And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Angel So Coptic, Andreas; omitted by 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, Syriac.
Seat - `throne of the beast:' set up in arrogant mimicry of God's: the dragon gave his throne to the beast (Revelation 13:2).
Darkness - parallel to the Egyptian plague, Pharaoh being type of Antichrist (cf. Revelation 15:2-3, notes: cf. the fifth trumpet, Revelation 9:2).
Gnawed their tongues for pain - `owing to the pain' of the previous plagues, rendered more appalling by the darkness. Or, as 'gnashing of teeth' is one of hell's accompaniments, so this 'gnawing of their tongues' is through rage at the baffling of their hopes and overthrow and overthrow of their kingdom. They meditate revenge, but are impotent to effect it; hence, their frenzy. Those in anguish, mental and bodily, bite their lips and tongues.