And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the
beast
( Revelation 17:3 ) and
which are interpreted of ten kings, ( Revelation
17:12 ) . The Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition,
and the Syriac Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, read, "and the
beast"; and then the sense is, that the ten kings and states in
particular, who have defended antichrist, and the whole empire in
general, which has bore up and supported the whore of Rome:
these shall hate the whore;
her principles and sentiments, her doctrines, which are doctrines
of devils, her wicked practices, her idolatries, adulteries,
murders, and thefts; they will repent of their fornications with
her, and cease from them; their love will be turned to hatred,
and the latter will be greater than ever the former was, like
Amnon's to Tamar; and as it usually is with men towards harlots,
when they see their follies, and how they have been deceived and
abused by them:
and shall make her desolate;
leave her, quit her communion; no more commit fornication with
her, or join with her in her idolatrous worship; but come out
from that apostate church, and renounce all fellowship with her,
and persuade and engage as many as they can influence to do the
same:
and naked;
strip her of her purple, scarlet colour, gold, pearls, and
precious stones; cease to give their power and strength, withhold
their taxes and tribute, deprive her of her power and authority,
civil and ecclesiastical, in their realms, and take away even her
patrimony from her; and not only so, but expose her shame and
filthiness, her abominable principles and practices, to all the
world; which has been in part done already:
and shall eat her flesh;
not literally, but mystically; not out of love, but hatred; they
shall take that to themselves, and make use of, which have
fattened her, as bishoprics, and other benefices, lands,
endowments belonging to abbeys, and monasteries, and other
religious houses; an instance and example of which we have in
King Henry the Eighth's time; so some understand this phrase of
devouring the substance of others, in ( Psalms 27:2 ) (
Daniel 7:5 ) .
So the Targumists often interpret "flesh and fatness"; by
"riches, goods", or substance; the phrase in ( Isaiah 17:4 ) "the
fatness of his flesh shall wax lean", is paraphrased,
(hyrqy rtwe) , "the riches
of his glory shall be carried away"; and the words in ( Micah 3:3 ) who shall
also eat the flesh of my people" are rendered, "and they who
spoil" (yme yokn) , "the
goods", or "substance of my people, and take away their precious
mammon, or money, from them. And again, ( Zechariah
11:9 ) "let the rest eat, everyone the flesh of another", is
in the Targum, "let a man spoil" (yokn) , "the goods or substance of his neighbour"; and
in ( Revelation
17:16 ) he shall eat the flesh of the fat; the paraphrase is,
"he shall" spoil (yokn) ,
"the goods or substance of the rich".
And burn her with fire:
alluding to the law in ( Leviticus
21:9 ) which required that the daughter of a priest, that
played the whore, should be burnt with fire; and this is to be
understood literally of burning the city of Rome, the seat of the
whore, with fire; of which see ( Revelation
18:8 Revelation
18:9 Revelation
18:18 ) . It has been very near being burnt in times past, as
by Alaricus the Goth, Attila the Hun, Genseric the Vandal, and by
Totilas, and in later times by Charles the Fifth; and would have
been, had they not been dissuaded or diverted from it; and which
were so many preludes and warnings of its future fate: and we may
learn from hence, that Rome, and the Romish antichrist, will not
be destroyed by the Turks, but by the Christians; and by the same
states, and kingdoms, and princes, by which the whore of Rome has
been supported in her grandeur, power, and authority, who will
revolt from Popery, and embrace the pure Gospel of Christ: and
this shows, that the ten horns, or kingdoms, into which the Roman
empire has been divided, will subsist in this form at the
destruction of Rome; wherefore, it has been rightly observed by
some, that not one of these kingdoms shall ever be able to rise
to universal monarchy. France has been for many years attempting
it, but in vain; and we may sit down easy and satisfied, assuring
ourselves with the greatest confidence, that all attempts this
way will be fruitless; there never will be another universal
monarchy on earth but that of Christ's; see ( Daniel 2:37 Daniel 2:39 Daniel 2:40 ) (
Daniel 7:3
Daniel 7:23
Daniel 7:27 )
.