Revelation 9:12-21

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

13 After these things also the sixth angel trumpeted [After these things also the sixth angel sang in trump]; and I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar, that is before the eyes of God,

14 and said to the sixth angel that had a trumpet, Unbind thou four angels, that be bound in the great river Euphrates. [saying to the sixth angel that had a trump, Unbind the four angels, that be bound in the great flood Euphrates.]

15 And the four angels were unbound, which were ready into hour, and day, and month, and year, to slay the third part of men.

16 And the number of the host of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them.

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].

Revelation 9:12-21 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.