Revelation 9:19

19 For the power of the horses is in the mouth of them, and in the tails of them; for the tails of them be like to serpents, having heads, and in them they harm.

Revelation 9:19 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 9:19

For their power is in their mouth
In what proceeded out of their mouth, or seethed to do so; in their guns, and what came out of them:

and in their tails;
which may design their foot soldiers, which were as the tail to their horse, and who sometimes did great service; or their way of fighting when they fled, by casting up arrows into the air, which would fall upon the heads and horses of those that pursued them; or their ambushments, by which they destroyed many; or their perfidious violation of treaties; or it may be their tails may intend the doctrine of Mahomet, the false prophet, who is the tail, ( Isaiah 9:15 ) ,

for their tails [were] like unto serpents;
crooked, crafty, poisonous, and, pernicious:

and had heads;
every tail had a head to it; which may be understood of the officers of the foot soldiers, or of the priests and teachers of the Mahometan religion:

and with them they do hurt;
with their guns, the power in their mouth, they did hurt to the bodies of men; and with their false doctrines, their tails, they did hurt to the souls of men; the Ethiopic version here adds, "five months"; which seems to be taken from ( Revelation 9:10 ) .

Revelation 9:19 In-Context

17 And so I saw horses in vision; and they that sat on them had fiery habergeons, and of jacinth, and of brimstone [and brimstone]. And the heads of the horses were as [the] heads of lions; and fire, and smoke, and brimstone, cometh forth of the mouth of them [and of the mouth of them fire came forth, and smoke and brimstone].

18 Of these three plagues the third part of men was slain, of the fire, and of the smoke, and of the brimstone, that came out of the mouth of them.

19 For the power of the horses is in the mouth of them, and in the tails of them; for the tails of them be like to serpents, having heads, and in them they harm.

20 And the other men, that were not slain in these plagues, neither did penance of the works of their hands, that they worshipped not devils, and simulacra of gold, and of silver [and silver], and of brass, and of stone [and brass, and stone], and of tree, which neither be able to see [which neither may see], neither hear, neither wander;

21 and [they] did not penance of their manslayings, neither of their witchcrafts, neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts, were slain [neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts].