Revelation of John 9:3 · Bible study
Revelation 9:3 Commentary: Locusts from the Abyss
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the locusts from the abyss in Revelation 9:3, symbols of divine judgment, limited torment, and the power granted to them.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Locusts from the abyss symbolise agents of divine torment, limited in duration and effect.
- Key words: akrides (locusts), exousia (power/authority), skorpioi (scorpions), edothē (was given, divine passive).
- Main debate: Historical referent, who or what the locusts represent (Saracens, Roman clergy, demonic forces, etc.).
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over judgment; evil's limited permission; the seal of God as protection.
- Best use: Teaching on the nature of apocalyptic symbols; the certainty of judgment restrained by grace.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
And out of the smoke, locusts descended on the earth, and they were given power like that of the scorpions of the earth.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
KJV King James Version 1769
And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And out of the smoke came forth locusts upon the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And out of the smoke came forth locusts to the earth, and there was given to them authority, as scorpions of the earth have authority,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And out of the smoke came forth locusts on the earth, and power was given to them as the scorpions of the earth have power;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And from the smoke of the pit there came out locusts upon the earth. And power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y del|strong="G1537, G3588" humo salieron langostas sobre la tierra; y fuéles dada potestad, como tienen potestad los escorpiones de la tierra.
E da fumaça saíram gafanhotos sobre a terra; e foi dado a eles poder como o poder que os escorpiões da terra têm.
De la fumée sortirent des sauterelles, qui se répandirent sur la terre; et il leur fut donné un pouvoir comme le pouvoir qu’ ont les scorpions de la terre.
Und aus dem Rauch kamen Heuschrecken auf die Erde; und ihnen ward Macht gegeben, wie die Skorpione auf Erden Macht haben.
En uit den rook kwamen sprinkhanen op de aarde, en hun werd macht gegeven, gelijk de schorpioenen der aarde macht hebben.
E dal fumo uscirono sulla terra delle locuste; e fu dato loro un potere pari al potere che hanno gli scorpioni della terra.
A z onego dymu wyszły szarańcze na ziemię i dano im moc, jako mają moc niedźwiadki ziemskie;
И из дыма вышла саранча на землю, и дана была ей власть, какую имеют земные скорпионы.
有蝗蟲 從 煙 中出來，飛到地 上； 有能力 賜給 牠們，好像 地上 蠍子 的 能力一樣，
And from the smoke locusts came out on the earth; and power was given them, like the power of scorpions.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Revelation of John 9:3
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the locusts emerging from the abyss's smoke are symbolic agents of judgment, not literal insects. Barnes notes they burst forth mingled with smoke, becoming visible as it cleared. The Cambridge Bible observes they are 'infernal locusts' compared to natural scorpions, they torment but do not destroy vegetation. Vincent traces the imagery back to the eighth plague of Egypt (Exodus 10). The consensus holds that these creatures receive their power (edothē, an aorist passive verb implying divine grant) and use it like the scorpions of the earth: painful and limited. As Jamieson-Fausset-Brown remarks, the locusts are 'of the abyss' while the scorpions are 'of the earth,' contrasting their origin. The shared certainty across these readings is that God sovereignly permits this torment for those without His seal, and it is bounded in scope and duration.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Human military forces: Commentators like Clarke, Gill, and Wesley identify the locusts with invading armies (Saracens, Persians), drawing on Old Testament locust imagery for armies (Judges 7:12, Joel 2).
- Ecclesiastical corruption: Gill and Poole see the locusts as the Roman clergy – cardinals, monks – who arose from the smoke of false doctrine and council decrees.
- Demonic beings: A modern apocalyptic reading emphasises the supernatural origin (abyss, smoke, composite description) and views the locusts as demonic forces permitted to torment the unsealed.
What is clear: The locusts are agents of divine judgment, emerging from the abyss with limited power to torment but not kill those without God's seal.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the locusts | All traditions agree they are symbolic, not literal insects. | Whether they represent human armies (Saracens, Persians), ecclesiastical institutions (Roman clergy), or spiritual/demonic beings. |
| Origin from the abyss | They emerge from the abyss, a place of imprisonment for demonic forces. | Whether this points to a specific historical event (like the rise of Islam) or a general spiritual source of deception and judgment. |
| Power limitation | Their power is granted by God and limited to torment, not death. | How to interpret the five-month duration, literal time, symbolic period, or reference to a specific historical phase. |
| Comparison to scorpions | The comparison emphasises painful but non-lethal affliction. | Whether the scorpions represent archers (Clarke), natural venomous creatures (Vincent), or a metaphorical sting of guilt/terror. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Locusts were among the most feared plagues in the ancient Near East. The Old Testament describes them as an instrument of divine judgment: in Exodus 10, locusts darkened the land and devoured every green thing. Joel's prophecy depicts a locust army as a symbol of coming judgment. When John writes of locusts from the abyss, his first readers would recall these traditions, yet these locusts break the pattern. They do not eat vegetation; they torment people. The comparison to scorpions adds another layer. Scorpions were common in the wilderness of Sinai (Deuteronomy 8:15), and their sting is intensely painful but rarely fatal, an apt image for judgment that wounds but does not kill.
The abyss (or abyssos) in Jewish apocalyptic literature is the prison of demonic powers (Luke 8:31). Smoke billowing from it recalls the smoke of a furnace, like the smoke that shrouded Sinai during the giving of the law, or the smoke of destruction in Isaiah. Here the smoke darkens the sun and air, creating an atmosphere of confusion and dread. The locusts come out of the smoke, they are born from a haze of deception and judgment. Granting them exousia (authority, not raw power) underlines that even these terrifying agents operate only within God's permissive will. The five-month limit on their activity echoes the lifespan of a typical locust swarm and sets a temporal boundary on their torment.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Revelation 9:3. The Greek text is stable across major manuscripts, with only minor differences in word order (e.g. the placement of autais, 'to them'). These do not affect interpretation.
Reception History
This verse has been read widely across church history. Early interpreters (such as Bede) often saw the locusts as demonic spirits emerging with the smoke of error. Medieval readers linked them to heretics and Muslim conquests. During the Reformation, Protestant commentators like Mede and Napier identified the locusts with the Roman Catholic hierarchy (Gill, Poole), while others (Clarke, Wesley) applied them to Persian or Saracen armies that persecuted Jews in the sixth century. Modern scholarship generally treats the imagery as an apocalyptic symbol of evil that is restrained by God, without insisting on a single historical referent. The diversity of readings shows the richness of the symbol: locusts from the abyss can represent any overwhelming, painful judgment that God permits as a warning before the final end.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The source of judgment, Locusts emerge from the smoke of the abyss, not from nature. Their origin signals a supernatural dimension behind this affliction.
- The nature and limit of their power, They are given authority like scorpions: painful torment but not death. The divine passive verb (was given) reminds us God sets boundaries.
- The target of their torment, They harm only those without God's seal. The judgment is discriminating, and the people of God are protected.
Five-point outline
- Origin, From the abyss, through the smoke. Evil has a source outside the created order.
- Symbol, Locusts: a familiar Old Testament plague, now applied to human tormenters or spiritual forces.
- Authority granted, They receive power (exousia). It is given, not seized. God remains sovereign over every agent of harm.
- Comparison, Like scorpions of the earth. The sting is real, but it does not kill. The torment is measured.
- Restraint, They are commanded not to hurt the earth's vegetation (v4). Their mission is specific and their scope limited.
Illustration hooks
- A doctor's painful procedure, it hurts in the moment but is limited and purposeful, not final.
- A swarm of problems at once: work stress, family conflict, health news, overwhelming, yet a clear boundary of what they can touch.
- The sting of a wasp: sharp, memorable, but usually passing. It changes how you move through the world for a while.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why would a loving God allow torment at all, even if it's temporary?
- What does it mean to have God's seal on my forehead, how do I know I'm protected?
- Are these locusts real creatures or symbols, and does it change how I read the passage?
Leading a Discussion
This verse forces us to look at judgment through apocalyptic lenses. The locusts are unsettling because they come from the abyss, not from nature. As you read Revelation 9:3 in its context, let the strangeness of the imagery open up questions about God's sovereignty, the reality of evil, and the hope of protection.
Discussion questions
- What do the locusts look like? Read verses 7, 10 and picture them. What stands out as familiar, and what is strange?
- Where do the locusts come from? What does the smoke and the abyss suggest about their nature?
- What power are they given? How does the phrase 'as the scorpions of the earth have power' limit what they can do?
- Why are they forbidden to harm grass, trees, or green things? How does that distinguish them from ordinary locusts (Exodus 10:15)?
- What does it mean that power 'was given' to them? Who is the unseen giver? How does that affect your view of suffering from spiritual evil?
- The torment lasts five months, a specific period. Why does the text give a time limit rather than an open-ended sentence?
- How does the sealing of God's people (verse 4) change how you read this judgment? What security does it offer for believers facing any kind of 'locust' today?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 10:4 | Or else, if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, |
| Exodus 10:15 | For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. |
| Deuteronomy 8:15 | who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with venomous snakes and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who poured water for you out of the rock of flint; |
| Judges 7:12 | The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude. |
| I Kings 12:11 | Now my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’” |
| Isaiah 33:4 | Your plunder will be gathered as the caterpillar gathers. Men will leap on it as locusts leap. |
| Ezekiel 2:6 | You, son of man, don’t be afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you, and you dwell among scorpions. Don’t be afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. |
| Joel 1:4 | What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke interprets the locusts as literal military forces, not supernatural beings, and identifies them with the Saracens or the Romans. He understands the scorpions' sting as representing archers, and applies the description specifically to the Roman general Cestius Gallus, who led archers in his army.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes that the locusts are an Oriental symbol, naturally pointing to events in the East. He notes they represent a destructive army, driven not by hunger but by a rage to consume everything, and their power to torment is compared to scorpions.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools clarifies that the phrase "scorpions of the earth" means literal scorpions, not a metaphor. These locusts can harm people just as scorpions do, unlike ordinary locusts that cannot.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And he opened the bottomlesse pit, and there arose the smoke of the pit, as the smoke of a great fornace, and the sunne, and the ayre were darkened by the smoke of the pit.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the locusts as two real-world groups: the Roman Catholic clergy and the Saracens (early Muslims). Both arose from the antichristian smoke of the bottomless pit, not from nature. He compares them to scorpions for their deceptive, tormenting power in striking with condemnation and plunder.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes the Greek preposition means “unto” or “into,” not simply “upon.” He contrasts these locusts—which come up from the abyss, not from the earth—with earthly scorpions. Their power is specifically the ability to sting.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the fallen star as a spiritual condition rather than a person or angel. He identifies it with repentance separated from faith, a faithless remorse that becomes religious self-torment and opens the abyss within the human soul. This
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry emphasizes that these demonic locusts act under strict divine restraint: they cannot touch the grass, trees, or the sealed, and they cannot kill, only torment for a set time. Their king, named Destroyer in both Hebrew and Greek, rules a realm whose power is real but carefully bounded by God.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent grounds the locusts and scorpions in real natural history, linking the locusts to the Exodus plague and Joel's description, and giving careful details on scorpion types. He notes that Syrian scorpions cause pain but rarely death, while North African ones can be fatal, and ties the wilderness of Sinai to the ancient name Akrabbim, meaning scorpion.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley interprets the locusts as a symbol of the Persian people who harshly persecuted the Jews from the fifth to sixth centuries. He notes that the locusts came out of the smoke from the pit, not the pit itself, and that the scorpions described are the most harmful kind on earth.