The Meaning of Revelation 8:9 Explained

Revelation 8:9

KJV: And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

YLT: and die did the third of the creatures that are in the sea, those having life, and the third of the ships were destroyed.

Darby: and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea which had life died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

ASV: and there died the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, even they that had life; and the third part of the ships was destroyed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  the third part  of the creatures  which  were in  the sea,  and had  life,  died;  and  the third part  of the ships  were destroyed. 

What does Revelation 8:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Revelation 8:1-13 - The Four First Trumpets Include The Devastation Of Natural Objects. The Dumb Creation, And Even The Earth Itself, Suffers For Man's Sin. Think Of The Horses Wounded In Battle, Dying In Long Agony; Of Vast Tracks Of Country Once Smiling, With Harvest Becoming A Wilderness; Of The Soil Compelled To Produce The Ingredients Of Poisoning And Intoxication. Poor Mother Earth! Goethe Said That He Could Hear Her Sighing As A Captive For Redemption.
The seventh seal includes the seven trumpets. What a contrast that pause must have been to the jubilant songs of the great multitude! In the Jewish temple, we are told, the musical instruments and chanting resounded during the offering of the sacrifices, which occupied the first part of the service; but at the offering of the incense a solemn silence was observed, Psalms 62:1. The people prayed quietly without, at the time of incense. What a glimpse is here afforded of the intercession of our great High Priest! The smoke of the incense of His great merit arises with the prayers of the saints. Pray on, believer, though your voice be feeble, and so much imperfection mingles with your efforts to serve God. The incense of Christ's intercession is fragrant enough to make even you acceptable.
The four first trumpets include the devastation of natural objects. The dumb creation, and even the earth itself, suffers for man's sin. Think of the horses wounded in battle, dying in long agony; of vast tracks of country once smiling, with harvest becoming a wilderness; of the soil compelled to produce the ingredients of poisoning and intoxication. Poor Mother Earth! Goethe said that he could hear her sighing as a captive for redemption. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 8

1  At the opening of the seventh seal,
2  Seven angels have seven trumpets given them
6  Four of them sound their trumpets and great plagues follow
9  Another angel puts incense to the prayers of the saints on the golden altar

Greek Commentary for Revelation 8:9

Of the creatures [των κτισματων]
See Revelation 5:13 for this word κτισμα — ktisma Even they that had life Here the nominative articular participle is in apposition with the genitive κτισματων — ktismatōn as often in this book. See Exodus 7:20 for the destruction of fish, and Zephaniah 1:3. [source]
Was destroyed [διεπταρησαν]
Second aorist passive indicative of διαπτειρω — diaphtheirō old compound, to corrupt, to consume, to destroy (perfective use of δια — dia), also Revelation 11:18. The plural πλοιον — ploion just before the verb makes the idea plural. [source]
Life [ψυχὰς]
See on 3 John 1:2. [source]
Ships [πλοίων]
See on Luke 5:2. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 8:9

1 Timothy 4:4 Creature [κτίσμα]
Not in Paul. See James 1:18; Revelation 5:13; Revelation 8:9. A created thing. For κτίσις creation or creature, frequent in Paul, see on Romans 8:19; see on 2 Corinthians 5:17; see on Colossians 1:15. Κτίσμα in lxx, Wisd. 9:2; 13:5; 14:11; 3 Maccabees 5:11. [source]
3 John 1:2 Soul [ψυχή]
See on Mark 12:30; see on Luke 1:46. The soul ( ψυχή ) is the principle of individuality, the seat of personal impressions. It has a side in contact with both the material and the spiritual element of humanity, and is thus the mediating organ between body and spirit. Its meaning, therefore, constantly rises above life or the living individual, and takes color from its relation to either the emotional or the spiritual side of life, from the fact of its being the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions, and the bearer and manifester of the divine life-principle ( πνεῦμα ). Consequently ψυχή is often used in our sense of heart (Luke 1:46; Luke 2:35; John 10:24; Acts 14:2); and the meanings of ψυχή souland πνεῦμα spiritoccasionally approach each other very closely. Compare John 12:27, and John 11:33; Matthew 11:29, and 1 Corinthians 16:18. Also both words in Luke 1:47. In this passage ψυχή soulexpresses the soul regarded as moral being designed for everlasting life. See Hebrews 6:19; Hebrews 10:39; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:11; 1 Peter 4:19. John commonly uses the word to denote the principle of the natural life. See John 10:11, John 10:15; John 13:37; John 15:13; 1 John 3:16; Revelation 8:9; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 16:3. [source]
Revelation 12:6 Where [οπουεκει]
Hebrew redundancy (where - there) as in Revelation 3:8; Revelation 8:9, Revelation 8:9; Revelation 13:8, Revelation 13:12; Revelation 17:9; Revelation 20:8.Prepared (ετοιμαζω — hētoimasmenon). Perfect passive predicate participle of τοπος — hetoimazō for which verb see Matthew 20:23; Revelation 8:6; Revelation 9:7, Revelation 9:15; Revelation 16:12; Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2, and for its use with απο του τεου — topos John 14:2. and for the kind of fellowship meant by it (Psalm 31:21; 2 Corinthians 13:13; Colossians 3:3; 1 John 1:3).Of God “From (by) God,” marking the source as God (Revelation 9:18; James 1:13). This anticipatory symbolism is repeated in Revelation 12:13.That there they may nourish her (ινα — hina ekei trephōsin autēn). Purpose clause with τρεπουσιν — hina and the present for continued action: active subjunctive according to A P though C reads τρεπεται — trephousin present active indicative, as is possible also in Revelation 13:17 and certainly so in 1 John 5:20 (Robertson, Grammar, p. 984), a solecism in late vernacular Greek. The plural is indefinite “they” as in Revelation 10:11; Revelation 11:9. One MSS. has trephetai (is nourished). The stereotyped phrase occurs here, as in Revelation 11:2., for the length of the dragon‘s power, repeated in Revelation 12:14 in more general terms and again in Revelation 13:5. [source]
Revelation 16:3 Blood as of a dead man [αιμα ως νεκρου]
At the trumpet (Revelation 8:11) the water becomes wormwood. Here ως νεκρου — hōs nekrou is added to Exodus 7:14-24, “the picture of a murdered man weltering in his blood” (Swete). “Coagulated blood, fatal to animal life” (Moffatt).Every living soul (πασα πσυχη ζωης — pāsa psuchē zōēs). “Every soul of life” (Hebraism, Genesis 1:21, marked by life).Even the things that were in the sea “The things in the sea,” in apposition with πσυχη — psuchē Complete destruction, not partial as in Revelation 8:9. [source]
Revelation 16:3 Even the things that were in the sea [τα εν τηι ταλασσηι]
“The things in the sea,” in apposition with πσυχη — psuchē Complete destruction, not partial as in Revelation 8:9. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 8:9 mean?

and died a third of the creatures - in the sea - having life ships were destroyed
καὶ ἀπέθανεν τὸ τρίτον τῶν κτισμάτων τῶν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ τὰ ἔχοντα ψυχάς πλοίων διεφθάρησαν

ἀπέθανεν  died 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀποθνῄσκω  
Sense: to die.
τρίτον  third 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: τρίτον 
Sense: the third.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
κτισμάτων  creatures 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: κτίσμα  
Sense: thing founded.
τῶν  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
θαλάσσῃ  sea 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: θάλασσα  
Sense: the sea.
τὰ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ψυχάς  life 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: ψυχή  
Sense: breath.
πλοίων  ships 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: πλοῖον  
Sense: a ship.
διεφθάρησαν  were  destroyed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: διαφθείρω  
Sense: to change for the worse, to corrupt.