Revelation 9:6 - Exposition

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them; shall in no wise find it … and death fleeth from them (Revised Version); οἱ ἄνθρωποι , "the men;" that is, the unsealed, who suffer this judgment. This is a characteristic biblical method of expressing great anguish. Thus Job 3:20 , Job 3:21 , "The bitter in soul; which long for death, but it cometh not" (cf. also Jeremiah 8:3 ; Job 7:15 ; Luke 23:30 ; and Revelation 6:16 ). The description portrays great anguish of mind, and should not be pressed to a literal interpretation, though many have illustrated the passage by pointing to actual occurrences of the kind.