Chapter
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Revelation 8:7

ESV The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.
NIV The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
NASB The first sounded, and there was hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled to the earth; and a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
CSB The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire, mixed with blood, were hurled to the earth. So a third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
NLT The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were thrown down on the earth. One-third of the earth was set on fire, one-third of the trees were burned, and all the green grass was burned.
KJV The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

What does Revelation 8:7 mean?

Some interpreters speculate that "earth" refers to the land of Israel as the object of God's judgment. Along those lines, they interpret "trees" to mean Israel's apostate leaders and "grass" to mean Israel as a spiritual weak nation. They base these interpretations on Isaiah 2:13, which compares proud leaders to cedars and oaks, and on Isaiah 40:6–7 that compares all flesh to grass that withers.

However, these horrific results also resemble what happened literally to Egypt under the seventh plague. Exodus 9:18–26 describes thunder, fire, and hail raining down on Egypt. The hail struck down every plant and broke every tree. So, there is good reason to interpret what happens in the first trumpet judgment as literal.

What specific mechanism this judgment takes—perhaps a volcanic catastrophe or meteor strike—the effects will be horrific. The target seems to be plant life, and possibly crops in particular. This level of destruction would not only cripple world food supplies, it would also disrupt economics and destabilize society. Losing a substantial portion of "grasses" might also restrict food available for livestock, further straining earth's ability to feed hungry people.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: