Revelation 9:13-21 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Reader Related Verse
Bible Comments

The Sixth Trumpet or the Second Woe. The loosing of the four angels of death, and the slaughter of a third part of the human race.

Revelation 9:13. the horns: the corners. the golden altar: cf. Revelation 8:3.

Revelation 9:14. Loose the four angels: these angels are kept bound in the river Euphrates (cf. Revelation 16:12) waiting for the day of vengeance. There is a striking parallel in a Syriac Apocalypse of Ezra, Let these four kings be loosed which are bound near the great river Euphrates which shall destroy a third part of mankind. Many commentators see in this reference an expectation that the armies of Parthia were soon to be loosed on the Roman Empire.

Revelation 9:16. The figure 200, 000, 000 is probably derived from Psalms 68:17, The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon thousands.

Revelation 9:17. hyacinth is sometimes used as (a) the name of a precious stone (Revelation 21:20), (b) of a dye, i.e. blue. The breastplates appeared as flame-coloured, smoky blue, and yellow like sulphur.

[Revelation 9:19. their tails: The Parthians twisted their horses-' tails to a point. There may be a further reference to their skill in shooting backwards. A. J. G.]

Revelation 9:20. the rest of mankind, i.e. the two-thirds who were not killed. worship devils: both in OT and NT the worship of the pagan world is said to be given to demons (cf. Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalms 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20).

Revelation 9:21. The four sins mentioned in this verse are the characteristic vices of the pagan world. For the connexion between idolatry and immorality cf. Romans 12:1-21. [sorceries: the Gr. word means magic spells inciting to illicit lusts. A. J. G.]

Related Commentaries of Revelation 9:13

Revelation 9:13-21

13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,

14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour,b and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.

19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.