Revelation 8:11

And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
name	ὄνομα onoma	G3686	a "name" (literally or figuratively) (authority · noun — nominative singular neuter
star	ἀστέρος asteros	G792	a star (as strown over the sky) · noun — genitive singular masculine
called	λέγεται legetai	G3004	properly · verb — present passive indicative, 3rd person singular
Wormwood	Ἄψινθος· Apsinthos	G894	wormwood (as a type of bitterness · noun — nominative singular masculine, a title
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
third	τρίτον triton	G5154	third · adjective — nominative singular neuter
waters	ἄψινθον, apsinthon	G894	wormwood (as a type of bitterness · noun — accusative singular masculine
became	ἐγένετο egeneto	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent indicative, 3rd person singular
wormwood	πολλοὶ polloi	G4183	(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — nominative plural masculine
and	ἀνθρώπων anthrōpōn	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — genitive plural masculine
many	ἀπέθανον apethanon	G599	to die off (literally or figuratively) · verb — second aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural
men	ἐκ ek	G1537	literal or figurative · preposition
died	τὸ to	G3588	the (sometimes to be supplied · article — nominative singular neuter
of	ὑδάτων hudatōn	G5204	water (as if rainy) literally or figuratively · noun — genitive plural neuter
because	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
bitter	ἐπικράνθησαν.¶ epikranthēsan	G4087	to embitter (literally or figuratively) · verb — aorist passive indicative, 3rd person plural

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

Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gal…
Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of…
Deuteronomy 29:18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve…
Proverbs 5:4 But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
Lamentations 3:19 Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.
Amos 5:7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,
Amos 6:12 Shall horses run upon the rock? will one plow there with oxen? for ye have turned judgment into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into he…
Exodus 15:23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 8:7–end

Observe, I. The first angel sounded the first trumpet, and the events which followed were very dismal: There followed hail and fire mingled with blood, etc., Rev 8:7. There was a terrible storm; but whether it is to be understood of a storm of heresies, a mixture of monstrous errors falling on the church (for in that age Arianism prevailed), or a storm or tempest of war falling on the civil state, expositors are not agreed. Mr. Mede takes it to be meant of the Gothic inundation that broke in upon the empire in the year 395, the same year that Theodosius died, when the northern nations, under Alaricus, king of the Goths, broke in upon the western parts of the empire. However, here we observe,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 8:11

The symbolizers interpret the star fallen from heaven as a chief minister (ARIUS, according to BULLINGER, BENGEL, and others; or some future false teacher, if, as is more likely, the event be still future) falling from his high place in the Church, and instead of shining with heavenly light as a star, becoming a torch lit with earthly fire and smouldering with smoke. And "wormwood," though medicinal in some cases, if used as ordinary water would not only be disagreeable to the taste, but also fatal to life: so "heretical wormwood changes the sweet Siloas of Scripture into deadly Marahs" [WORDSWORTH]. Contrast the converse change of bitter Marah water into sweet, Exo 15:23. ALFORD gives as an…

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Adam Clarke on Revelation 8:11

The star is called Wormwood - So called from the bitter or distressing effects produced by its influence.

John Gill on Revelation 8:11

And the name of the star is called Wormwood,.... Because of the bitter afflictions, sorrows, and distresses which it was the instrument of; just as Naomi called herself Mara, because the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her, Ruth 1:20; and the third part of the waters became wormwood; that is, the inhabitants of the provinces and cities belonging to the Roman empire were afflicted with grievous and bitter afflictions and calamities; so great distresses are called wormwood, and waters of gall given to drink, Jeremiah 9:15; and many men died of the waters, because they were bitter; through the barbarities and cruelties of these savage people, who afflicted the empire: there seems to be an al…

The Church Fathers

A third part of humankind was made like the star that fell upon it.… Many die from the waters. This can manifestly be interpreted to refer to those who are rebaptized.
— Caesarius of Arles, EXPOSITION ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:11, HOMILY 6

And many men died from the waters. For many (as the Apostle says) follow their luxuries, through whom the way of truth is blasphemed (II Pet. II), yet for the people of God, as Moses teaches, every wave of the waters is drinkable.
— Bede, Commentary on Revelation

The rivers and fountains of waters signify the teachers of the divine Scriptures who instruct others but turn themselves away from the way of truth. Indeed, the name Wormwood indicates either the bitterness or the sweetness of sins, which give a present sweetness to those who desire them but afterwards change themselves into bitterness.
— Ticonius, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 8:11

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

Wormwood — Heb. la’anah, the Artemisia absinthium of botanists. It is noted for its intense bitterness (Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4; Jer. 9:15; Amos 5:7). It is a type of bitterness, affliction, remorse, punitive…
Astronomy · SI — SI
Stars · 2:10;3:15; — 2:10;3:15;
Water · SYMBOLI — SYMBOLI
Wormwood · SYMBOLI — SYMBOLI

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 8:7–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 8:11

Adam Clarke on Revelation 8:11

John Gill on Revelation 8:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Revelation 8:7–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Revelation 8:11

Adam Clarke on Revelation 8:11

John Gill on Revelation 8:11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Revelation 8:10-11