Revelation 9:13 kjv
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Revelation 9:13 nkjv
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
Revelation 9:13 niv
The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God.
Revelation 9:13 esv
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God,
Revelation 9:13 nlt
Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice speaking from the four horns of the gold altar that stands in the presence of God.
Revelation 9 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rev 9:14 | saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release…” | Continues the sequence of the sixth trumpet. |
| Rev 11:15 | Then the seventh angel sounded... | Shows the sequence of trumpet judgments. |
| Rev 8:3 | another angel, having a golden censer... on the golden altar which was before the throne. | Establishes the altar's location and significance in heaven. |
| Rev 8:4 | And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. | Links the altar to the prayers of God's people. |
| Rev 6:9 | I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God... | Connects the altar to martyred saints' prayers for justice. |
| Rev 6:10 | And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood...?” | Shows the plea for justice, to which judgments may be a response. |
| Exod 30:1 | “You shall make an altar to burn incense on..." | Prescribes the earthly golden altar of incense. |
| Exod 30:2-3 | "You shall make its horns on its four corners..." | Describes the horns on the altar of incense. |
| Lev 4:7 | "And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet incense..." | Relates horns to atonement and sanctuary. |
| 1 Kgs 1:50-51 | Adonijah...took hold of the horns of the altar. | Illustrates horns as a traditional place of refuge. |
| 1 Kgs 2:28 | Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar. | Further example of seeking refuge at the altar's horns. |
| Heb 9:3-4 | Behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden altar of incense... | Establishes the altar's location in the most sacred space of the earthly tabernacle, pointing to its heavenly counterpart. |
| Isa 6:4 | And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. | Divine voice signifying presence and power in a holy place. |
| Ezek 1:28 | ...I heard a voice of One speaking. | Divine voice emanating from God's glory/presence. |
| Num 10:1-10 | Make two silver trumpets for yourself... for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps. | Illustrates trumpets used for assembly and movement, as well as alarm. |
| Joel 2:1 | Blow the trumpet in Zion! Sound an alarm... for the day of the Lord is coming... | Trumpet signifying warning and the Day of the Lord (judgment). |
| Zeph 1:16 | A day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities... | Describes the trumpet's role in a day of judgment. |
| Psa 118:27 | Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. | Connection between horns, sacrifice, and divine acceptance. |
| Rev 4:1 | I heard...a first voice which was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here...” | John hearing a powerful, commanding voice from heaven. |
| Rev 1:10 | I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, | John's initial encounter with a commanding voice in vision. |
| Rev 5:8 | ...golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. | Reinforces the symbolic link between incense and prayers, which ascends from the altar. |
| Dan 7:9-10 | The court was seated, And the books were opened. | Imagery of a heavenly court where divine judgments are decreed. |
Revelation 9 verses
Revelation 9 13 Meaning
Revelation 9:13 details the unleashing of the sixth trumpet judgment. It describes John's perception of a voice emanating from the four horns of the golden altar, positioned directly before God. This signifies that the unfolding judgments are divinely mandated and initiated from God's sacred presence, implying they are righteous and deliberate acts.
Revelation 9 13 Context
Revelation chapter 9 details two "woe" judgments (the fifth and sixth trumpets). The fifth trumpet released demonic "locusts" inflicting torment, not death. Verse 13 transitions to the sixth trumpet, intensifying the judgments to a greater, more destructive scale. The appearance of the golden altar here connects the preceding judgments and those to come with the heavenly throne room and the prayers of God's saints, indicating these acts are rooted in divine justice and holiness rather than arbitrary wrath. Historically, the audience would recognize the "golden altar" and its "horns" from Old Testament tabernacle and temple worship, where the altar of incense was central to worship and priestly duties, emphasizing sacred space and divine proximity.
Revelation 9 13 Word analysis
Then (καὶ - kai): Conjunction indicating sequential progression of events. Signifies the next stage in the unfolding divine judgments.
the sixth angel (ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ἕκτος - ho angelos ho hektos): Identifies the specific angelic figure initiating this phase. Continues the established series of trumpet judgments.
sounded (ἐσάλπισεν - esalpisen): From σαλπίζω (salpizō), "to blow a trumpet." Denotes an announcement, a divine call to action, often signaling war, judgment, or important decrees.
and I heard (καὶ ἤκουσα - kai ēkousa): John's direct sensory perception of the revelation. Validates the immediate experience of the prophetic vision.
a voice (φωνὴν - phōnēn): Refers to a supernatural utterance. This voice carries divine authority and significance, directing the subsequent judgment.
from the four horns (ἐκ τῶν κεράτων τῶν τεσσάρων - ek tōn keratōn tōn tessarōn): Specifies the source of the voice. "Four" represents universality or global reach. The horns of the altar, powerful extensions, traditionally associated with refuge, atonement, and authority.
of the golden altar (τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ χρυσοῦ - tou thysiastēriou tou chryson): Indicates the altar of incense in the heavenly temple (unlike the brazen altar for sacrifices). Gold signifies divine preciousness, purity, and sacredness.
which is before God (τοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ - tou enōpion tou theou): Emphasizes the altar's direct proximity to the divine throne. This placement confirms the judgments' direct origination from God's immediate presence and holy will.
Words-group analysis:
- "Then the sixth angel sounded": Marks a solemn, deliberate shift to the next level of divine judgment. It emphasizes a structured, unfolding divine plan.
- "I heard a voice": Highlights John's active role as receiver of divine revelation. The emphasis on hearing signifies the spoken nature of God's commands.
- "from the four horns of the golden altar": The very source of the command points to the sacredness of the judgments. This altar, linked to the prayers of the saints and God's holiness, shows divine action arising from within God's own pure sanctuary. "Four horns" imply the judgment will be comprehensive in scope.
- "which is before God": Affirms the direct divine initiation and authorization of the events that follow. These judgments are not arbitrary, but rather rooted in God's righteousness and presence.
Revelation 9 13 Bonus section
- The voice originating from the altar rather than the throne directly indicates a judgment specifically linked to the elements of worship and intercession, potentially a divine response to either neglected worship or prayers for vengeance.
- In the Old Testament, touching the horns of the altar often represented a plea for sanctuary. Here, a command for judgment issues from the horns, turning a symbol of refuge into one of decisive judgment, signifying that there is no more refuge for those upon whom this judgment is pronounced.
- The progression of the trumpet judgments, each announced by a heavenly trumpet blast, systematically strips away humanity's sense of security, showing God's unrelenting purpose to call all to repentance before the ultimate consummation.
Revelation 9 13 Commentary
Revelation 9:13 is a pivotal verse, initiating the severe judgments associated with the sixth trumpet. The specificity of the voice's origin, "from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," underscores the solemnity and divine sanction of the impending destruction. This is not an earthly voice, nor a random act of chaos, but a direct decree from God's heavenly sanctuary. The golden altar of incense, as depicted elsewhere in Revelation (Rev 8:3-5), serves as the repository for the prayers of the saints, including their cries for justice against persecution (Rev 6:9-10). Thus, the voice emanating from this sacred place suggests that these escalating judgments are, in part, a righteous divine response to those very prayers and to unrepentant sin on earth. The "four horns" likely symbolize the universal extent and divine authority of this decree, implying a judgment that extends in all directions. It conveys that divine justice, even in its severe forms, originates from God's holy and just character.