Sirach 39:29
Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon
28 "There are winds created for vengeance, and in their anger they can dislodge mountains; on the day of reckoning they will pour out their strength and calm the anger of their Maker. 29 Fire and hail and famine and pestilence, all these have been created for vengeance; 30 the fangs of wild animals and scorpions and vipers, and the sword that punishes the ungodly with destruction. 31 They take delight in doing his bidding, always ready for his service on earth; and when their time comes they never disobey his command." 32 So from the beginning I have been convinced of all this and have thought it out and left it in writing: 33 All the works of the Lord are good, and he will supply every need in its time. 34 No one can say, "This is not as good as that," for everything proves good in its appointed time.
Date: 195-175 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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.
Date: 92-96 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and 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 ..."
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