Revelation 16 · Verse 8

Revelation 16:8

And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.

Revelation 16:8, King James Version

Revelation 16:8 in other translations

BSB	Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire.
WEB	The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.
ASV	And the fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given unto it to scorch men with fire.
YLT	And the fourth messenger did pour out his vial upon the sun, and there was given to him to scorch men with fire,
DARBY	And the fourth poured out his bowl on the sun; and it was given to it to burn men with fire.
BBE	And the fourth let what was in his vessel come out on the sun; and power was given to it that men might be burned with fire.
Webster	And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given to him to scorch men with fire.

What does Revelation 16:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

8. angel--so Coptic and Andreas. But A, B, C, Vulgate, and Syriac omit it. upon--not as in Re 16:2, 3, "into." sun--Whereas by the fourth trumpet the sun is darkened (Re 8:12) in a third part, here by the fourth vial the sun's bright scorching power is intensified. power was given unto him--rather, "unto it," the sun. men--Greek, "the men," namely, those who had the mark of the beast (Re 16:2).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 8. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun. Toward the sun, or so as to reach the sun. The effect was as if it had been poured upon the sun, giving it an intense heat, and thus inflicting a severe judgment upon men. This corresponds also with the fourth trumpet, (Rev 8:12,) where it is said that the "third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars." For the general meaning of this symbol, Rev 8:2 that place. The idea is, that a scene of calamity and woe would occur as if the sun should be made to pour forth such intense heat that men would be "scorched." It cannot be supposed that the sun would be literally made hotter, or that the exact nature of these calamities would be that men would be consumed by its rays.

And power was given unto him. To the sun. The meaning is, that a calamity would follow as if such an increased power should be given to its rays.

To scorch men with fire. Literally, "And it was given him to scorch men with fire;" that is, with heat so great that it seemed to be fire. The Greek word--καυματισαι--meaning to burn, to scorch--is used in the New Testament only in Mt 13:6, Mk 4:6, Rev 16:8-9, in all which places it is rendered scorch and scorched. Compare, however, the use of the word καυμα, in Rev 7:16, 16:9; καυσις, in Heb 6:8; καυσοω, in 1Pet 3:10,12; and καυσων, in Mt 20:12, Lk 12:55, Jas 1:11. The notion of intense or consuming heat is implied in all the forms of the word; and the reference here is to some calamity that would be well represented by such an increased heat of the sun.

(a) "sun" Rev 8:12 (b) "fire" Rev 9:17

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 Poured out his vial upon the sun - Mr. Robert Fleming, more than one hundred years ago, in his View of Scripture Prophecy, supposed that the sun here meant the French empire, and conjectured that this vial would be poured out on that empire about the year 1794. And it is remarkable that in 1793 the French king was beheaded by the National Assembly; and great and unparalleled miseries fell upon the French nation, which nearly extinguished all their nobility, and brought about a war that lasted twenty-three years, and nearly ruined that country and all the nations of Europe.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 16:8-11

The heart of man is so desperately wicked, that the most severe miseries never will bring any to repent, without the special grace of God. Hell itself is filled with blasphemies; and those are ignorant of the history of human nature, of the Bible, and of their own hearts, who do not know that the more men suffer, and the more plainly they see the hand of God in their sufferings, the more furiously they often rage against him. Let sinners now seek repentance from Christ, and the grace of the Holy Spirit, or they will have the anguish and horror of an unhumbled, impenitent, and desperate heart; thus adding to their guilt and misery through all eternity. Darkness is opposed to wisdom and knowledge, and forebodes the confusion and folly of the idolaters and followers of the beast. It is opposed to pleasure and joy, and signifies anguish and vexation of spirit.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Revelation 16:8 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΚαὶKaiAndG2532

ὁhotheG3588

τέταρτοςtetartosfourthG5067

ἄγγελοςangelosangelG32

ἐξέχεενexecheenpoured outG1632

τὴνtēntheG3588

φιάληνphialēnbowlG5357

αὐτοῦautouof himG846

ἐπὶepiuponG1909

τὸνtontheG3588

ἥλιον,hēlionsun,G2246

καὶkaiandG2532

ἐδόθηedothēthere was givenG1325

αὐτῷautōto itG846

καυματίσαιkaumatisaito scorchG2739

τοὺςtous<the>G3588

ἀνθρώπουςanthrōpousmenG444

ἐνenwithG1722

πυρί.purifire.G4442

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Revelation 16:8

Acts 2:20
The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Luke 21:25
And 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;
Revelation 14:18
And 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.
Jonah 4:8
And 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.
Revelation 7:16
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Matthew 13:6
And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Revelation 9:2
And 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.
Revelation 6:12
And 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;
Isaiah 24:23
Then 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.
Revelation 8:12
And 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.
Revelation 9:17-18
And 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. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

upon.
6:12; 8:12; 9:2; Isa 24:23; Lu 21:25; Ac 2:20
and power.
7:16; 9:17,18; 14:18; Jon 4:8; Mt 13:6

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Revelation 16:7
And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Revelation 16:8
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Revelation 16:9
And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.

Read all of Revelation 16

Revelation 16:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y el cuarto ángel derramó su copa sobre el sol; y le fué dado quemar á los hombres con fuego.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et le quatrième versa sa coupe sur le soleil; et il lui fut donné de brûler les hommes par le feu:
German Elberfelder 1871	Und der vierte goß seine Schale aus auf die Sonne; und es wurde ihr gegeben, die Menschen mit Feuer zu versengen.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et quartus angelus effudit phialam suam in solem, et datum est illi æstu affligere homines, et igni: