Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
Parallel Translations
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Out of his mouth proceeds a sharp, double-edged sword, that with it he should strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He treads the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
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and out of his mouthe went out a sharppe swerde that with that he shuld smyte the hethen. And he shall rule them with a rodde of yron and he trode the wynefatt of fearsnes and wrath of almyghty god.
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And out of his mouth went out a sharpe sworde, that with it he should smite the heathen: for he shall rule them with a rod of yron: for he it is that treadeth the wine presse of the fiercenesse and wrath of almightie God.
Cross-references (12)
Passages linked to Revelation 19:15 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 63:2-6 Why is your clothing red, and your garments like him who treads in the wine vat? “I have trodden the wine press alone. Of the peoples, no one was with me. Yes, I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath. Their lifeblood is sprinkled on my garments, and I have stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redeemed has come. I looked, and there was no one to help; and I wondered that there was no one to uphold. Therefore my own arm brought salvation to me. My own wrath upheld me. I trod down the peoples in my anger and made them drunk in my wrath. I poured their lifeblood out on the earth.”
- Revelation 1:16 He had seven stars in his right hand. Out of his mouth proceeded a sharp two-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining at its brightest.
- Revelation 2:27 He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father:
- Psalms 2:9 You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8 Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will kill with the breath of his mouth, and destroy by the manifestation of his coming;
- Isaiah 11:4 but he will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the humble of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips he will kill the wicked.
- Revelation 19:21 The rest were killed with the sword of him who sat on the horse, the sword which came out of his mouth. All the birds were filled with their flesh.
- Revelation 12:5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. Her child was caught up to God, and to his throne.
- Revelation 14:17-20 Another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven. He also had a sharp sickle. Another angel came out from the altar, he who has power over fire, and he called with a great voice to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, “Send your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for the earth’s grapes are fully ripe!” The angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. The wine press was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.
- Revelation 2:12 “To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: “He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things:
- Revelation 2:16 Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.
- Isaiah 30:33 For his burning place has long been ready. Yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made its pyre deep and large with fire and much wood. Yahweh’s breath, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain The effects of Christ prepared unto battle, that with…
The effects of Christ prepared unto battle, that with his mouth he striketh the Gentiles, ruleth and destroyeth.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp…
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Ver. 15. A sharp sword] The word, Eph 6:17; the rod wherewith he smiteth the earth, Isa 11:4; the breath of his mouth, whereby Antichrist shall be overthrown, as by force of arms, so also of arguments.
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The nations] The paganish pa-pagans. See the book entitled Paganopapismus; wherein is proved that papism is flat paganism, and that the Papists do resemble the very pagans in above seven score individual things.
And he treadeth the winepress] At Armageddon, Rev 16:16.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword:…
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword: I can easily agree that this two-edged sword is the word of Christ coming out of his mouth, but not the gospel, (the time was past for that, it was the time of the sacrifice in Bozrah), but his word of command, calling out his people to take vengeance upon the remainder of his enemies. The sword was both the sword of the Lord, commanding it to be drawn, and the sword of his people, whose hands were to wield it.
That with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: with this he now smites the remainder of his enemies, and breaks them to pieces.
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And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God: his enemies were the grapes, that now were put into the winepress of God’s watchful providence; Christ trod them there: see Isa 63:3.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,....…
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,.... The Complutensian edition, and all the Oriental versions, with the Vulture Latin, read, "a sharp twoedged sword". The word of God, or the judiciary sentence of Christ according to it, and which he will fully execute, to the utter destruction of all his enemies; See Gill on Rev 1:16 that with it he should smite the nations; the Gentiles, the Papists, the antichristian states, those that have adhered to Babylon, and have drunk of the wine of her fornication. This is predicted in Num 24:17 and on account of this the nations will be angry under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, with which this vision is contemporary, Rev 11:18.
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; use them with the utmost severity; the phrase is taken out of Psa 2:9 a prophecy of Christ, and mentioned twice before in this book; see Gill on Rev 2:27, Rev 12:5,
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and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God; the fierce wrath of God against sinners is compared to a winepress; and the wicked antichristian party are likened to clusters of grapes; who being ripe for destruction, are cast into it, and pressed, squeezed, and trodden down by the mighty power of Christ, the Word of God, whose vesture is therefore before said to be dipped in blood; the same metaphor is used in Rev 14:19 the allusion seems to be to Isa 63:3.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain And he shall rule them - Who are not…
And he shall rule them - Who are not slain by his sword. With a rod of iron - That is, if they will not submit to his golden scepter. And he treadeth the wine press of the wrath of God - That is, he executes his judgments on the ungodly. This ruler of the nations was born (or appeared as such) immediately after the seventh angel began to sound. He now appears, not as a child, but as a victorious warrior. The nations have long ago felt his "iron rod," partly while the heathen Romans, after their savage persecution of the Christians, themselves groaned under numberless plagues and calamities, by his righteous vengeance; partly, while other heathens have been broken in pieces by those who bore the Christian name. For although the cruelty, for example, of the Spaniards in America, was unrighteous and detestable, yet did God therein execute his righteous judgment on the unbelieving nations; but they shall experience his iron rod as they never did yet, and then will they all return to their rightful Lord.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp…
Verse 15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword] See Clarke on Re 1:16. This appears to mean the word of the Gospel, by which his enemies are confounded, and his friends supported and comforted.
With a rod of iron] He shall execute the severest judgment on the opposers of his truth.
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He treaded the winepress] As the grapes are trodden to express the juice, so his enemies shall be bruised and beaten, so that their life's blood shall be poured out.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword…
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword - See the notes on Rev 1:16. In that place the sword seems to be an emblem of his words or doctrines, as penetrating the hearts of people; here it is the emblem of a work of destruction worked on his foes.
That with it he should smite the nations - The nations that were opposed to him; to wit, those especially who were represented by the beast and the false prophet, Rev 19:18-20.
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And he shall rule them with a rod of iron - See the notes on Rev 2:27; Rev 12:5.
And he treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God - This language is probably derived from Isa 63:1-4. See it explained in the notes on that place, and on Rev 14:19-20. It means here that his enemies would be certainly crushed before him - as grapes are crushed under the feet of him that treads in the winevat.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Sharp two-edged sword. The power which Christ exercises over…
Sharp two-edged sword. The power which Christ exercises over the impious. (Menochius) --- Wine press, &c. This painting corresponds to the triumph of Jesus Christ. (Calmet) --- Some of the attributes here mentioned are also ascribed to Christ, by the prophet Isaias. Chap. lxiii. 2, 3. "Why then is thy apparel red, and thy garments like theirs that tread in the wine press? I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with me: I have trampled on them in my indignation, and have trodden them down in my wrath, and their blood is sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my apparel." (Pastorini)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain out of his mouth . . . sword-- (Rev…
out of his mouth . . . sword-- (Rev 1:16; Rev 2:12, Rev 2:16). Here in its avenging power, Th2 2:8, "consume with the Spirit of His mouth" (Isa 11:4, to which there is allusion here); not in its convicting and converting efficacy (Eph 6:17; Heb 4:12-13, where also the judicial keenness of the sword-like word is included). The Father commits the judgment to the Son.
he shall rule--The HE is emphatic, He and none other, in contrast to the usurpers who have misruled on earth. "Rule," literally, "tend as a shepherd"; but here in a punitive sense. He, who would have shepherded them with pastoral rod and with the golden scepter of His love, shall dash them in pieces, as refractory rebels, with "a rod of iron."
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treadeth . . . wine-press-- (Isa 63:3).
of the fierceness and wrath--So ANDREAS reads. But A, B, Vulgate, Coptic, and ORIGEN read, "of the fierceness (or boiling indignation) of the wrath," omitting "and."
Almighty--The fierceness of Christ's wrath against His foes will be executed with the resources of omnipotence.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 15. There is but one sword in the armies,…
15. There is but one sword in the armies, and that belongs to the leader. And it brandishes not from his hand, but from his mouth. The image blends the double thought of conversion and destruction. See note on Rev_1:16.
Here is verified the truth of our note on St. Paul’s (2Th_2:8) “whom the Lord shall destroy with the spirit of his mouth.” Here it is the spiritual power going forth from the lips of the Word of God that overthrows the power of antichrist. At Rev_20:9-10, that same antichrist will be not only overthrown but destroyed “by the brightness of his coming.”
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Smite the nations—But not destroy. On the extent of these nations see note, Rev_17:16.
Rule them—Literally, shall shepherd them. He guards and controls them as the sheep of his pasture.
But his crook is a powerful, or benevolently despotic, one. It is a rod (or sceptre) of iron—It rules with exactness, and those unyielding to its sway receive its destroying stroke.
Treadeth the wine-press—The ruddy image of carnage and destruction.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 15. out of his mouth] Son_1:16, proving, if proof…
15. out of his mouth] Son_1:16, proving, if proof were needed, the identity of the “Son of Man” of that passage with “the Word of God” of this. For the meaning, see the notes there.
sharp] Some ancient authorities insert “two-edged,” from the parallel passage in ch. 1.
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smite the nations] God is said to smite men with plagues, e.g. Zec_14:18, but nowhere else with a sword. Are we to infer from 1Ch_21:12 what this sword will be? Certainly the ascription to the Lord of the fierce struggles of a human warrior is markedly avoided.
shall rule them] Lit. shall be their shepherd, as in Rev_2:27, Rev_12:5 Of course in all three places the reference is to Psa_2:9.
and he treadeth] Isa_63:3. The pronoun “he” is emphatic—He Himself, by Himself, as is there expressed.
the winepress] So we are obliged to translate the single word, e.g. at Rev_14:19; while here we have the fuller phrase, “the winepress of the wine of”, &c.
fierceness and wrath] Read, fierceness of the wrath.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (15) And out of his mouth . . .—Translate,…
(15) And out of his mouth . . .—Translate, And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with (literally, in) it He may smite the nations: and He (Himself) shall shepherd them with (literally, in) a rod of iron: and He (Himself) treadeth the winepress of the wine of the wrath of the anger of God the All ruler. The sharp sword is the same that we have read of before (Rev_1:16); there it was called the two-edged sword. The omission of the epithet in this passage, which describes the Word of God as the conqueror and the judge, is not without significance. The sword is now wielded for but one work—the word that Christ spoke will judge men at the last day (Joh_12:48). The power of this word found an illustration in the falling back of the hostile band which came to take Him in the day of His humiliation (Joh_18:5); yet more gloriously will the power of His word be felt (comp. Isa_11:4; Jer_23:29; 2Th_2:8) when He will slay the wicked with the word of His mouth. The passage in Psa_2:9 must be borne in mind. Christ comes as King; His is a rule in righteousness; those who oppose this kingdom of righteousness find the shepherd’s staff as a rod of iron; the stone rejected falls upon the builders, and grinds them to powder. It is thus that the winepress of God’s wrath is set up, and the righteous King appears as one who treads it out. (Comp. Isa_63:1-3.) He Himself (the emphasis lies here) treads it. We have again the figure of the vintage made use of. (Comp. Rev_14:20.) It is the harvest of retribution; the wicked are filled with the fruit of their own doings; so is the work seen to be the work of the All-Ruler.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And out of his month goeth a sharp sword,…
And out of his month goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a red of iron. The description is still similar to that given in Re 1. (see Rev_1:16 Rev_2:12, Rev_2:16) (For the last clause, see Rev_2:27 Rev_12:5; and cf. Isa_63:3) The symbolism is descriptive of warfare, victory, and judgment. "He" is emphatic: "he shall rule no longer the kings of the earth. The nations; in the sense of the ungodly. (cf. Rev_16:19, etc.) And he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God; the wine press of the wine of the fierceness of the wrath, etc. In Rev_14:10 we have the figure of "the wine of the wrath" of God, and in Rev_14:19 that of the "wine press of the wrath;" here the two are combined. (cf. also Isa_63:3, quoted on ver. 13)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword.…
15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword. See note on 1:16. This symbolizes the word by which he achieved his conquests. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. See notes on 2:27 and 12:5. This implies not a stern, but a firm and lasting rule. He treadeth the winepress. He shall inflict God's judgments on the sins of the earth. See notes on 14:17–19.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 19:15 From his mouth . . . a sharp…
19:15 From his mouth . . . a sharp sword: See 1:16; Heb 4:12; see also Isa 49:2; 2 Thes 2:8. • The iron rod represents Christ’s power as ruler and as supreme shepherd (see Pss 2:9; 23:4). • God, the Almighty: See Rev 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:7, 14; 21:22. • His fierce wrath will crush his enemies like grapes in a winepress (Isa 63:2-4).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.