Apocalypse 9:1-10

1 Et le cinquième ange sonna de la trompette, et je vis une étoile qui était tombée du ciel sur la terre; et la clef du puits de l'abîme fut donnée à cet ange.

2 Et il ouvrit le puits de l'abîme, et il monta du puits une fumée, comme la fumée d'une grande fournaise; et le soleil et l'air furent obscurcis par la fumée du puits;

3 Et de cette fumée, des sauterelles se répandirent sur la terre; et on leur donna un pouvoir semblable au pouvoir qu'ont les scorpions de la terre.

4 Et il leur fut dit de ne faire aucun mal à l'herbe de la terre, ni à aucune verdure, ni à aucun arbre; mais seulement aux hommes qui n'ont pas le sceau de Dieu sur leurs fronts.

5 Et il leur fut donné, non de les tuer, mais de les torturer durant cinq mois, et leur torture était pareille à celle que cause le scorpion quand il pique l'homme.

6 En ces jours-là, les hommes chercheront la mort, et ne la trouveront point; ils désireront de mourir, et la mort les fuira.

7 Ces sauterelles ressemblaient à des chevaux préparés pour le combat; il y avait sur leurs têtes comme des couronnes semblables à de l'or; et leurs visages étaient comme des visages d'hommes.

8 Elles avaient des cheveux comme des cheveux de femmes, et leurs dents étaient comme des dents de lions.

9 Elles avaient des cuirasses comme des cuirasses de fer; et le bruit de leurs ailes était semblable au bruit de chariots à plusieurs chevaux qui courent au combat.

10 Elles avaient des queues semblables à celles des scorpions, et à leurs queues un aiguillon; et leur pouvoir était de nuire aux hommes pendant cinq mois.

Apocalypse 9:1-10 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.