Revelation 9:20

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, 1did not repent of 2the works of their hands nor give up worshiping 3demons 4and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

Revelation 9:20 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 9:20

And the rest of men which were not killed by these plagues,
&c.] By whom are meant the western antichristian party; and such of them as were not plagued, harassed, and destroyed by the Turks, as in Germany, at least some parts of it, France, Spain, Italy

yet repented not of the works of their hands:
their idols, their images of saints departed, which their hands had made; the goodness of God in saving them from the depredations of the Turks, should have led them to repentance for their idolatrous worship of images, but it did not:

that they should not worship devils;
or demons, a sort of deities with the Heathens, that mediated between the superior gods and men; and here design angels and saints departed, which the Papists worship, and use as mediators of intercession for them; and this is no other than worshipping of devils, in God's account, and is downright idolatry, and the doctrine of it is the doctrine of devils:

and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood;
which are the several materials of which the Popish images are made: and what aggravates the stupidity of the worshippers of these images, and of the persons represented by them, is, that these are such

which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk;
can neither see their persons, nor hear their prayers, nor stir one foot to their help and assistance; see ( Psalms 115:4-7 ) .

Revelation 9:20 In-Context

18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.
19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound.
20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,
21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Cross References 4

  • 1. See Revelation 2:21
  • 2. Deuteronomy 31:29; Jeremiah 1:16; Jeremiah 25:14
  • 3. See 1 Corinthians 10:20
  • 4. Psalms 115:4-7; Psalms 135:15-17; Daniel 5:23
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.