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Echoes of Revelation
Revelation never quotes the Old Testament outright, yet no New Testament book refers to it more. See both texts side by side, why they don’t match, and what John does with them.
Revelation 14:11, the smoke goes up forever
The smoke of torment rising forever, with no rest day or night, comes from Isaiah 34's picture of Edom burning night and day, its smoke rising for all time.
Revelation 14:11, in every translation this tool compares.
A burned-out ruin left standing can be a reminder for generations. Isaiah 34 pictures Edom judged. Its land turns to burning pitch and sulfur, the fire is never put out, and its smoke rises forever. John says the smoke of the torment of the beast's worshipers rises without end, and they get no rest. The sources agree on Isaiah, and disagree on what the image means for punishment.
Smoke rising forever, and no end night and day. The Greek of Isaiah 34:10 has night and day, its smoke shall go up, and for a long time; John has the smoke goes up forever and no rest day and night.
Isaiah speaks of a land, Edom, laid waste. John speaks of people, the beast's worshipers. Isaiah's smoke marks a desolation; John adds torment and no rest. He moves from one nation to all who worship the beast.
Beale says Isaiah's picture of one nation is widened to the final judgment of all unbelievers. The restless nights are the dark mirror of the endless praise of 4:8. They also stand against the rest promised to the faithful in 14:13.
Not agreed by all readers to mean the same thing. Keener notes the meaning shifts from Isaiah's desolation to burning and torment, and others read a lasting memorial.
Beale says verse 11a is drawn from Isaiah 34:9-10, God's judgment of Edom, and that the Targum and midrashim applied the passage to Rome. He discusses whether the smoke is a memorial of a finished destruction, as in Isaiah, or of ongoing torment, and argues for ongoing torment from 20:10 and the word torment. He notes the phrase no rest day and night repeats 4:8. Keener says the eternal smoking of Edom is described in similar terms in Isaiah 34:10. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible and the CSB Study Bible all point to Isaiah 34:10. The grade is drawn here: the smoke rising forever is Isaiah's.
Beale and the ESV Study Bible read eternal conscious punishment. Fudge, as Beale reports, reads a judgment remembered forever, as with Edom. Keener says the meaning shifts from Isaiah's desolation to eternal burning. Heiser says the apocalyptic language can support either view.
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- G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation (New International Greek Testament Commentary), comment on 14:11a and 14:11b
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on Revelation 14:11
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, note on Revelation 14:11
- NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, note on Revelation 14:11
- CSB Study Bible, cross-references at Revelation 14:11
- ESV Study Bible, note on Revelation 14:9-11
- Septuagint, Isaiah 34:9-10, Interlinear Greek-English Septuagint
- SBL Greek New Testament (MorphGNT), Revelation 14:11
- Michael S. Heiser, Revelation 14: The Lamb, the 144,000, and the Harvest of the Earth, video lecture (Naked Bible Revelation series)
