Revelation 9:15
New International Version
And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

New Living Translation
Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were turned loose to kill one-third of all the people on earth.

English Standard Version
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

Berean Standard Bible
So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

Berean Literal Bible
And the four angels having been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, so that they might kill a third of mankind.

King James Bible
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

New King James Version
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

New American Standard Bible
And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.

NASB 1995
And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind.

NASB 1977
And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released, so that they might kill a third of mankind.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the four angels were released, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, so that they would kill a third of mankind.

Amplified Bible
So the four angels, who had been prepared for the [appointed] hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

Christian Standard Bible
So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So the four angels who were prepared for the hour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of the human race.

American Standard Version
And the four angels were loosed, that had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And those four Angels were released who were prepared for an hour and for a day and for a month and for a year, to kill a third of the children of men.

Contemporary English Version
The four angels had been prepared for this very hour and day and month and year. Now they were set free to kill a third of all people.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year: for to kill the third part of men.

English Revised Version
And the four angels were loosed, which had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, that they should kill the third part of men.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity.

Good News Translation
The four angels were released; for this very hour of this very day of this very month and year they had been kept ready to kill a third of all the human race.

International Standard Version
So the four angels who were ready for that hour, day, month, and year were released to kill one-third of humanity.

Literal Standard Version
and the four messengers were loosed, who have been made ready for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they may kill the third of mankind;

Majority Standard Bible
So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

New American Bible
So the four angels were released, who were prepared for this hour, day, month, and year to kill a third of the human race.

NET Bible
Then the four angels who had been prepared for this hour, day, month, and year were set free to kill a third of humanity.

New Revised Standard Version
So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind.

New Heart English Bible
The four angels were freed who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of humanity.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the four angels were loosed, who were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, to slay the third part of men.

Weymouth New Testament
And the four angels who had been kept in readiness for that hour, day, month, and year, were set at liberty, so that they might kill a third part of mankind.

World English Bible
The four angels were freed who had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, so that they might kill one third of mankind.

Young's Literal Translation
and loosed were the four messengers, who have been made ready for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they may kill the third of men;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Sixth Trumpet
14saying to the sixth angel with the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” 15So the four angels who had been prepared for this hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.…

Cross References
Revelation 8:7
Then the first angel sounded his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, along with a third of the trees and all the green grass.

Revelation 8:8
Then the second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood,

Revelation 8:9
a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Revelation 8:10
Then the third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star burning like a torch fell from heaven and landed on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water.

Revelation 8:11
The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter like wormwood oil, and many people died from the bitter waters.

Revelation 8:12
Then the fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun and moon and stars were struck. A third of the stars were darkened, a third of the day was without light, and a third of the night as well.

Revelation 9:18
A third of mankind was killed by the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur that proceeded from their mouths.


Treasury of Scripture

And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

for.

Revelation 9:5,10
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…

for to.

Revelation 9:18
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.

Revelation 8:7,9,11,12
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up…

Jump to Previous
Angels Four Free Freed Held Hour Kept Kill Loosed Mankind Messengers Month Part Prepared Readiness Ready Released Slay Third
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Angels Four Free Freed Held Hour Kept Kill Loosed Mankind Messengers Month Part Prepared Readiness Ready Released Slay Third
Revelation 9
1. At the sounding of the fifth angel, a star falls from heaven, to whom is given the key to the bottomless pit.
2. He opens the pit, and there come forth locusts like scorpions.
12. The first woe past.
13. The sixth trumpet sounds.
14. Four angels who were bound are let loose.














(15) And the four angels . . .--Better, And there were loosed the four angels who had been made ready unto (or for, i.e., ready for) the (not "an hour," but the) hour, and day, and month, and year, that they should slay the third part of mankind. The English version reads as though the hour, day, month and year were to be understood as the length of time over which this plague of war should last. This idea has been adopted by many of the historical school of interpreters, and great ingenuity has been exercised to find some period which exactly corresponds with this, and during which disastrous wars prevailed. But the expression ("made ready unto the hour," &c.) is not to be taken to imply that such was the duration of the plague; it implies that the loosing of the angels would take place at a definite period, the year, month, day and hour of which were known; the expression corresponds somewhat with our Lord's words, "Of that day and hour knoweth no man." It reminds us that there is a period--an unknown period, but nevertheless a certain period--at which the latent powers of retribution wake and begin to avenge themselves, at which the restraints which have withheld the long-deserved scourges are removed. Men and nations little think of this. Peace they cry, where there is no peace, for they have been by their sins mining the ground under their feet, or dwelling in that abode of false security which Bunyan might have called the city of Meanwell, and that abode is built on the sands; and when the angels of judgment are loosed, and the restraining influences of public opinion broken, the tempest is abroad, the frail house of formal religion falls, and the time of testing leaves its inmates unsheltered. Happy only are they who are ready for the hour of the Lord's return. The angels are made ready that they should kill the third part of mankind. The way in which this slaughter is to take place is explained in Revelation 9:17-18 : it is a wide and devastating slaughter carrying away a large portion of the human race.

Verse 15. - And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. The alterations in the Revised Version make the meaning much plainer: which had been prepared for the bout, and day, and month, and year, that they should kill, etc. That is to say those "which had" in God's foreknowledge "been prepared" in order to operate at the exact period required - the exact year, month, day, and even hour. Each knew his appointed time. Four is the number used to denote universality in things of this world (see on Revelation 4:6). The number, therefore, seems to imply that the power of the angels is of universal extent. The third part are destroyed; that is, a great part, though not the larger (cf. Revelation 8:7, et seq.).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[So]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

four
τέσσαρες (tessares)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5064: Four. Or neuter tessara a plural number; four.

angels
ἄγγελοι (angeloi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor.

who
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

had been prepared
ἡτοιμασμένοι (hētoimasmenoi)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2090: To make ready, prepare. From hetoimos; to prepare.

for
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

[this]
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

hour
ὥραν (hōran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5610: Apparently a primary word; an 'hour'.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

day
ἡμέραν (hēmeran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

month
μῆνα (mēna)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3376: A (lunar) month. A primary word; a month.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

year
ἐνιαυτόν (eniauton)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1763: A year, cycle of time. Prolongation from a primary enos; a year.

were released
ἐλύθησαν (elythēsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3089: A primary verb; to 'loosen'.

to
ἵνα (hina)
Conjunction
Strong's 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.

kill
ἀποκτείνωσιν (apokteinōsin)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 615: To put to death, kill; fig: I abolish. From apo and kteino; to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy.

a
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

third
τρίτον (triton)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5154: Third. Ordinal from treis; third; neuter a third part, or a third time, thirdly.

of mankind.
ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.


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NT Prophecy: Revelation 9:15 The four angels were freed who had (Rev. Re Apocalypse)
Revelation 9:14
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