The Meaning of Revelation 10:3 Explained

Revelation 10:3

KJV: And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

YLT: and he cried with a great voice, as a lion doth roar, and when he cried, speak out did the seven thunders their voices;

Darby: and cried with a loud voice as a lion roars. And when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their own voices.

ASV: and he cried with a great voice, as a lion roareth: and when he cried, the seven thunders uttered their voices.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  cried  with a loud  voice,  as  [when] a lion  roareth:  and  when  he had cried,  seven  thunders  uttered  their  voices. 

What does Revelation 10:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

His majestic, loud cry produced seven peals of thunder. Comparison with a lion suggests that his powerful cry concerns vengeance. This proves true if what he cried out appears in Revelation 10:6. Thunder warns of coming storms, more judgments. These thunders spoke.

Context Summary

Revelation 10:1-11 - The Angel With The Little Book
If one of God's angels is so strong and glorious, what must the Lord of angels be! From the splendor of His retinue, we may estimate the wealth of the Prince. How exactly does this description of the little book suit the word of the Cross, that is, the message of the gospel! Things are spoken to the saints, which, as Paul says, no tongue can utter. They are sealed to the unbelieving but opened to the children of God. Notice that magnificent description of the ever-living God, the Creator, the Unfolder of the mystery of His dealings, Revelation 10:6-7. See also 1 Corinthians 2:12.
The gospel is full of sweetness and delight in its first conception. The sense of peace with God, the consciousness of pardoned sin and acceptance in the be-loved, are like the music of heaven or the dew of paradise. But the cross cuts deep into the self-life, as we carry the sentence of death in ourselves. We learn the necessity of being crucified with Christ, if we would enter into His resurrection joys; and so the Word of God, which is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrates lower and lower, dividing soul and spirit, the joints and marrow. Our Lord never concealed this from those who sought to be enrolled as His followers; but there is blessedness in the bitterness, as springs of fresh water arising amid the brine of the sea. [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 10

1  A mighty strong angel appears with a book open in his hand
6  He swears by him who lives forever, that there shall be no more time
9  John is commanded to take and eat the book

Greek Commentary for Revelation 10:3

The seven thunders [αι επτα βρονται]
A recognized group, but not explained here, perhaps John assuming them to be known. For βρονται — brontai see note on Revelation 4:5; and note on Revelation 6:1; and note on Revelation 8:5. In Psalm 29:1-11 the Lord speaks in the sevenfold voice of the thunderstorm upon the sea. [source]
Their voices [τας εαυτων πωνας]
Cognate accusative with ελαλησαν — elalēsan and εαυτων — heautōn (reflexive) means “their own.” In John 12:28 the voice of the Father to Christ was thought by some to be thunder. [source]
Cried [ἔκραξεν]
See on Mark 5:5. [source]
Seven thunders []
The Jews were accustomed to speak of thunder as “the seven voices.” Compare the sevenfold “voice of the Lord,” Psalm 29:1-11. As usual, interpretation has run wild as to the seven thunders. As a few illustrations may be cited: Vitringa, the seven crusades; Daubuz, the seven kingdoms which received the Reformation; Elliott, the bull fulminated against Luther from the seven-hilled city, etc. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

As when []
The when of A.V. is unnecessary. [source]
Roareth [μυκᾶται]
Only here in the New Testament. Peter uses ὠρύομαι for the voice of the lion. See on 1 Peter 5:8. The verb here is originally applied to the lowing of cattle, expressing the sound, moo-ka-omai. Both Aristophanes and Theocritus use it of the roar of the lion, and the former of thunder. Homer, of the ring of the shield and the hissing of meat on the spit. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 10:3

Revelation 1:4 To the seven churches which are in Asia [ταις επτα εκκλησιαις ταις εν τηι Ασιαι]
Dative case as in a letter (Galatians 1:1). John is writing, but the revelation is from God and Christ through an angel. It is the Roman province of Asia which included the western part of Phrygia. There were churches also at Troas (Acts 20:5.) and at Colossal and Hierapolis (Colossians 1:1; Colossians 2:1; Colossians 4:13) and possibly at Magnesia and Tralles. But these seven were the best points of communication with seven districts (Ramsay) and, besides, seven is a favorite number of completion (like the full week) in the book (Revelation 1:4, Revelation 1:12, Revelation 1:16; Revelation 4:5; Revelation 5:1, Revelation 5:6; Revelation 8:2; Revelation 10:3; Revelation 11:13; Revelation 12:3; Revelation 13:1; Revelation 14:6.). [source]
Revelation 16:1 A great voice [μεγαλης πωνης]
Not an angel as in Revelation 5:2; Revelation 7:2; Revelation 10:3; Revelation 14:7, Revelation 14:9, Revelation 14:15, Revelation 14:18, but of God as Revelation 15:8 shows, since no one could enter the ναος — naos out Second aorist active imperative of εκχεω — ekcheō (same form as present active imperative). Blass would change to εκχεατε — ekcheate (clearly aorist) as in Revelation 16:6. [source]
Revelation 19:6 As it were the voice [ως πωνην]
Used here three times, as once in Revelation 19:1: once of a second great multitude (οχλου πολλου — ochlou pollou), not of angels as in Revelation 19:1, but the innumerable multitude of the redeemed of Revelation 7:9; then “of many waters” (υδατων πολλων — hudatōn pollōn) as in Revelation 1:15; Revelation 14:2 like “the roar of a cataract” (Swete); and once more “the voice of mighty thunders” (βροντων ισχυρων — brontōn ischurōn) as in Revelation 6:1; Revelation 10:3. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 10:3 mean?

And he cried out in a voice loud as a lion roars when sounded the seven thunders the of themselves voice
καὶ ἔκραξεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ὥσπερ λέων μυκᾶται ὅτε ἐλάλησαν αἱ ἑπτὰ βρονταὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν φωνάς

ἔκραξεν  he  cried  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κράζω  
Sense: to croak.
φωνῇ  in  a  voice 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.
μεγάλῃ  loud 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.
λέων  a  lion 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέων  
Sense: a lion.
μυκᾶται  roars 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: μυκάομαι  
Sense: to low, bellow, properly of horned cattle.
ἐλάλησαν  sounded 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀπολαλέω 
Sense: to utter a voice or emit a sound.
ἑπτὰ  seven 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: ἑπτά  
Sense: seven.
βρονταὶ  thunders 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural
Root: βροντή  
Sense: thunder.
ἑαυτῶν  of  themselves 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
φωνάς  voice 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: φωνή  
Sense: a sound, a tone.