Revelation 19 · Verse 6

Revelation 19:6

And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

Revelation 19:6, King James Version

Revelation 19:6 in other translations

BSB	And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
WEB	I heard something like the voice of a great multitude, and like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of mighty thunders, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!
ASV	And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunders, saying, Hallelujah: for the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth.
YLT	and I heard as the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! because reign did the Lord God--the Almighty!
DARBY	And I heard as a voice of a great crowd, and as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah, for the Lord our God the Almighty has taken to himself kingly power.
BBE	And there came to my ears the voice of a great army, like the sound of waters, and the sound of loud thunders, saying, Praise to the Lord: for the Lord our God, Ruler of all, is King.
Webster	And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

What does Revelation 19:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

6. many waters--Contrast the "many waters" on which the whore sitteth (Re 17:1). This verse is the hearty response to the stirring call, "Alleluia! Praise our God" (Re 19:4, 5). the Lord God omnipotent--Greek, "the Omnipotent." reigneth--literally, "reigned": hence reigneth once for all. His reign is a fact already established. Babylon, the harlot, was one great hindrance to His reign being recognized. Her overthrow now clears the way for His advent to reign; therefore, not merely Rome, but the whole of Christendom in so far as it is carnal and compromised Christ for the world, is comprehended in the term "harlot." The beast hardly arises when he at once "goeth into perdition": so that Christ is prophetically considered as already reigning, so soon does His advent follow the judgment on the harlot.

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

Barnes' Notes

Verse 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude. In Rev 19:1, he says that he "heard a great voice of much people;" here he says he "heard as it were a voice of great multitude." That is, in the former case he heard a shout that he at once recognised as the voice of a great multitude of persons; here he says that he heard a sound not distinctly recognised at first as such, but which resembled such a shout of a multitude. In the former case it was distinct; here it was confused--bearing a resemblance to the sound of roaring waters, or to muttering thunder, but less distinct than the former. This phrase would imply

(a) a louder sound; and

(b) that the sound was more remote, and therefore less clear and distinct.

And as the voice of many waters. The comparison of the voices of a host of people with the roar of mighty waters is not uncommon in the Scriptures. Isa 17:12 Isa 17:13. So in Homer--

"The monarch spoke, and straight a murmur rose,
Loud as the surges when the tempest blows;
That dash'd on broken rocks tumultuous roar,
And foam and thunder on the stony shore."

And as the voice of mighty thunderings. The loud, deep, heavy voice of thunder. The distant shouts of a multitude may properly be represented by the sound of heavy thunder.

Saying, Alleluia. Rev 19:1. This is the fourth time in which this is uttered as expressive of the joy of the heavenly hosts in view of the overthrow of the enemies of the church. The occasion will be worthy of this emphatic expression of joy.

For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Jehovah--God Almighty--the true God. The meaning is, that as the last enemy of the church is destroyed, he now truly reigns. This is the result of his power, and therefore it is proper that he should be praised as the omnipotent or Almighty God-- for he has shown that he can overcome all his enemies, and bring the world to his feet.

(a) "for the Lord" Ps 97:1,12

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 6 The voice of a great multitude - This is the catholic or universal Church of God gathered from among the Gentiles. The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth - Εβασιλευσε Κυριος ὁ Θεος ὁ παντοκρατωρ. Many excellent MSS., most of the versions, with Andreas and Arethas, the two most ancient commentators on this book, add ἡμων, our, after ὁ Θεος· and according to this the text reads emphatically thus: Our Lord God, the Almighty, reigneth. What consolation to every genuine Christian that His Lord and God is the Almighty, and that this Almighty never trusts the reins of the government of the universe out of his hands! What therefore has his Church to fear?

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 19:1-10

Chapter Outline The church in heaven and that on earth triumph, and praise the Lord for his righteous judgments. (1-10) A vision of Christ going forth to destroy the beast and his armies. (11-21) Verses 1-10 Praising God for what we have, is praying for what is yet further to be done for us. There is harmony between the angels and the saints in this triumphant song. Christ is the Bridegroom of his ransomed church…

Read the full comment on Revelation 19:1-10 →

Revelation 19:6 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

ἤκουσαēkousaI heardG191

ὡςhōs[something] likeG5613

φωνὴνphōnēn[the] voiceG5456

ὄχλουochlouof a multitudeG3793

πολλοῦpollougreatG4183

καὶkaiandG2532

ὡςhōslikeG5613

φωνὴνphōnēn[the] soundG5456

ὑδάτωνhudatōnof watersG5204

πολλῶνpollōnmanyG4183

καὶkaiandG2532

ὡςhōslikeG5613

φωνὴνphōnēna soundG5456

βροντῶνbrontōnof thundersG1027

ἰσχυρῶνischurōnmightyG2478

λεγόντων·legontōnsaying:G3004

ἁλληλουϊά·hallēlouiaHallelujah!G239

ὅτιhotiForG3754

ἐβασίλευσενebasileusenhas reignedG936

κύριοςkurios[the] LordG2962

ὁho<the>G3588

θεὸςtheosGodG2316

ἡμῶνhēmōnof usG3165

ὁhotheG3588

παντοκράτωρ.pantokratōrAlmighty.G3841

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

Cross references for Revelation 19:6

Psalms 97:1
The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Revelation 14:2
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
Psalms 93:1
The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
Psalms 29:3-9
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn. …
Ezekiel 1:24
And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings.
Psalms 99:1
The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved.
Revelation 19:1
And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
Revelation 6:1
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
Revelation 1:15
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Psalms 97:12
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
Revelation 11:15-18
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Revelation 21:22
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

and as the voice of many.
1:15; 14:2; Eze 1:24; 43:2
and as the voice of mighty.
4:5; 6:1; 8:5; 14:2; 19:6; Job 40:9; Ps 29:3-9; 77:18
for.
11:15-18; 12:10; 21:22; Ps 47:2,7; 93:1; 97:1,12; 99:1; Isa 52:7
Mt 6:13

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

Context

Revelation 19:5
And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.
Revelation 19:6
And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Revelation 19:7
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

Read all of Revelation 19

Revelation 19:6 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y oí como la voz de una grande compañía, y como el ruido de muchas aguas, y como la voz de grandes truenos, que decía: Aleluya: porque reinó el Señor nuestro Dios Todopoderoso.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et j’entendis comme une voix d’une foule nombreuse, et comme une voix de grandes eaux, et comme une voix de forts tonnerres, disant: Alléluia! car le ✶Seigneur, notre Dieu, le Tout-puissant, est entré dans son règne.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und ich hörte wie eine Stimme einer großen Volksmenge und wie ein Rauschen vieler Wasser und wie ein Rollen starker Donner, welche sprachen: Halleluja! denn der Herr, unser Gott, der Allmächtige, hat die Herrschaft angetreten.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et audivi quasi vocem turbæ magnæ, et sicut vocem aquarum multarum, et sicut vocem tonitruorum magnorum, dicentium: Alleluja: quoniam regnavit Dominus Deus noster omnipotens.