Revelation 8:11 Meaning and Explanation
“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The fallen star is named Wormwood, and it turns a third of the waters bitter, so that many die from drinking them.
What Does Revelation 8:11 Mean?
The star that fell upon the rivers is given a name: Wormwood. A third of the waters become bitter as wormwood, and many die because the waters that once gave life now bring death. The very springs people trusted turn against them.
Throughout Scripture, bitterness and wormwood picture the painful fruit of turning from God, the harvest of a life that forsakes the fountain of living water. Here that bitterness becomes visible in the streams themselves. The image is a mirror: when a world drinks deeply from sources other than God, what promised refreshment leaves only death. Yet even this is warning before it is end. The bitter waters call the thirsty to seek again the sweet, pure spring that never fails. The Lord who allows the wells to turn bitter is the same who offers water that becomes in us a well springing up to life.
Revelation 8:11 in the Original Language
apsinthos (ἄψινθος), 'wormwood' -- a bitter plant whose name pictures sorrow and the bitter fruit of turning from God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Revelation 8:11
What does Revelation 8:11 mean?
The fallen star is named Wormwood, and it turns a third of the waters bitter, so that many die from drinking them.