REV 14:14-20

The Harvest of the Earth

14Then John looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. [14:15] Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: "Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come — for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." [14:16] The one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. [14:17] Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle. [14:18] Another angel came out from the altar — the one who has authority over the fire — and he called with a loud voice to the one having the sharp sickle: "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." [14:19] The angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the furious wrath of God. [14:20] The winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of a thousand six hundred stadia.

In the world it was spoken into

In the first century, agricultural imagery like harvesting was deeply familiar to both Jewish and Greco-Roman audiences. For Jewish listeners, the harvest often symbolized divine judgment, as seen in prophetic texts like Joel 3:13, where the sickle represents God’s decisive action against the nations. The figure 'like the Son of Man' evokes Daniel 7:13-14, where one like a human being receives dominion from the Ancient of Days, blending messianic and apocalyptic expectations. The golden crown signifies royal authority, while the sharp sickle underscores the inevitability and precision of divine judgment. For Greco-Roman readers, the harvest could evoke the cyclical rhythms of life and death, as well as the idea of fate or kairos—a decisive moment ordained by the gods. The 'winepress of the wrath of God' would resonate with Jewish apocalyptic literature, where divine wrath is poured out on the wicked. This imagery would have been understood as a vivid depiction of God’s ultimate justice and the culmination of history.

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How other translations render this

REV 14:14

KJV: And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
BSB: And I looked and saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was One like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.
Koinōnos: Then John looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.

REV 14:15

KJV: And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.
BSB: Then another angel came out of the temple, crying out in a loud voice to the One seated on the cloud, “Swing Your sickle and reap, because the time has come to harvest; for the crop of the earth is ripe.”
Koinōnos: Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud: "Put in your sickle and reap, because the hour to reap has come — for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.

REV 14:16

KJV: And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.
BSB: So the One seated on the cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Koinōnos: The one seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped.

REV 14:17

KJV: And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle.
BSB: Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Koinōnos: Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle.

REV 14:18

KJV: And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
BSB: Still another angel, with authority over the fire, came from the altar and called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the vine of the earth, because its grapes are ripe.”
Koinōnos: Another angel came out from the altar — the one who has authority over the fire — and he called with a loud voice to the one having the sharp sickle: "Put in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.

REV 14:19

KJV: And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
BSB: So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the grapes of the earth, and he threw them into the great winepress of Godʼs wrath.
Koinōnos: The angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the furious wrath of God.

REV 14:20

KJV: And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
BSB: And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and the blood that flowed from it rose as high as the bridles of the horses for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Koinōnos: The winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of a thousand six hundred stadia.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

REV 14:14

of Man,:The term translated 'of Man' here is a generic word for human being, often used to emphasize shared humanity or to contrast with divine beings, rather than specifically referring to a male person.

REV 14:15

the:The word translated 'the hour' refers to a specific, appointed time or season, often with a sense of destiny or divine timing, rather than just any sixty-minute period.
to reap,:The word translated 'to reap' literally means to dry up or wither. In this context, it metaphorically describes the readiness of the harvest, implying that the crops are fully mature and ready for cutting.

REV 14:19

wrath:The word translated 'wrath' here describes a passionate, intense outburst of anger, often with a sense of boiling indignation, rather than a slow-burning resentment.