Revelation 14:18

Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — An angel with authority over fire comes from the altar and commands a second angel holding a sharp sickle to harvest the earth's ripe grapes. This occurs between the appearance of a temple-born angel with a sickle and the casting of the gathered grapes into God's winepress.

The words — ἐξῆλθεν (exēlthen) translates literally as "came out," and θυσιαστηρίου (thusiastēriou) means "altar." The text explicitly locates the commanding angel's origin at the altar rather than the heavenly temple.

The thread — The harvest and winepress imagery runs directly to Joel 3:13, which pairs the swinging of a sickle with the treading of a full winepress. The altar reference aligns with Revelation 6:9, where the souls of the slain are positioned beneath an altar.

Why it lands — The text records a direct divine command to harvest ripe grapes as a precursor to judgment. It requires the reader to track the sequence of heavenly actions without projecting personal emotion onto the agricultural metaphor.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Greek words

ΚαὶKaiAnd ἄλλοςallosanother ἄγγελοςangelosangel ἐξῆλθενexēlthencame ἐκekout of τοῦtouthe θυσιαστηρίουthusiastērioualtar ὁhowho ἔχωνechōnis having ἐξουσίανexousianauthority ἐπὶepiover τοῦtouthe πυρὸςpurosfire καὶkaiand ἐφώνησενephōnēsenhe called φωνῇphōnēain a voice μεγάλῃmegalēloud τῷtōto the [one]ἔχοντιechontihaving τὸtothe δρέπανονdrepanonsickle τὸto<the>ὀξὺoxusharp λέγων·legōnsaying;πέμψονpempsondo put forth σουsouyour τὸto<the>δρέπανονdrepanonsickle τὸto<the>ὀξὺoxusharp καὶkaiand τρύγησονtrugēsondo gather τοὺςtousthe βότρυαςbotruasclusters τῆςtēsfrom the ἀμπέλουampelouvine τῆςtēsof the γῆς,gēsearth,ὅτιhotibecause ἤκμασανēkmasanfully ripened αἱhaithe σταφυλαὶstaphulaigrapes αὐτῆς.autēsof it.

King James Version

And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.

Cross-references

Joel 3:13 Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because their wickedness is great.
Revelation 16:8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire.
Revelation 6:9 And when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony they had upheld.
Revelation 14:15 Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest, for the crop of the earth is ripe.”