Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Chinese NCV (Simplified)

启示录 8:2

我看見站在 神面前的七位天使,有七枝號筒賜給了他們。

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Seven;   Thompson Chain Reference - Angels;   Seven;   The Topic Concordance - Seals;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Trumpet;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Seven;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heaven, Heavens, Heavenlies;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Order;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Trumpets;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Incense;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Revelation, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Beast;   Face;   Plagues of Egypt;   Raphael;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Angels;   Enoch Book of;   Numbers;   Trump Trumpet ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Trumpets;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Cherubim;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Angel;   Michael;   Number;   Revelation of John:;  

Parallel Translations

Chinese Union (Simplified)
我 看 见 那 站 在 神 面 前 的 七 位 天 使 , 有 七 枝 号 赐 给 他 们 。

Contextual Overview

1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to whom were given seven trumpets. 3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden pan for incense. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all God's holy people. The angel put this offering on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke from the incense went up from the angel's hand to God with the prayers of God's people. 5 Then the angel filled the incense pan with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were flashes of lightning, thunder and loud noises, and an earthquake. 6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

seven angels: Revelation 15:1, Revelation 16:1, Matthew 18:10, Luke 1:19

trumpets: Revelation 8:6-12, Revelation 9:1, Revelation 9:13, Revelation 9:14, Revelation 11:15, Numbers 10:1-10, 2 Chronicles 29:25-28, Amos 3:6-8

Reciprocal: Joshua 6:4 - seven times Isaiah 27:13 - the great Zechariah 4:10 - those 1 Corinthians 15:52 - last Revelation 10:1 - another

Cross-References

Genesis 7:11
When Noah was six hundred years old, the flood started. On the seventeenth day of the second month of that year the underground springs split open, and the clouds in the sky poured out rain.
Genesis 8:11
and that evening it came back to him with a fresh olive leaf in its mouth. Then Noah knew that the ground was almost dry.
Genesis 8:13
When Noah was six hundred and one years old, in the first day of the first month of that year, the water was dried up from the land. Noah removed the covering of the boat and saw that the land was dry.
Job 38:37
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of the sky
Proverbs 8:28
when he made the clouds above and put the deep underground springs in place.
Jonah 2:3
You threw me into the sea, down, down into the deep sea. The water was all around me, and your powerful waves flowed over me.
Matthew 8:9
I, too, am a man under the authority of others, and I have soldiers under my command. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,' and he goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,' and my servant does it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I saw the seven angels,.... Not the seven spirits of God, Revelation 1:4; their names, as well as their office, differ; nor the ministers of the word, though these are often called angels in this book, and blow the trumpet of the Gospel, and lift up their voice like a trumpet; but the angelic spirits, and these either evil ones, since they are the executioners of wrath and vengeance, and bring judgments on the earth; and who, are sometimes said to stand before God, 1 Kings 22:21; or rather good angels, who are sometimes ministers of divine wrath; see 2 Samuel 24:16; "seven" of them are mentioned, as being a proper number for the blowing of the seven trumpets, which would complete all the woes that were to come upon the world, and in allusion to the seven princes the eastern monarchs used to have continually about them, Esther 1:14, as it follows:

which stood before God; and denotes their nearness to him, and familiarity with him, they always behold his face; and their service and ministrations, and their readiness to execute his will: the allusion is to the two priests standing at the table of fat, with two silver trumpets in their hands, with which they blew, and another struck the cymbal, and the Levites sung, which was always done at the time of the daily sacrifice p:

and to them were given seven trumpets: everyone had one; and which were an emblem of those wars, and desolations, and calamities, which would come upon the empire, and upon the world, at the blowing of each of them; the trumpet being an alarm, preparing for, proclaiming, and introducing these things; Jeremiah 4:19; these are said to be given them; either by him that sat upon the throne, about which they were; or by the Lamb that opened the seal; and shows that they did nothing but what they had a commission and order to do. Here is manifestly an allusion to the priests and Levites blowing their trumpets at the close of the daily sacrifice, and at the offering of incense q as before observed.

p Misn. Tamid. c. 7. sect. 3. q Maimon. Hilch. Tamidin, c. 6. sect. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And I saw the seven angels which stood before God - Prof. Stuart supposes that by these angels are meant the “presence-angels” which he understands to be referred to, in Revelation 1:4, by the “seven spirits which are before the throne.” If, however, the interpretation of that passage above proposed, that it refers to the Holy Spirit, with reference to his multiplied agency and operations, be correct, then we must seek for another application of the phrase here. The only difficulty in applying it arises from the use of the article - “the seven angels” - τοὺς tous as if they were angels already referred to; and as there has been no previous mention of “seven angels,” unless it be in the phrase “the seven spirits which are before the throne,” in Revelation 1:4, it is argued that this must have been such a reference. But this interpretation is not absolutely necessary. John might use this language either because the angels had been spoken of before; or because it would be sufficiently understood, from the common use of language, who would be referred to - as we now might speak of “the seven members of the cabinet of the United States,” or “the thirty-one governors of the states of the Union,” though they had not been particularly mentioned; or he might speak of them as just then disclosed to his view, and because his meaning would be sufficiently definite by the circumstances which were to follow - their agency in blowing the trumpets.

It would be entirely in accordance with the usage of the article for one to say that he saw an army, and the commander-in-chief, and the four staff-officers, and the five bands of music, and the six companies of sappers and miners, etc. It is not absolutely necessary, therefore, to suppose that these angels had been before referred to. There is, indeed, in the use of the phrase “which stood before God,” the idea that they are to be regarded as permanently standing there, or that that is their proper place - as if they were angels who were particularly designated to this high service. Compare Luke 1:19; “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God.” If this idea is involved in the phrase, then there is a sufficient reason why the article is used, though they had not before been mentioned.

And to them were given seven trumpets - One to each. By whom the trumpets were given is not said. It may be supposed to have been done by Him who sat on the throne. Trumpets were used then, as now, for various purposes; to summon an assembly; to muster the hosts of battle; to inspirit and animate troops in conflict. Here they are given to announce a series of important events producing great changes in the world as if God summoned and led on his hosts to accomplish his designs.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 8:2. The seven angels which stood before God — Probably the same as those called the seven Spirits which are before his throne, Revelation 1:4, where see the note. There is still an allusion here to the seven ministers of the Persian monarchs. See Tobit 12:15.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile