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Revelation 16:2

King James Version (KJV)

“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody

Scripture focus

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and [upon] them which worshipped his image.

Revelation 16:2 — KJV

Commentary

Commentary on Revelation 16:2

Theological / Devotional

The first. The numerical designation of each angel implies that the plagues are successive (see on vs. 1, 11).

Noisome and grievous. Or, “painful and severe,” or “troublesome and annoying.”

Sore. Gr. helkos, “ulcer,” “sore,” “suppurating wound.” In the LXX helkos is used of the boils that befell the Egyptians (Ex. 9:9, 10,) of a “botch” that could not be healed (Deut. 28:27), and of the boils that came upon Job (Job 2:7). Against this “sore” the vaunted miracle-working power of the spirits now cooperating with apostate Christianity (Rev. 13:13–14; 18:2; 19:20) apparently proves unavailing (see on ch. 16:14). The falsity of the claims that men have based on miracle-working power is demonstrated in a way that they cannot deny (cf. Ex. 8:19).

The men. This first installment of “the wrath of God” (v. 1) falls upon those who have failed to heed either the third angel’s message, which warned them against worshipping “the beast and his image” (ch. 14:9), or God’s final call to come out of mystic Babylon (ch. 18:1–4). This plague will not be universal.

Mark of the beast. See on ch. 13:16.

Which worshipped his image. See on ch. 13:14, 15.

By SdaBc