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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 8

1 Now when the Lamb opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.⁠ 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.⁠ 3 Another angel holding a golden censer came and was stationed at the altar. A large amount of incense was given to him to offer up, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar that is before the throne.⁠ 4 The smoke coming from the incense, along with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.⁠ 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 6 Now the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood,⁠ and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.⁠ 8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood,⁠ 9 and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed. 10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a huge star burning like a torch fell from the sky; it landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.⁠ 11 (Now the name of the star is Wormwood.) So a third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.⁠ 12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day and for a third of the night likewise.⁠ 13 Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying directly overhead, proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”

Texts in conversation

Compare Sirach 39:29 and Revelation 8:7

Deuterocanon · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation shows fire and hail as forces of divine judgment, echoing Sirach where winds, fire, hail, famine, and even scorpions are described as tools God created for vengeance and kept ready to carry out his will.

Passages

Sirach 39:29

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
28 There are winds that are created for vengeance, and in their fury they lay on their scourges heavily. In the time of reckoning, they pour out their strength, and will appease the wrath of him who made them. 29 Fire, hail, famine, and death— all these are created for vengeance— 30 wild beasts’ teeth, scorpions, adders, and a sword punishing the ungodly to destruction. 31 They will rejoice in his commandment, and will be made ready upon earth when needed. In their seasons, they won’t disobey his command. 32 Therefore from the beginning I was convinced, and I thought it through and left it in writing: 33 All the works of the Lord are good. He will supply every need in its time. 34 No one can say, “This is worse than that,” for they will all be well approved in their time.
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

Revelation 8:7

New Testament
5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it on the earth, and there were crashes of thunder, roaring, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake. 6 Now the seven angels holding the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. 7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was thrown at the earth so that a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. 8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain of burning fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood, 9 and a third of the creatures living in the sea died, and a third of the ships were completely destroyed.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... the plague is clearly to be seen as much more than a locust invasion. The imagery alternates between a locust herd and a cavalry (Job 39:19-20; Joel 2:4). The Hebrew word for locust (hangol) is very close to the Arabic word for troop (hangol). One referent for the imagery in the passage is the troops of the Parthian army from the East, which later did actually conquer the eastern end of the Roman Empire. Thus, John merges images of a locust herd and a Parthian invasion to describe the demonic army of God’s enemies. Another image is added to the picture when the locusts were given authority like the authority of scorpions on the earth. Mounce describes a scorpion in the following manner: “A lobster-like vermin some four or five inches long, it had a claw on the end of a tail that secreted a poison when it struck” (1977:194). Scorpions were considered poisonous beings much like snakes and came to be associated with the forces of rebellion and evil (Ezekiel 2:6; Luke 11:12; Sirach 39:29-30). Although the sting of a scorpion is painful, it is rarely fatal. Indeed, to undergo such pain constantly would be worse than death. Hence, the torture of scorpions is a symbol of God’s judgment on a rebellious and sinful world ..."
John R. Yeatts, Revelation (Scottdale, PA: Herald, 2003), 165.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Sirach 39:29 and Revelation 8:7

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