Revelation 9 · Verse 6

Revelation 9:6

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
Revelation 9:6, King James Version

Revelation 9:6 in other translations

BSBIn those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.
WEBIn those days people will seek death, and will in no way find it. They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
ASVAnd in those days men shall seek death, and shall in no wise find it; and they shall desire to die, and death fleeth from them.
YLTand in those days shall men seek the death, and they shall not find it, and they shall desire to die, and the death shall flee from them.
DARBYAnd in those days shall men seek death, and shall in no way find it; and shall desire to die, and death flees from them.
BBEAnd in those days men will be hoping for death, and it will not come to them; and they will have a great desire for death, and death will go in flight from them.
WebsterAnd in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

What does Revelation 9:6 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
6. shall desire--Greek, "eagerly desire"; set their mind on. shall flee--So B, Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic read. But A and Aleph read, "fleeth," namely continually. In Re 6:16, which is at a later stage of God's judgments, the ungodly seek annihilation, not from the torment of their suffering, but from fear of the face of the Lamb before whom they have to stand.

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 6. And in those days shall men seek death, etc. Rev 9:5. It is very easy to conceive of such a state of things as is here described, and, indeed, this has not been very uncommon in the world. It is a state where the distress is so great that men would consider death a relief, and where they anxiously look to the time when they may be released from their sufferings by death. In the case before us, it is not intimated that they would lay violent hands on themselves, or that they would take any positive measures to end their sufferings; and this, perhaps, may be a circumstance of some show the importance to that the persons referred to were servants of God. When it is said that "they would seek death," it can only be meant that they would look out for it--or desire it--as the end of their sorrows. This is descriptive, as we shall see, of a particular period of the world; but language is beautifully applicable to what occurs in all ages, and in all lands. There is always a great number of sufferers who are looking forward to death as a relief. In cells and dungeons; on beds of pain and languishing; in scenes of poverty and want; in blighted hopes and disappointed affections, how many are there who would be glad to die, and who have no hope of an end of suffering but in the grave! A few, by the pistol, by the halter, by poison, or by drowning, seek thus to end their woes. A large part look forward to death as a release, when, if the reality were known, death would furnish no such relief, for there are deeper and longer woes beyond the grave than there are this side of it. Compare Job 3:20, seq. But to a portion death will be a relief. It will be an end of sufferings. They will find peace in the grave, and are assured they shall suffer no more. Such bear their trials with patience, for the end of all sorrow to them is near, and death will come to release their spirits from the suffering clay, and to bear them in triumph to a world where a pang shall never be felt, and a tear never shed.

(a) "men seek death" Job 3:21, Jer 8:3

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 6 In those days shall men seek death - So distressing shall be their sufferings and torment that they shall long for death in any form, to be rescued from the evils of life. There is a sentiment much like this in Maximianus, Eleg. i., ver. 111, commonly attributed to Cornelius Gallus: - Nunc quia longa mihi gravis est et inutilis aetas, Vivere cum nequeam, sit mihi posse mori? O quam dura premit miseros conditio vitae! Nec mors humano subjacet arbitrio. Dulce mori miseris; sed mors optata recedit: At cum tristis erit, praecipitata venit. "Seeing that long life is both useless and burdensome When we can no longer live comfortably, shall we be permitted to die? O how hard is the condition on which we hold life! For death is not subjected to the will of man. To die is sweet to the wretched; but wished - for death flees away. Yet when it is not desired, it comes with the hastiest strides." Job expresses the same sentiment, in the most plaintive manner: - Why is light given to the miserable, And life to the bitter of soul? Who wait for death, but it is not; And dig for it more than hid treasures. They rejoice for it, and are glad, And exult when they find the grave. Job 3:20-22.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Revelation 9:1-12

Upon sounding the fifth trumpet, a star fell from heaven to the earth. Having ceased to be a minister of Christ, he who is represented by this star becomes the minister of the devil; and lets loose the powers of hell against the churches of Christ. On the opening of the bottomless pit, there arose a great smoke. The devil carries on his designs by blinding the eyes of men, by putting out light and knowledge, and…

Read the full comment on Revelation 9:1-12 →

Revelation 9:6 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
ἐνeninG1722
ταῖςtaistheG3588
ἡμέραιςhēmeraisdaysG2250
ἐκείναιςekeinaisthoseG1565
ζητήσουσινzētēsousinwill seekG2212
οἱhoi<the>G3588
ἄνθρωποιanthrōpoimenG444
τὸνton<the>G3588
θάνατονthanatondeathG2288
καὶkaiandG2532
οὐoucertainlyG3756
μὴmēno moreG3361
εὑρήσουσινheurēsousinwill findG2147
αὐτόν·autonit;G846
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐπιθυμήσουσινepithumēsousinthey will longG1937
ἀποθανεῖν,apothaneinto die,G599
καὶkaiandG2532
φεύγειpheugeihe fleesG5343
ὁho<the>G3588
θάνατοςthanatosdeathG2288
ἀπ᾽ap᾽fromG575
αὐτῶν.autōnthem.G846

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

Cross references for Revelation 9:6

  • Luke 23:30

    Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.

  • Jeremiah 8:3

    And death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue of them that remain of this evil family, which remain in all the places whither I have driven them, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • 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:

  • 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.

  • Hosea 10:8

    The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.

  • Job 7:15-16

    So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

  • Job 3:20-22

    Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; Which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave?

  • 2 Samuel 1:9

    He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

  • John 4:8-9

    (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
shall men.
6:16; 2Sa 1:9; Job 3:20-22; 7:15,16; Isa 2:19; Jer 8:3; Ho 10:8
Joh 4:8,9; Lu 23:30

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

Context

  • Revelation 9:5

    And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

  • Revelation 9:6

    And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

  • Revelation 9:7

    And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

Read all of Revelation 9

Revelation 9:6 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y en aquellos días buscarán los hombres la muerte, y no la hallarán; y desearán morir, y la muerte huirá de ellos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et en ces jours-là les hommes chercheront la mort et ils ne la trouveront point; et ils désireront de mourir, et la mort s’enfuit d’eux.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und in jenen Tagen werden die Menschen den Tod suchen und werden ihn nicht finden, und werden zu sterben begehren, und der Tod flieht vor ihnen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et in diebus illis quærent homines mortem, et non invenient eam: et desiderabunt mori, et fugiet mors ab eis.