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Revelation 9
Revelation 9:1
Connecting Statement:
The fifth of the seven angels begins to sound his trumpet.
I saw a star from heaven that had fallen
John saw the star after it had fallen. He did not watch if fall.
the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit
"the key that unlocks the shaft of the bottomless pit"
the shaft of the bottomless pit
Possible meanings are 1) "shaft" is another way of referring to the pit and describes it as long and narrow, or 2) "shaft" refers to the opening of the pit.
the bottomless pit
This is an extremely deep, narrow hole. Possible meanings are 1) the pit has no bottom; it continues to go down further forever or 2) the pit is so deep that it is as if it had no bottom.
Revelation 9:2
like smoke from a huge furnace
A huge furnace gives off a great amount of thick, dark smoke. Alternate translation: "like the great amount of smoke that comes from a huge furnace" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile)
turned dark
"became dark"
Revelation 9:3
locusts
insects that fly together in large groups. People fear them because they can eat up all the leaves in gardens and on trees. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-unknown)
power like that of scorpions
Scorpions have the ability to sting and poison other animals and people. Alternate translation: "the ability to sting people as scorpions do" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-explicit)
scorpions
small insects with poisonous stingers on their tails. Their sting is extremely painful and the pain lasts a long time. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-unknown)
Revelation 9:4
They were told not to damage the grass on the earth or any green plant or tree
Ordinary locusts were a terrible threat to people because when they swarm, they can eat up all the grass and all the leaves on plants and trees. These locusts were told not to do this.
but only the people
The phrase "to damage" or "to harm" is understood. Alternate translation: "but only to harm the people" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-ellipsis)
the seal of God
The word "seal" refers a mark that would be left by a tool being pressed into a a wax seal. In this case it refers to mark that God would place upon the foreheads of his people. The people who do not have this mark do not belong to God. See how you translated "seal" in Revelation 7:3. Alternate translation: "the mark of God" or "stamp of God" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
foreheads
The forehead is the top of the face, above the eyes.
Revelation 9:5
They were not given permission
"They" refers to the locusts. (Revelation 9:3)
those people
the people whom the locusts were stinging
but only to torture them
Here the words "given permission" are understood. Alternate translation: "but only given permission to torture them" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-ellipsis)
to torture them for five months
The locusts would be allowed to do this for five months.
to torture them
"to make them suffer terrible pain"
the sting of a scorpion
A scorpion is a small insect with a poisonous stinger at the end of its long tail. The sting can cause severe pain or even death.
Revelation 9:6
people will seek death but will not find it
This can be restated to remove the abstract noun "death." Alternate translation: "people will try to find a way to die but will not find it" or "people will try to kill themselves but will not find a way to die" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-abstractnouns)
will greatly desire to die
"will want very much to die" or "will wish that they could die"
death will flee from them
John speaks of death as if it were a person or animal that could run away. Alternate translation: "they will not be able to die" or "they will not die" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-personification)
Revelation 9:7
General Information:
These locusts did not look like ordinary locusts. John describes them by telling how parts of them looked like other things.
crowns of gold
These were likenesses of wreaths of olive branches or laurel leaves, hammered out in gold. Examples actually made of leaves were given to victorious athletes to wear on their heads.
Revelation 9:8
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Revelation 9:9
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Revelation 9:10
They had tails
The word "They" refers to the locusts.
with stingers like scorpions
A scorpion is a small insect with a poisonous stinger at the end of its long tail. Its sting can cause severe pain or even death. See how you translated a similar phrase in Revelation 9:3. Alternate translation: "with stingers like scorpion stingers" or "with stingers that could cause terrible pain as scorpion stingers can" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-simile)
in their tails they had power to harm people for five months
Possible meanings are 1) they had power for five months to harm people or 2) they could sting people and the people would be in pain for five months.
Revelation 9:11
the bottomless pit
This is an extremely deep, narrow hole. Possible meanings are 1) the pit has no bottom; it continues to go down further forever or 2) the pit is so deep that it is as if it had no bottom. See how you translated this in Revelation 9:1.
Abaddon ... Apollyon
Both names mean "Destroyer." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-names and rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-transliterate)
Revelation 9:12
there are still two disasters to come
Existing in the future is spoken of as coming. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Revelation 9:13
Connecting Statement:
The sixth of the seven angels begins to sound his trumpet.
I heard a voice coming
The voice refers to the one who was speaking. John does not say who the speaker was, but it may have been God. Alternate translation: "I heard someone speaking" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-synecdoche)
horns of the golden altar
These are horn-shaped extensions at each of the four corners of the top of the altar.
Revelation 9:14
the four angels who had been bound
This can be stated with an active form. Alternate translation: "the four angels whom God had commanded someone to bind" or "the four angels whom God bound" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
Revelation 9:15
The four angels who had been prepared for ... that year were released
This can be stated with an active form. Alternate translation: "The angel released the four angels who had been prepared for ... that year" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
The four angels who had been prepared
This can be stated with an active form. Alternate translation: "The four angels whom God had prepared" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
for that hour, that day, that month, and that year
These words are used to show that the time to release the angels is a specific, chosen time and not just any time. Alternate translation: "for that exact time" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism)
Revelation 9:16
General Information:
Suddenly, 200,000,000 soldiers on horseback appear in John's vision. John is no longer speaking about the four angels mentioned in the previous verse.
200,000,000
Some ways to express this are: "two hundred million" or "two hundred thousand thousand" or "twenty thousand times ten thousand." If your language does not have a specific number for this, you could also see how you translated a similar large number in Revelation 5:11. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-numbers)
Revelation 9:17
fiery red
"red like fire" or "bright red." See how you translated this in Revelation 6:3.
sulfurous yellow
"yellow like sulfur" or "bright yellow like sulfur"
out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur
"fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths"
Revelation 9:18
Connecting Statement:
John continues to describe the horses and the plagues brought upon humanity.
A third of the people
"One third of the people." See how you translated "A third" in Revelation 8:7. (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/translate-fraction)
Revelation 9:19
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Revelation 9:20
those who were not killed by these plagues
This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "those whom the plagues had not killed" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-activepassive)
the works of their hands
The word "hand" here is a metonym for the person whose hands they are. Alternate translation: "the deeds they had done" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metonymy)
things that cannot see, hear, or walk
This phrase reminds us that idols are not alive and do not deserve to be worshiped. But the people did not stop worshiping them. Alternate translation: "even though idols cannot see, hear, or walk" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-distinguish)
Revelation 9:21
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