Revelation 9:2-12

2 And it opened the pit of deepness [And he opened the pit of deepness], and a smoke of the pit ascended up, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darked, and the air, of the smoke of the pit.

3 And locusts went out of the smoke of the pit into earth [And of the smoke of the pit locusts went out into the earth]; and power was given to them, as scorpions of the earth have power.

4 And it was commanded to them, that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree, but only men, that have not the sign of God [that have not the mark of God] in their foreheads.

5 And it was given to them, that they should not slay them, but that they should be tormented five months; and the tormenting of them, as the tormenting of a scorpion, when he smiteth a man.

6 And in those days men shall seek death, and they shall not find it; and they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

7 And the likeness of locusts be like horses made ready into battle [And the likeness of locusts be like to horses made ready to battle]; and on the heads of them as crowns like gold, and the faces of them as the faces of men.

8 And they had hairs, as the hairs of women; and the teeth of them were as the teeth of lions.

9 And they had habergeons, as iron habergeons, and the voice of their wings as the voice of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10 And they had tails like [to] scorpions, and pricks were in the tails of them; and the might of them was to harm men five months.

11 And they had on [upon] them a king, the angel of deepness, to whom the name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but by Greek Apollyon, and by Latin he hath a name Exterminus, that is, Destroyer.

12 One woe is passed, and lo! yet come two woes.

Revelation 9:2-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 9

This chapter gives an account of the blowing of the fifth and sixth trumpets, and of the effects following upon them. The fifth angel blows his trumpet, and a star falls; the key of the bottomless pit is given to him, which being opened by it, out of it comes smoke to the darkening of the sun and air, and out of the smoke locusts, who have power like scorpions, Re 9:1-3; whose power is restrained from using it to the hurt of the grass, or any green thing or tree, only of those who had not the seal of God in their foreheads; but are permitted, though not to kill men, yet to torment them five months, which is worse than death unto them, Re 9:4-6. The shapes of these locusts, which are said to be like horses, are described by their heads, faces, hair, teeth, breastplates, wings, and tails, and are said to have a king over them, whose name is mentioned, Re 9:7-11. The blowing of this trumpet brings on one of the woes mentioned in Re 8:13, and the two other follow, Re 9:12. The sixth angel blows his trumpet, and a voice is heard from the horns of the altar, directed to the said angel, ordering him to loose four angels bound in the great river Euphrates, where they were prepared, for a determinate time, to slay the third part of men, and they were loosed accordingly, Re 9:13-15. The number of the army, under these angels, is given, Re 9:16, and the horses and horsemen are described; the riders by their breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone; their horses' heads as heads of lions, fire, smoke, and brimstone, issuing out of their mouths, by which the third part of men are killed, Re 9:17,18. The reason of this slaughter is, because they had power both in their mouth and tails, which latter were like serpents, and had heads, with which they did mischief, Re 9:19; and yet such who were not killed by these plagues, but escaped, did not repent of their idolatry, murders, sorceries, fornication, and theft, Re 9:20,21.