9:5 And they were not permitted to kill anyone, but to torment for five months; and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a man.

And

3) they were not permitted to KILL ANYONE, but to TORMENT for FIVE months;

Five months, spring and summer, is the life cycle of the locust. During this time, the permission to kill is denied. To TORMENT is OK. However, for the type of TORMENT to be experienced during this exact five months, DEATH would probably be preferred.

It is clear that to harm believers, the devil needs permission (Job 2:3-6). The devil also needs permission to TORMENT these people too. This implies that ALL HUMAN LIFE is precious to God. Even today we are experiencing a hint of this TORMENT when young men think its nothing to "rub out" a person "just because I wanted to". Here, in this verse, it is the threat of death which is the TORMENT.

Note: the five months period is the same time that the earth was covered with water. During this time ALL LIFE was killed (notTORMENTed) except for Noah and his family and pairs of animals, Genesis 7:21-24.

and their TORMENT was like the TORMENT of a scorpion when it stings a man.

The scorpion's sting is most painful but seldom fatal. It was equated with harsh discipline as in 2 Chronicles 10:6-11 Other examples of TORMENTand related fear: