Devine Scripture

Revelation 9:3

What does Revelation 9:3 mean?

A plain-English look at Revelation 9:3 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Revelation 9:3 means

From the smoke come locusts upon the earth, but they are no ordinary pests. They are empowered to hurt as scorpions do, suggesting painful, penetrating harm. Their emergence from the smoke shows they are products of the abyss’s release, not a seasonal swarm. They act by permission—power was given to them—so their sting, while dreadful, remains bounded by God’s decree. John portrays them as instruments of divine judgment that inflict acute, unforgettable suffering. The text invites us to see that the most fearful judgments can come through spiritual forces previously restrained, and that the unseen world can have devastating, tangible effects when God permits.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And from the smoke locusts came out on the earth; and power was given them, like the power of scorpions.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

And out of the smoke came forth locusts to the earth, and there was given to them authority, as scorpions of the earth have authority,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And from the smoke of the pit there came out locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

And out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them as the scorpions of the earth have power;

Context

The locusts’ arrival answers the ominous smoke of verse 2. Their nature and mission will be clarified in verses 4–6, where unusual restrictions and a defined time frame distinguish them from natural locusts. The chapter’s flow emphasizes authority and limits: power is given, targets are specified, duration is fixed. These features keep readers from misreading the scene as random chaos; it is a controlled judgment designed with purpose.

v.2And he opened the pit of the abyss; and there went up a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

v.3This passage

v.4And it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only such men as have not the seal of God on their foreheads.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Isaiah 33:4

    And your spoil shall be gathered as the caterpillar gathereth: as locusts leap shall men leap upon it.

  • Joel 1:4

    That which the palmer-worm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm hath left hath the caterpillar eaten.

  • Nahum 3:17

    Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

  • Joel 2:25

    And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you.

  • Revelation 9:10

    And they have tails like unto scorpions, and stings; and in their tails is their power to hurt men five months.

  • Revelation 9:5

    And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when it striketh a man.

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