Revelation 6:15

And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
kings	βασιλεῖς basileis	G935	a sovereign (abstractly · noun — nominative plural masculine
earth	γῆς gēs	G1093	soil · noun — genitive singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
great	μεγιστᾶνες megistanes	G3175	grandees · noun — nominative plural masculine
men	οἱ hoi	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
men	πλούσιοι plousioi	G4145	wealthy · adjective — nominative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
captains	χιλίαρχοι chiliarchoi	G5506	the commander of a thousand soldiers ("chiliarch" · noun — nominative plural masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
men	δυνατός dynatós	G1415	powerful or capable (literally or figuratively)
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
every	πᾶς pas	G3956	all · adjective — nominative singular masculine
bondman	δοῦλος doulos	G1401	a slave (literal or figurative · noun — nominative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
every	πᾶς pas	G3956	all · adjective — nominative singular masculine
man	ἐλεύθερος eleutheros	G1658	unrestrained (to go at pleasure) · adjective — nominative singular masculine
hid	ἔκρυψαν ekrupsan	G2928	to conceal (properly · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
themselves	ἑαυτοὺς he'autous	G1438	him- (her- · reflexive pronoun
in	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
dens	σπήλαια spēlaia	G4693	a cavern · noun — accusative plural neuter
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
in	εἰς eis	G1519	to or into (indicating the point reached or entered) · preposition
rocks	πέτρας petras	G4073	a (mass of) rock (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative plural feminine
mountains	ὀρέων oreōn	G3735	perhaps akin to G142 (αἴρω) · noun — genitive plural neuter

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Isaiah 2:19 And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when…
Isaiah 2:21 To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he a…
Isaiah 24:21-22 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upo…
Isaiah 2:10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
Psalms 2:10-12 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Revelation 19:13-21 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and i…
Job 34:19-20 How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 6:9–end

In the remaining part of this chapter we have the opening of the fifth and the sixth seals. I. The fifth seal. Here is no mention made of any one who called the apostle to make his observation, probably because the decorum of the vision was to be observed, and each of the four living creatures had discharged its duty of a monitor before, or because the events here opened lay out of the sight, and beyond the time, of the present ministers of the church; or because it does not contain a new prophecy of any future events, but rather opens a spring of support and consolation to those who had been and still were under great tribulation for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Here observe, 1. The s…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 6:15

kings . . . hid themselves--Where was now the spirit of those whom the world has so greatly feared? [BENGEL]. great men--statesmen and high civil officers. rich men . . . chief captains--The three oldest manuscripts, A, B, C, transpose thus, "chief captains . . . rich men." mighty--The three oldest manuscripts, A, B, and C read, "strong" physically (Psa 33:16). in--literally "into"; ran into, so as to hide themselves in. dens--"caves."

Adam Clarke on Revelation 6:15

The kings of the earth, etc. - All the secular powers who had endeavored to support the pagan worship by authority, influence, riches, political wisdom, and military skill; with every bondman - all slaves, who were in life and limb addicted to their masters or owners. And every freeman - Those who had been manumitted, commonly called freedmen, and who were attached, through gratitude, to the families of their liberators. All hid themselves - were astonished at the total overthrow of the heathen empire, and the revolution which had then taken place.

John Gill on Revelation 6:15

And the king's of the earth, and the great men,.... The Roman emperors, and other principal magistrates, governors of provinces and cities: and the rich men; among the commonalty; these three may design perhaps more particularly the emperors, nobles, and senate of Rome: and the chief captains; or captains of thousands, that had the command of the Roman legions and the mighty men; the soldiers that were under them, men of strength, courage, and valour; and every bondman, and every freeman; which takes in all the inhabitants of the Roman empire, of every state and condition, and which was an usual distinction among the Romans: these hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the moun…

The Church Fathers

And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders. We understand kings as powerful people. He means to encompass every rank and condition. Besides, who but the persecutor will be kings then?
— Bede, Commentary on Revelation

This signifies that the whole world, among the good and the saints, is going to find refuge in the church, so that made firm under [the church's] protection it is able to endure unto eternal life, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
— Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 6:15, HOMILY 5

They hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains, etc. When the weaker ones seek to be strengthened by the examples of the high ones in the Church, to be fortified by their advice, and to be protected by their warnings and prayers, they figuratively ask these mountains to fall on them through their compassionate affection. For the high mountains are a refuge for the deer, and the rocks a shelter for the hedgehogs (Ps. 104:18).
— Bede, Commentary on Revelation

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Caves · Afford no protection from the judgments of God — Afford no protection from the judgments of God
Dens · Used as places of refuge — Used as places of refuge
Despondency · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Escape · NONE, FROM THE — NONE, FROM THE
Judgment · 6:2;9:27;10:27; — 6:2;9:27;10:27;
Riches · Cannot deliver in the day of God’s wrath — Cannot deliver in the day of God’s wrath
Rocks · Used as: Places of safety in danger — Used as: Places of safety in danger

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 6:9–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 6:15

Adam Clarke on Revelation 6:15

John Gill on Revelation 6:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 6:9–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 6:15

Adam Clarke on Revelation 6:15

John Gill on Revelation 6:15

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Revelation 6:15-17