WAS ALL THE GRASS DESTROYED IN REVELATION 8:7?

Jim Goad brings up the apparent contradiction that Revelation 8:7 says all the green grass was burned up, but later in Revelation 9:4 the monstrous locusts are instructed not to harm the grass. Why would any warning need to be given when the grass was already gone? Goad is not the only one to find a discrepancy here. For example, R.H. Charles, the noted expert on apocalyptic literature, believed these two passages to be inconsistent with one another.

Although there seems to be no way to avoid this conundrum, these passages can actually be easily harmonized in several possible ways. Of course, if you believe as some flippant critics do that the author of the book must have been hallucinating the whole vision, then consistency is the last thing you would expect to find here. But for the rest of us, it remains a problem to be solved. And for that, I have enlisted the help of several Bible scholars.

The Meaning of “Grass”

In the first place, it should be noted that there are at least three different Hebrew terms for grass appearing in the OT: dese' (new fresh grass sprouting after the rain), chasir (wild grass used as fodder), and leqes (late grass). But even dese' can stand for all vegetation, which consists of both plants and trees.” (as in Genesis 1:11) (Futato)

Moving to the New Testament, J. Baldwin says that “chortos...implies primarily grass or hay for horses and cattle...chortos translates a variety of [Hebrew] words for grass, plants [including] dese', grass (Ps. 37:2; Isa. 15:6); hasir, grass (Isa. 15:6; 44:4; 51:12; samir, thorns (Isa. 32:13).”

Vine states, “In Palestine or Syria there are 90 genera and 243 species of grass.”

“Many grasses are grown in Palestine, but the Bible seemingly does not distinguish one from another or even differentiate grass from grass-like herbs...In a rural economy based extensively on grazing, grass is an image of fertility; its presence insured abundance (Ps. 147:8). Given the fragility of grass, its thriving presence is also a sign of God's providential care...God's judgment is often pictured as the taking away of grass.” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery)

Consideration of the literary genre of Revelation

Ford simply states, “One cannot...require such exact logicality in an apocalyptic work.”

Phillips feels that both passages are highly symbolic and that the green grass in 8:7 “would represent the masses of mankind...What is symbolized thus is a major upheaval among nations which results in...a mass depopulation of the globe.” Few scholars have followed Phillips' lead in this direction of understanding.

This is one of two possible explanations which Morris offers in his commentary on Revelation as he states that “it is a great mistake to read this fiery, passionate and poetic spirit as though he were composing a pedantic piece of scientific prose. He is painting vivid pictures and it does not matter in the slightest that the details do not harmonize readily.”

Beale says that based on Ezekiel 5, “the fire that burns a third of the land and the trees and all the grass in Rev. 8:7 is a metaphorical portrayal of a judgment by famine.” And other commentators have suggested that the trees in 9:4 which are not to be touched represent upright people.

A contrasting opinion is offered by J. Baldwin, who feels that “grass” is used in a literal sense in Revelation 8:7 and 9:4.

All of the grass in Revelation 8:7 was NOT burned up

This is perhaps the most common way to harmonize the two passages, as expressed by the following scholars:

“The trees and green grass which are burned are within the third of the land surface devastated by fire. The verse is not at variance with 9:4, which prohibits hurting the grass [i.e. that remaining].” (Mounce)

“All green grass was burned up. That is, in the third part of the earth which was affected; the locust of 9:4 are forbidden to hurt the grass of the earth, which would not exist if this were a universal judgment.” (Beasley-Murray)

“The answer might be, in the first instance, that this verse [i.e. 8:7] does not appear to mean that all the grass on earth is destroyed. Throughout this section, John is concerned with plagues which affect one third. His meaning here is surely that all the grass in one third the earth mentioned was burnt up.” (Morris)

“Revelation modifies the Exodus plague in that now only a third of the land and trees are harmed, yet the affliction of all the grass remains unchanged, though the limitation to one third may be carried over from the previous clauses, as is more clearly the case in 8:11b.” (Beale)

The various plagues in Revelation may not be listed in strictly chronological order.

It is a huge mistake in the exegesis of Revelation to simply assume that all the chapters are presented in the order in which the events will occur or have occurred. Instead they may be ordered with the second half of the book as the mirror image of the first, or in a rough chronological order in which each section somewhat overlaps the previous ones. For a further explanation of that assertion, see my earlier post titled “Book of Revelation: Introduction to the Literary Structure.”

Thus, Beale goes on to say, “Furthermore, the fifth trumpet may be temporarily parallel with the first, so that there would be no inconsistency.”

And Metzger states, “These calamities are not consecutive nor are they to be taken literally.”

And even if one insists on believing that they are consecutive, there is no indication in the text as to how much time elapses between each plague. We sometimes blithely assume that immediately follow on another. But it is just as likely that the first and fifth plagues are separated anywhere from a year to hundreds of years apart, by which time the grass would have grown back.

Note that even within the somewhat parallel formulations in 8:7 and 9:4, the same order of elements is not followed: Rev. 8:7 – earth, trees, grass, green vs. Rev. 9:4 – grass, earth, green, trees

The locust are simply being told to abandon their natural vegetarian diet.

This possible explanation may be behind the following two comments:

Mounce: “In the Egyptian plague (as well as in Joel) the fields and trees were laid bare by the swarming locusts (Ex 10:15; Joel 2:3). The locusts of John's vision have a different mission. Their destructive power is not directed against the grass, the green herb, or the leaves of the trees, but against wicked men.”

Hendricksen: “No ordinary locusts are these: they do not destroy vegetation; they do not even harm it. They harm the men who have not been sealed.”

Beale and McDonough: “The locusts in Exod. 10:15 destroyed 'the land, and they devoured the vegetation, and all the fruit of the trees'...(also Ps. 105:33-35). In contrast to the locusts in Exodus, these are commissioned 'not to harm the grass of the earth nor any green thing nor any tree.'”

Old Testament Influences

It is well recognized that the whole of Revelation is heavily dependent on the OT in its incidents and and how they are worded. As Ford says, “9:14 is influenced by Ezek 9:4.” And Beale notes that Revelation 8:7 corresponds to Exodus 9:22-23.

Furthermore, Beale and McDonough point out, “In [Revelation] 8:6-12, the first four trumpets clearly are modeled on the exodus plagues that came against Egypt...This is a systematic dismantling of the created order of Gen. 1, though not in the same order: the elements affected are light, air, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, sea creatures, and humans.”