And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Parallel translations
- WEB The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.
- BSB Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire.
- NKJV Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.
- NASB And the fourth angel poured out his bowl upon the sun, and it was given power to scorch people with fire.
- NLT Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, causing it to scorch everyone with its fire.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The fourth bowl empowers the sun to scorch people with fire. The very source of light and warmth becomes an instrument of judgment.
Overview
The fourth bowl turns the sun into a means of burning judgment upon rebellious humanity. As with the other plagues, what should bless instead afflicts those allied with the beast. This sets the stage for revealing the hardness of the human heart in response.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Acts 2:20The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
- Jonah 4:8And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.
- Rev 14:18And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
- Luke 21:25And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
- Rev 7:16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
- Rev 8:12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
- Isa 24:23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
- Rev 9:2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose 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.
- Rev 6:12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
- Matt 13:6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
- Rev 9:17–18And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 16:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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