Revelation 8:11-13
New English Translation
11 (Now[a] the name of the star is[b] Wormwood.)[c] So[d] a third of the waters became wormwood,[e] and many people died from these waters because they were poisoned.[f]
12 Then[g] the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And there was no light for a third of the day[h] and for a third of the night likewise. 13 Then[i] I looked, and I heard an[j] eagle[k] flying directly overhead,[l] proclaiming with a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!”[m]
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- Revelation 8:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” in keeping with the parenthetical nature of this remark.
- Revelation 8:11 tn Grk “is called,” but this is somewhat redundant in contemporary English.
- Revelation 8:11 sn Wormwood refers to a particularly bitter herb with medicinal value. According to L&N 3.21, “The English term wormwood is derived from the use of the plant as a medicine to kill intestinal worms.” This remark about the star’s name is parenthetical in nature.
- Revelation 8:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the star falling on the waters.
- Revelation 8:11 tn That is, terribly bitter (see the note on “Wormwood” earlier in this verse).
- Revelation 8:11 tn Grk “and many of the men died from these waters because they were bitter.”
- Revelation 8:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 8:12 tn Grk “the day did not shine [with respect to] the third of it.”
- Revelation 8:13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
- Revelation 8:13 tn Grk “one eagle.”
- Revelation 8:13 tc MA reads “angel” (ἀγγέλου, angelou) instead of “eagle” (ἀετοῦ, aetou), a reading strongly supported by א A 046 MK and several versions. On external grounds, ἀετοῦ is clearly the superior reading. ἀγγέλου could have arisen inadvertently due to similarities in spelling or sound between ἀετοῦ and ἀγγέλου. It may also have been intentional in order to bring this statement in line with 14:6 where an angel is mentioned as the one flying in midair. This seems a more likely reason, strengthened by the facts that the book only mentions eagles two other times (4:7; 12:14). Further, the immediate as well as broad context is replete with references to angels.
- Revelation 8:13 tn Concerning the word μεσουράνημα (mesouranēma), L&N 1.10 states, “a point or region of the sky directly above the earth—‘high in the sky, midpoint in the sky, directly overhead, straight above in the sky.’ εἶδον, καὶ ἤκουσα ἑνὸς ἁετοῦ πετομένου ἐν μεσουρανήματι ‘I looked, and I heard an eagle that was flying overhead in the sky’ Re 8:13.”
- Revelation 8:13 tn Grk “about to sound their trumpets,” but this is redundant in English.
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