Revelation 6:12

“And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake took place, and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood,”
Revelation 6:12 · direct translation from the Greek

Study it in the app

With the Greek beneath

AndΚαὶI sawεἶδονwhenὅτεhe openedἤνοιξενthe sixthτὴν ἕκτηνseal,τὴν σφραγῖδαandκαὶa greatμέγαςearthquakeσεισμὸςtook place,ἐγένετοandκαὶthe sunὁ ἥλιοςbecameἐγένετοblackμέλαςasὡςsackclothσάκκοςmade of hair,τρίχινοςandκαὶthe wholeὅληmoonἡ σελήνηbecameἐγένετοlikeὡςblood,αἷμα

Allusion · Joel 2:31

Go to Joel 2:31

Both texts say that the sun will be darkened and the moon will become like blood.

They share words that are rare in the original, without a quotation.

μέγαςmegasG3173גָּדוֹלgadolH1419“great”
ἐγένετοegenetoG1096בּוֹאboH935“become, happen, come to be”
ἥλιοςhēliosG2246שֶּׁמֶשׁshemeshH8121“sun”
σελήνηselēnēG4582יָּרֵחַyareajH3394“moon”
αἷμαhaimaG129דָםdamH1818“blood”

Revelation 6:12, word by word

I sawεἶδονeidon

see

To perceive with sight, to look and notice what is in front.

Where else “eidon” appears

he openedἤνοιξενēnoixen

open

Open.

Where else “ēnoixen” appears

the sixthἕκτηνhektēn

sixth

Sixth; "the sixth hour", noon.

Where else “hektēn” appears

sealσφραγῖδαsphragida

seal

Seal: a mark that confirms and guarantees something; also the signet that makes it.

Where else “sphragida” appears

a greatμέγαςmegas

intense

Of great force or intensity, like an enormous joy or fear.

Where else “megas” appears

earthquakeσεισμὸςseismos

earthquake

A shaking of the ground.

Where else “seismos” appears

took placeἐγένετοegeneto

happen

For an event to occur, for something to take place in history.

Where else “egeneto” appears

the sunἥλιοςhēlios

sun

Sun.

Where else “hēlios” appears

blackμέλαςmelas

black, ink

Black; as a noun, ink.

Where else “melas” appears

sackclothσάκκοςsakkos

sackcloth

Sackcloth: rough cloth woven from hair, worn as a sign of mourning or repentance.

Where else “sakkos” appears

made of hairτρίχινοςtrichinos

of hair

Made of hair, as sackcloth woven from goat hair.

Where else “trichinos” appears

the wholeὅληholē

whole, all

Whole, entire, all.

Where else “holē” appears

moonσελήνηselēnē

moon

Moon.

Where else “selēnē” appears

bloodαἷμαhaima

blood

The red fluid that runs through the bodies of people and animals.

Where else “haima” appears

Translation note

It recalls Joel 2:31.

The context

11And to each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the number also of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they themselves had been would be completed.

12 · This verse (above)

13and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when it is shaken by a strong wind.

Read all of Revelation 6

How to use it