The Meaning of Revelation 14:16 Explained

Revelation 14:16

KJV: And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.

YLT: and he who is sitting upon the cloud did put forth his sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped.

Darby: And he that sat on the cloud put his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.

ASV: And he that sat on the cloud cast his sickle upon the earth; and the earth was reaped.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he that sat  on  the cloud  thrust in  his  sickle  on  the earth;  and  the earth  was reaped. 

What does Revelation 14:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Judge ( John 5:27) then judged those on the earth. This judgment will occur at the end of the Tribulation ( Revelation 19:17-21). This is a proleptic description of what Revelation will describe further in its sequential unfolding of events. [1]
"The brevity of the statement dramatizes the suddenness of the judgment." [2]

Context Summary

Revelation 14:9-20 - The Winepress Of God's Wrath
We cannot understand the torment of those who are depicted in Revelation 14:9-12, except it be the remorse at having refused the love of the Lamb of God. Even Christ Himself cannot save a soul from its self-condemnation. Note the emphasis of Revelation 14:13. The voice which pronounces the blessedness of the departed is from heaven. The emphasis is on the word henceforth. There is no pause in their onward progress, no dim and shadowy existence, no cessation in thought. From henceforth, that is, from the moment of death, they are blessed who die in the Lord; and this announcement is endorsed by the emphatic Yea of the Spirit. It is a great matter to have that affirmation to our words, whether we preach or teach. What could better authenticate them than that deep co-witness to God's Word in the heart or in the Church? See Acts 5:32 and Hebrews 2:4.
This harvest scene surely stands for the blessed revivals which have from time to time visited the world, and may especially be reckoned on in the last days of the present dispensation. Only when the harvest is gathered in will the vintage of woe and wrath commence. To which ingathering do we belong? [source]

Chapter Summary: Revelation 14

1  The Lamb standing on Mount Zion with his company
6  An angel preaches the gospel
8  The fall of Babylon
15  The harvest of the world
20  The winepress of the wrath of God

Greek Commentary for Revelation 14:16

Cast [εβαλεν]
Second aorist active indicative of βαλλω — ballō No violence by the use of εβαλεν — ebalen as is seen in Matthew 10:34 (βαλειν ειρηνην — balein eirēnēn to bring peace). [source]
Was reaped [ετεριστη]
First aorist passive indicative of τεριζω — therizō Both prophetic aorists again. Christ puts in the sickle as he wills with his own agents (Matthew 9:37.; Matthew 13:39, Matthew 13:41). [source]
Thrust in [ἔβαλεν]
Lit., cast. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 14:16

Revelation 14:19 Cast [εβαλεν]
As in Revelation 14:16. [source]
Revelation 14:19 Gathered [ετρυγησεν]
Like ετεριστη — etheristhē in Revelation 14:16, in obedience to the instructions in Revelation 14:18 “The vine of the earth.” Here αμπελος — ampelos is used for the enemies of Christ collectively pictured.And cast it Repeating εβαλεν — ebalen and referring to αμπελον — ampelon (vintage) just before.Into the winepress the great winepress (εις την ληνον τον μεγαν — eis tēn lēnon ton megan). Ληνος — Lēnos is either feminine as in Revelation 14:20; Revelation 19:15, or masculine sometimes in ancient Greek. Here we have both genders, a solecism frequent in the Apocalypse (Revelation 21:14 το τειχος εχων — to teichos echōn). See Matthew 21:33. For this metaphor of God s wrath see Revelation 14:10; Revelation 15:1, Revelation 15:7; Revelation 16:1, Revelation 16:19; Revelation 19:15. [source]

What do the individual words in Revelation 14:16 mean?

And swung the [One] sitting upon the cloud the sickle of Him the earth was harvested the earth
καὶ ἔβαλεν καθήμενος ἐπὶ τῆς νεφέλης τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ τὴν γῆν ἐθερίσθη γῆ

ἔβαλεν  swung 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: βάλλω 
Sense: to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls.
  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
καθήμενος  sitting 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle or Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κάθημαι  
Sense: to sit down, seat one’s self.
ἐπὶ  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
νεφέλης  cloud 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: νεφέλη  
Sense: a cloud.
δρέπανον  sickle 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: δρέπανον  
Sense: a sickle, a pruning-hook, a hooked vine knife, such as reapers and vinedressers use.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
γῆν  earth 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
ἐθερίσθη  was  harvested 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: θερίζω  
Sense: to reap, harvest.
γῆ  earth 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.