Revelation 19:15
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Study Note
Study Note
The image of a sharp sword proceeding from the mouth of the Word of God draws on Isaiah 11:4 ('he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth') and Isaiah 49:2 ('he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword'), presenting divine judgment as accomplished through the spoken word rather than conventional military force. The rider 'treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God' quotes Isaiah 63:3, where God treads the winepress of judgment on nations alone — here attributed explicitly to the Lamb who had earlier absorbed that wrath in sacrifice. The title 'King of Kings, and Lord of Lords' inverts the imperial titulature of Persian and Hellenistic rulers who claimed the same supremacy, asserting Christ's absolute sovereignty over all earthly pretenders. Theologically, the passage is crucial: the victory of Christ is achieved by the word of the gospel, not by imitative violence — the sword is in the mouth, not the hand.
Other Translations
And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty.
and out of his mouth doth proceed a sharp sword, that with it he may smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and he doth tread the press of the wine of the wrath and the anger of God the Almighty,
And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword, with which he overcomes the nations: and he has rule over them with a rod of iron: and he is crushing with his feet the grapes of the strong wrath of God the Ruler of all.
Cross References
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he …
For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: …
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will …
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall …
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and …
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with …
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken …