Revelation 16:1

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out on the earth the seven bowls of God’s wrath.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — A loud voice from the temple addresses seven angels, commanding them to pour out God’s bowls of wrath on the earth. This command follows the vision of the seven final plagues in Revelation 15.

The words — ἤκουσα (ēkousa) means "I heard," and ναοῦ (naou) translates to "temple." These terms anchor the divine command in a heavenly sanctuary rather than an earthly location.

The thread — The motif of pouring out wrath appears in Zephaniah 3:8 and Jeremiah 10:25, where divine judgment targets nations that reject God. Revelation 15:1 establishes the seven bowls as the final plagues that complete God’s wrath.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine judgment originates from God’s presence and is executed through appointed agents. It requires the reader to acknowledge the certainty of the coming bowls without rationalizing or delaying their fulfillment.

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

King James Version

And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.

Cross-references

Zephaniah 3:8 Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation—all My burning anger. For all the earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy.
Jeremiah 10:25 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, and on the families that do not call on Your name. For they have devoured Jacob; they have consumed him and finished him off; they have devastated his homeland.
Revelation 15:1 Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven: seven angels with the seven final plagues, with which the wrath of God is completed.
Psalms 79:6 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
Revelation 16:17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came from the throne in the temple, saying, “It is done!”
Revelation 15:5 After this I looked, and the temple—the tabernacle of the Testimony—was opened in heaven.
Revelation 16:2 So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and loathsome, malignant sores broke out on those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.
1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
Ezekiel 9:5 And as I listened, He said to the others, “Follow him through the city and start killing; do not show pity or spare anyone!