Texts in Conversation
Revelation 6:9–10 reflects Deuteronomy 32:43 by portraying those who have been unjustly killed crying out for justice. This pattern is also found in 1 Enoch and the Dead Sea Scrolls, where spilled blood calls out to God and brings about divine judgment.
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Deuteronomy 32:43
Hebrew Bible
42 I will make my arrows drunk with blood, and my sword will devour flesh—the blood of the slaughtered and captured, the chief of the enemy’s leaders.’” 43 Cry out, O nations, with his people, for he will avenge his servants’ blood; he will take vengeance against his enemies, and make atonement for his land and people. 44 Then Moses went with Joshua son of Nun and recited all the words of this song to the people.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Revelation 6:9
New Testament
9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 11 Each of them was given a long white robe, and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
Date: 92-96 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... 1 Enoch 7:6 ... The earth on which blood is shed relays the cry for such vengeance. Here the voice 'brings accusation against' the giants. The idiom is doubtless translates (compare 1 Enoch 22:5) an Aramaic technical term for bringing suit in court. For this usage with reference to an earthly court, compare 1 Enoch 103:4. For the theological usage compare 1QapGen 20:14 also 11QtgJob 8:2. As the ensuing narrative will show, the function of the cry here is to catalyze divine judgment. For this pattern, compare Deuteronomy 32:43 and its interpretations in Testament of Moses 9:7 and 2 Maccabees 8:3-4. For the same motif, compare Revelation 6:9-10. This complex of elements - the cry, its mediation by angels, and its function as catalyst - are additions to the biblical account ..."
Nickelsburg, George W. E.
A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108
(p. 187) Fortress Press, 2001
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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