In Thirds

When the angel blows the first trumpet, one-third of the land and one-third of the trees, along with all the grass, gets burned up by the fire coming from heaven (Revelation 8). It sets a trend. Throughout the trumpet section, things are destroyed by thirds.

In part, this this is a mathematical increase on the judgment that was depicted with the fourth seal, where 1/4 of the earth was given to the green horse. God’s judgments increase in severity and completeness as the book progresses.

The Greek does not actually describe a fraction. The phrase is simply “the third” (totriton). We could translate it woodenly as “the third of the earth was burned, and the third of the trees.” That is, “every third” is burned. The result is of course that 1/3 are burned, but the picture might shift slightly.

Ezekiel 5 is in the background. Ezekiel is instructed to cut his hair and beard, weigh out the hair, and divide it into three sections. A third is to be burned in the fire, a third is struck by the sword, and another third is scattered to the wind (vv. 1-2). If this isn’t clear enough, Yahweh interprets the sign later: A third will die by the plague, a third by the sword, and a third will be scattered into exile. Hair is glory, a crown, and Israel is Yahweh’s crown. But He is going into mourning, shaving off His hair and beard, burn part of it, cut part of it, and then scatter a third of it to the wind. (This might link the fire of Revelation 8 with the plague or pestilence, disease.)

The numerology is also significant. The third part of something is destroyed 12 times in the following section. That numerical allusion to Israel is significant, reinforcing the likelihood that these judgments are focused on Israel. But 12/3 equals 4, and the number 4 describes a total judgment, to the four corners. If you get a large enough number of 1/3 judgments, you get, effectively, a total judgment.