Revelation 6 · Verse 15

Revelation 6:15

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Revelation 6:15, King James Version

Revelation 6:15 in other translations

BSBThen the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
WEBThe kings of the earth, the princes, the commanding officers, the rich, the strong, and every slave and free person, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains.
ASVAnd the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;
YLTand the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich, and the chiefs of thousands, and the mighty, and every servant, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains,
DARBYAnd the kings of the earth, and the great, and the chiliarchs, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains;
BBEAnd the kings of the earth, and the rulers, and the chief captains, and the men of wealth, and the strong, and every servant and free man, took cover in the holes and the rocks of the mountains;
WebsterAnd the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free-man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

What does Revelation 6:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. kings ... hid themselves--Where was now the spirit of those whom the world has so greatly feared? [Bengel]. great men--statesmen and high civil officers. rich men ... chief captains--The three oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, transpose thus, "chief captains ... rich men." mighty--The three oldest manuscripts, A, B, and C read, "strong" physically (Psa 33:16). in--literally "into"; ran into, so as to hide themselves in. dens--"caves."

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 15. The universal consternation: And the kings of the earth, etc. The design of this and the following verses, (Rev 6:15-17) in the varied language used, is evidently to denote universal consternation and alarm --as if the earth should be convulsed, and the stars should fall, and the heavens should pass away. This consternation would extend to all classes of men, and fill the world with alarm, as if the end of all things were coming.

The kings of the earth. Rulers--all who occupied thrones.

The great men. High officers of state.

And the rich men. Their wealth would not secure them from destruction, and they would be alarmed like others.

And the chief captains. The commanders of armies, who tremble like other men when God appears in judgment.

And the mighty men. Men of great prowess in battle, but who feel now that they have no power to withstand God.

And every bondman. Servant--δουλος. This word does not necessarily denote a slave, compare Barnes "Eph 6:5"; 1Timm 6:1; 1Timm 1:16 but here the connexion seems to demand it, for it stands in contrast with freeman. There were, in fact, slaves in the Roman empire, and there is no objection in supposing that they are here referred to. There is no reason why they should not be filled with consternation as well as others; and as this does not refer to the end of the world, or the day of judgment, the word here determines nothing as to the question whether slavery is to continue on the earth.

And every freeman. Whether the master of slaves or not. The idea is, that all classes of men, high and low, would be filled with alarm.

Hid themselves in the dens. Among the caves or caverns in the mountains. See Barnes on "Isa 2:19". These places were resorted to for safety in times of danger. Compare 1Sam 13:6 1Sam 24, Jud 6:2, Jer 41:9 and Jos. Ant. book xiv chapter xv, Jewish Wars, book i chapter 16.

And in the rocks of the mountains. Among the crags or the fastnesses of the mountains --also natural places of refuge in times of hostile invasion or danger. Isa 2:21.

See also:

Rev 6:16, seq.

(d) "said" Rev 9:6, Hoss 10:8, Lk 23:30

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 The kings of the earth, etc. - All the secular powers who had endeavored to support the pagan worship by authority, influence, riches, political wisdom, and military skill; with every bondman - all slaves, who were in life and limb addicted to their masters or owners. And every freeman - Those who had been manumitted, commonly called freedmen, and who were attached, through gratitude, to the families of their liberators. All hid themselves - were astonished at the total overthrow of the heathen empire, and the revolution which had then taken place.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 6:12-17

When the sixth seal was opened, there was a great earthquake. The foundations of churches and states would be terribly shaken. Such bold figurative descriptions of great changes abound in the prophecies of Scripture; for these events are emblems, and declare the end of the world and the day of judgment. Dread and terror would seize on all sorts of men. Neither grandeur, riches, valour, nor strength, can support men…

Read the full comment on Revelation 6:12-17 →

Revelation 6:15 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
οἱhoitheG3588
βασιλεῖςbasileiskingsG935
τῆςtēsof theG3588
γῆςgēsearthG1093
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
μεγιστᾶνεςmegistanesgreat onesG3175
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
χιλίαρχοιchiliarchoicommandersG5506
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
πλούσιοιplousioirichG4145
καὶkaiandG2532
οἱhoitheG3588
ἰσχυροὶischuroipowerfulG2478
καὶkaiandG2532
πᾶςpaseveryG3956
δοῦλοςdoulosslaveG1401
καὶkaiandG2532
πᾶςpaseveryoneG3956
ἐλεύθεροςeleutherosfreeG1658
ἔκρυψανekrupsanhidG2928
ἑαυτοὺςhe'autousthemselvesG1438
εἰςeisinG1519
τὰtatheG3588
σπήλαιαspēlaiacavesG4693
καὶkaiandG2532
εἰςeisamongG1519
τὰςtastheG3588
πέτραςpetrasrocksG4073
τῶνtōnof theG3588
ὀρέωνoreōnmountainsG3735

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

Cross references for Revelation 6:15

  • Isaiah 2:19

    And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

  • Isaiah 2:21

    To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.

  • Isaiah 24:21-22

    And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

  • Isaiah 2:10

    Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty.

  • Psalms 2:10-12

    Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

  • Revelation 19:13-21

    And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. …

  • 1 Samuel 13:6

    When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

  • Revelation 18:9-11

    And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

  • Isaiah 42:22

    But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore.

  • Psalms 49:1-2

    To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

  • Job 34:19-20

    How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands. In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.

  • Hebrews 11:38

    (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the kings.
18:9-11; 19:13-21; Job 34:19,20; Ps 2:10-12; 49:1,2; 76:12; 110:5,6
Isa 24:21,22
hid.
Jos 10:16,17; Jud 6:2; 1Sa 13:6; Isa 2:10,19; 42:22; Mic 7:17
Heb 11:38

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

Context

  • Revelation 6:14

    And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

  • Revelation 6:15

    And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

  • Revelation 6:16

    And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

Read all of Revelation 6

Revelation 6:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y los reyes de la tierra, y los príncipes, y los ricos, y los capitanes, y los fuertes, y todo siervo y todo libre, se escondieron en las cuevas y entre las peñas de los montes;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et les rois de la terre, et les grands, et les chiliarques, et les riches, et les forts, et tout esclave, et tout homme libre, se cachèrent dans les cavernes et dans les rochers des montagnes;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und die Könige der Erde und die Großen und die Obersten und die Reichen und die Starken und jeder Knecht und Freie verbargen sich in die Höhlen und in die Felsen der Berge;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et reges terræ, et principes, et tribuni, et divites, et fortes, et omnis servus, et liber absconderunt se in speluncis, et in petris montium: