And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Ver. 1. The seventh seal] The business or parts whereof are the seven trumpets, that sound a dreadful alarm against the Roman empire, ready now to be ruined for the innocent blood, and upon the instant suit of the martyrs, Revelation 6:10 .
There was silence in heaven] That is, in the Church on earth, often called the kingdom of heaven. This half an hour's silence was either for horror and admiration, or for ardent expectation, or (as some will have it) for religious awe and devotion. Christ the high priest, being now about to offer incense (those prayers of the martyrs, Rev 6:10), there was in the Church (as used to be in the temple at such times, Luk 1:10) a deep silence. So among the Romans, the people in time of worship were enjoined favere linguis, to spare their tongues. And in the Greek Church one stood up and cried, Σιγα, λαος, αφεσις, λαος, Peace, people, leave off your discourse. Among the heathen Athenians in the time of divine rites, the priests craved silence of the people in these words, Ευφημειτε, σιγα, πας εστωλεως, Be whist, all ye people, good words or nothing. Male ominatis parcite verbis. (Archaeol. Attic. 55. Horat.)