from heaven, O day star, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O destroyer of nations.

    • Revelation 9:1

      Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.

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.
Revelation: the study guide →Read Revelation 8 →
This page draws on 12 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; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Alcuin of York, COMMENTARY ON REVELATION; 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; Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:8-9 and Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:9.

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