And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
And the smoke of their torment – The smoke proceeding from their place of torment. This language is probably derived from the account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gen 19:28; And he (Abraham) looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. The destruction of these cities is regarded as an emblem of the destruction of the wicked, and the smoke that ascended from them as a representation of what ascends from the place where the wicked suffer forever. See the notes on Jud 1:7.
Ascendeth up – Continually rises from that world of woe.
For ever and ever – See the notes on Jud 1:7. This does not indeed affirm that their individual sufferings would be eternal, since it is only a declaration that the smoke of their torment ascends, but it is such language as would be used on the supposition that they would suffer forever, and as can be explained only on that supposition. It implies that their torments continued, and were the cause of that ascending smoke; that is, that they were tormented while it ascended; and, as this is declared to be forever and ever, it implies that the sufferings of the wicked will be eternal: and this is such language as would not, and could not have been used in a revelation from God, unless the punishment of the wicked is eternal. Compare the notes on Mat 25:46.
And they have no rest day nor night – Day and night include all time; and hence, the phrase is used to denote perpetuity – always. The meaning here is, that they never have any rest – any interval of pain. This is stated as a circumstance strongly expressive of the severity of their torment. Here, rest comes to the sufferer. The prisoner in his cell lies down on his bed, though hard, and sleeps; the overworked slave has also intervals of sleep; the eyes of the mourner are locked in repose, and for moments, if not hours, he forgets his sorrows; no pain that we endure on earth can be so certain and prolonged that nature will not, sooner or later, find the luxury of sleep, or will find rest in the grave. But it will be one of the bitterest ingredients in the cup of woe, in the world of despair, that this luxury will be denied forever, and that they who enter that gloomy prison sleep no more, never know the respite of a moment, never even lose the consciousness of their heavy doom. Oh how different from the condition of sufferers here! And oh how sad and strange that any of our race will persevere in sin, and go down to those unmitigated and unending sorrows!
Who worship the beast and his image – See the notes on Rev 13:4, Rev 13:15.
And whosoever receiveth the mark of his name – See the notes on Rev 13:17. The meaning here is, that such worshippers will receive the punishment which other idolaters and sinners do. No exception will be made in favor of an idolater, though he worships idols under the forms of an abused Christianity; none will be made in favor of a sinner because he practiced iniquity under the garb of religion.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 11. The smoke of their torment] Still an allusion to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; that is, their torments shall be everlasting, as well as most exquisite, and causing the most acute pain.
And they have no rest day nor night; this is but the same thing in other words; their torments shall be such as shall give them no rest at any time.
Who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name: the sense of these two verses is no more than this: That all idolaters shall fall under the vengeance of God in this life, and at last shall be thrown to hell; not only such as worship the beast, committing paganish idolatry, worshipping stocks and stones, and devils, as the term of their worship, but such as worship the image of that beast set up by antichrist, worshipping of angels and saints, or their images. From hence an easy answer may be given to that question, Whether a man can be saved in that which at this day is called the Roman Catholic religion? If they either worship the beast, or the image of the beast, they cannot: whether they do or no, let the reader judge from what hath been before said.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. for ever and everGreek,“unto ages of ages.”
no rest day nornightContrast the very different sense in which the same issaid of the four living creatures in heaven, “They rest not dayand night, saying, Holy, holy, holy”; yet they do “rest”in another sense; they rest from sin and sorrow, weariness andweakness, trial and temptation (Re14:13); the lost have no rest from sin and Satan, terror,torment, and remorse.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,…. That is, the smoke of that fire which torments them will for ever arise; or, in other words, there will be no end of their torment; hence their misery is called everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction, Mt 25:41 and smoke being very troublesome and distressing, is mentioned to set forth the very uncomfortable state of the wicked; and so it is used by Jewish writers: hence we read of , “the smoke of hell” r, with which the eyes of the wicked will be filled in the world to come:
and they have no rest, day nor night; the fire of divine wrath which tortures them is never quenched, and the worm of conscience which gnaws them never dies: this is directly contrary to a notion of the Jews, that the wicked in hell have rest sometimes; they talk of angels blowing away the smoke from them, so that they have rest an hour and a half; and which they say they have three times a day, and whenever Israel says Amen, let his great name be blessed s; and particularly that hell fire never burns on the sabbath day, nor does the smoke of it ascend then, and that the wicked have always rest on that days t; though sometimes they contradict themselves, and say they never have any rest u, which is the truth:
who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name; that is, whoever are the followers of antichrist, or the professors of the Popish religion; so far is salvation from being in the church of Rome, and only there, that there is none in it; and whoever live and die in the profession of Popery, shall surely be damned as this passage is true.
r Targum in Psal. xxxvii. 20. T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 75. 1. Caphtor, fol. 109. 1. s Zohar in Gen. fol. 47. 4. t Zohar in Exod. fol. 36. 4. & in Lev. fol. 45. 3. & in Deut. fol. 115. 3. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 65. 2. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 149. 1. Nishmat Chayim, fol. 39. 1. u Zohar in Exod. fol. 62. 3. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 152. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The smoke of their torment ( ). See 9:5 for , only there it was a limited penalty, here it is “for ever and ever” ( , unto ages of ages). See also Rev 18:9; Rev 19:3; Rev 20:10.
They have no rest ( ). The very language used in 4:8 of the four living creatures in praising God. “Those who desert Christ for Caesar will be the victims of a remorse that never dies or sleeps” (Swete). The rest of the verse repeats the solemn challenge of verse 9.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Torment [] . See on Mt 4:23, 24; see vexed, 2Pe 2:8.
Goeth up. See Isa 34:9, 10; Gen 19:28.
Rest [] . See on give rest. Mt 11:28, and resteth, 1Pe 4:14.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the smoke of their torment,” (kai ho kapnostou basanismou auton) “and the smoke(stifling sulfuric fog) of their torment,” of those unbelievers who take the mark and or bow down to the idolatrous image of the beast, Joh 3:36; Luk 13:3.
2) “Ascendeth up forever and ever: (eis aionas aionon anabainei) “arises to stifle, to smother, to torment them, into the ages of the ages,” forever, without cessation; or without end of duration of existence – – forever-and-ever and ever! Rev 19:3. This is final, not tribulation Judgment. Mat 25:41.
3) “And they have no rest day or night,” (kai ouk echousin anapausin hemeras kai nuktos) “and they have, hold, possess, or receive no rest (or release) from the torments day and night,” (around the clock); this is the recording of eternal time that never stops, never elapses, where their worm-like conscience dies not, and the fire is not quenched. Mar 9:43-45.
4) “Who worship the beast and his image,” (hoi proskunountes to therion kai ten eikona autou) “That is those who worship (bow down to), give first place of allegiance in worship to, the idolatrous beast and his icon-likeness (or image); in defiance of the law of God. Exo 20:1-4; Joh 8:24.
5) “And whosoever receiveth the mark of his name,” (kai ei tis lambanei to charagma tou onomatos autou) and (or even) anyone (also) who receives the mark of his name,” spiritual allegiance to this arch-enemy of God, the dragon, that old serpent, the Devil who doles out devilish powers to the earthly beast rulerships and rulers of despotic nature; For all idolators shall have their part in the lake of fire and brimstone. Rev 21:8; Rev 16:2; Rev 14:9; Rev 13:16-17.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(11) For ever and ever.Or, unto ages of ages. The imagery of the smoke going up reminds us of the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:28; comp. Isa. 34:10). They have not rest by day and by night, who worship the wild beast, &c. Sin, which is first embraced as a delight, becomes soon an inexorable tyrant, by an awful retribution compelling men along the routine of the evil habits which they loathe while they long for, and long for even while they loathe them: there is a destiny of unrest in all sin. The wicked are like the troubled sea, which cannot rest. It is well that solemn words like these should be read by the light of the most certain of all truthsthe power sin has of stamping its indelible features upon the human character, and giving to habit the force of a destiny.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Ver. 11. And the smoke of their torment ] Utinam de gehenna ubique dissereretur, saith Chrysostom. Would to God men would everywhere think and talk more of hell, and of that eternity of extremity that they shall never else be able to avoid or to abide. Surely one good means to escape hell is to take a turn or two in hell by our daily meditations.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
smoke . . . torment. Compare Isa 34:10.
torment. See Rev 9:5.
for . . . ever = unto ages of ages. Greek. eis (App-104.) aionas aionon. No art, only occurs in this form. Compare App-151. a and App-129.
whosoever = if (App-118. a) any one (App-123.) Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Genus). App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 14:11. [161]) Thus also ch. Rev 19:3, Rev 20:10. We have noticed in the Apparatus traces of this reading, which requires most studious investigation. In other places it is written, . Each expression is as it were, squared: as a myriad of myriads, the heaven of heavens. The article is emphatic, especially where the discourse is on the subject of the Eternity of God. In these expressions, either the use or the omission of the Greek article is very opportune.-, ascendeth) The present, after a future, has the force of a future, but with emphasis.
[161] A Vulg. Cypr. 111, 264, 322, have : so Lachm. and Tisch. But C, .-E.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
no rest
Contra, Rev 4:8.
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
smoke: Rev 18:18, Rev 19:3, Gen 19:28, Isa 33:14, Isa 34:10, Joe 2:30, Luk 16:23
for: Rev 4:9, Rev 4:10, Rev 5:13, Rev 5:14, Rev 7:12, Rev 11:15, Rev 20:10, Rev 22:5, Exo 15:18, Psa 10:16, Psa 145:1, Mat 25:41, Mat 25:46, Heb 1:8
no: Deu 28:65, Isa 57:20, Mat 11:28, Mar 9:43-49, Luk 16:24
Reciprocal: Gen 4:15 – set a mark Lev 19:28 – print 2Ch 34:25 – my wrath Isa 1:31 – and they Isa 9:18 – mount Isa 30:33 – the breath Isa 66:24 – their worm Dan 3:6 – a burning Zec 13:6 – What Mat 13:50 – wailing Mat 18:34 – and delivered Mar 7:7 – the commandments Mar 9:44 – the fire 2Th 1:9 – be 1Jo 5:21 – keep Rev 9:2 – there Rev 13:14 – they Rev 13:17 – name Rev 14:9 – If Rev 18:9 – the smoke Rev 20:4 – and which Rev 22:18 – God
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 14:11. Smoke of their torment refers to that which will arise from the fire in the lake into which the wicked will have been cast. Ascendeth up for ever and ever. If the smoke is to ascend for ever it follows that the torment will continue for ever. It will come from the lake of fire which has been created for the purpose of tormenting the unsaved. The particular unsaved persons named in this place are those who have guilty relations with the beast, the image or the mark (Rev 13:14-15). But all the unsaved will be in this place for Mat 25:41 says they will be told: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” No rest day nor night is another way of saying that the punishment of the unsaved will be endless. Terrible thought!!
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 11.
6. The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name–Rev 14:11.
The duration of the condemnation on the idolatrous worship of the Roman beast was expressed in these terms of equal fear in the fateful words of this text.
The phrase forever and ever always meant endless. The single term forever may refer to a period of time–and though it must include all of the period to which it refers, it is limited to the duration of that period. On the other side of time, in eternity, there will be no time limitations; therefore, the words forever and everlasting and eternal (all from the same Greek term aionious) when used in reference to reward or punishment beyond this life must denote that which is without end. But when ever and ever are joined together in forever and ever, there is never a modification –it always means endless. So doctrinally, respecting the duration of the future punishment of the wicked, these verses carry no intimation of any limitation. Not only so– there is no cessation: and they have no rest day nor night –that is, no recess from torment, no release from punishment. The torment of the beast was to be interminable and without intermission.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rev 14:11. And the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever. The third of the four particulars of their miserable doom, which is unto ages of ages, that is, for ever.
And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. This is the fourth and last particular in the delineation of their misery, which is not only everlasting, but uninterrupted while it lasts. Can we fail to mark the contrast to the no rest day nor night of the four living creatures in chap. Rev 4:8? In their receiving the mark it is implied that there is voluntary action on the part of the followers of the beast. The first three angels have now fulfilled their message and, before we come to the Judge Himself, there is a pause. Two sayings are introduced.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
An endless trail of ascending smoke is the constant reminder of the permanent misery of beast-worshippers (cf. Rev 19:3; Gen 19:28; Isa 34:9-10). The temporary judgments of beast-worshippers under the coming bowl judgments now give way to judgment that is eternal (cf. Mat 25:46; Rom 2:3-9; 2Th 1:6-9). If the ceaseless praise of the Lamb by the living creatures is eternal (Rev 4:5), so must be the punishment of these unbelievers since the same phrase, "forever and ever," describes both.
"The modern vogue of dispensing with hell has no counterpart in Revelation." [Note: Morris, p. 181. See also C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, ch. 8: Hell; Mounce, pp. 276-77; and Robert A. Peterson, "Does the Bible Teach Annihilationism?" Bibliotheca Sacra 156:621 (January-March 1999):13-27.]
"This is the most horrible picture of eternal punishment in the entirety of Revelation . . ." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 212.]