And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
13. and the stars of heaven ] So still in Mat 24:29.
as a fig tree ] It is curious that a “parable of the fig-tree” follows in Mat 24:32, immediately after the “fall of the stars.” But this image is taken, not from our Lord’s prophecy l.c., but from Isa 34:4 (the Hebrew, not LXX.). The “untimely fig” is the fig which, having formed too late to ripen in the autumn, hangs through the winter, but almost always drops off before the sap begins to rise in spring, so as not to come to maturity. See Comm. on Mat 21:19 and parallels.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 13. The stars of heaven] The gods and goddesses, demi-gods, and deified heroes, of their poetical and mythological heaven, were prostrated indiscriminately, and lay as useless as the figs or fruit of a tree shaken down before ripe by a tempestuous wind.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This is but another phrase signifying a great change: the whole verse is much the same with Isa 34:4. Literally these things were never yet fulfilled. It is a phrase signifying the fall of great and mighty men.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. stars . . . fell . . . as a figtree casteth her . . . figs (Isa 34:4;Nah 3:12). The Church shall bethen ripe for glorification, the Antichristian world for destruction,which shall be accompanied with mighty phenomena in nature. As to thestars falling to the earth, Scripture describes natural phenomena asthey would appear to the spectator, not in the language of scientificaccuracy; and yet, while thus adapting itself to ordinary men, itdrops hints which show that it anticipates the discoveries of modernscience.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,…. All the other inferior deities lost their esteem, worship, and honour; for the idol temples being now opened, the idols and statues were exposed to the common people, and were found to be stuffed with hay and straw, which brought them into great contempt l. Moreover, as stars sometimes signify the ministers of the Gospel in the Christian church, Re 1:20, and sometimes the priests in the Jewish church, Da 8:10; so they may here likewise include the idolatrous priests among the Heathens, who were discharged and removed by Constantine, and had their posts and profits taken away from them; yea, Maximinus, an Heathen emperor, or tyrant, being beaten by Licinius, who was then Constantine’s colleague, killed many of the priests and prophets of his gods, which were formerly had in great admiration by him, as deceivers and betrayers of him, by whose oracles he was animated to the war m. And in like manner Licinius put to death the priests and prophets of the new idol at Antioch n.
Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind; which figs being young and green, and not fixed, fall off easily, and in great numbers, when a blustering wind beats upon them; and so the rabble of Pagan deities, and idolatrous priests, were easily, and in great numbers, removed through the power of Constantine, which carried all before it.
l Sozomen, l. 2. c. 5. m Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 9. c. 10. n Ib. c. 11.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Her unripe figs ( ). An old word (Latin grossi) for figs that grow in winter and fall off in the spring without getting ripe (So 2:11f.), here only in N.T. Jesus used the fig tree (Mr 13:28) as a sign of the “end of the world’s long winter” (Swete). Cf. Isa 34:4; Nah 3:12.
When she is shaken of a great wind ( ). Present passive participle of , “being shaken by a great wind.” See Mt 11:7 for the reed so shaken.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Untimely figs [] . Better, as Rev., unripe. Compare Mt 24:32; Isa 34:4. Only here in the New Testament.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the stars of heaven,” (kai hoi asteres tou ouranou) “And the stars of the star-heaven,” the heaven or firmament where the stars follow fixed orbits; Isa 13:6-11 describes this howling calamity and cry of people who are unprepared for the Day of the Lord in his judgment fury.
2) “Fell unto the earth,” (epesan eis ten gen) “Fell into the earth,” dropped from the star-studded place of their normal stay in the star heaven to the accursed earth, Eze 32:7-10. The judgments of God are here pronounced on Christ-rejecting Israel, the man of sin, and all who have come under his control.
3) “As a fig tree casteth her untimely figs,” (hos suke ballei tous olunthous autes) “As or like a fig-tree throws off its unripe winter figs,” from every limb and part of the branches are bare, and the tree is without fruit. In connection with this event, in a later record, the great star’s fall brought death to rivers and fountains of water, Rev 8:10-11; Jer 9:15.
4) “When she is shaken of a mighty wind,” (hupo anemou megalou seiomen) “Being shaken by a very strong wind,” a gale, leaving her branches empty, without fruit – In like manner it appears that the former star-heaven is left without stars, in total darkness, following this mighty earthquake, and earthshaking judgment at or about the time of the advent or descent of our Lord to the earth, on the Mount of Olives, Zec 14:4; Isa 52:7-12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
13. Stars of heaven fell On the optical falling of the stars by the commotions of the earth and heaven see our note on “the stars shall fall from heaven.” Mat 24:29.
Untimely figs Winter figs, which usually drop off in spring.
Shaken of a mighty wind A vivid figure of the rush of divine power sweeping the earth in the day of doom.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Ver. 13. And the stars ] Rome’s dunghill deities, together with their chemarims or chimney chaplains, the priests. ConferIsa 34:4Isa 34:4 ; Dan 8:10 ; Exo 12:12 ; Num 33:4 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
stars, &c. See Rev 9:1 and compare Dan 8:10, &c.
heaven. See Rev 3:12.
mighty = great, as verses: Rev 6:4, Rev 6:10, Rev 6:17.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the stars: Rev 8:10-12, Rev 9:1, Eze 32:7, Dan 8:10, Luk 21:25
untimely figs: or green figs
of a: Isa 7:2, Isa 33:9, Dan 4:14, Nah 3:12
Reciprocal: Job 15:33 – shake off Psa 46:6 – earth Isa 13:13 – I will Isa 28:4 – the hasty Isa 34:4 – all the Eze 38:20 – the fishes Joe 2:31 – sun Joe 3:15 – General 2Pe 3:12 – the heavens
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 6:13. Stars of heaven refer to men in high places who lost much of their power by the changes that Constantine was making. Untimely figs means fruit that is not ripe, yet it was shaken loose by the revolution going on in the government.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verse 13.
3. The stars of heaven fell unto the earth–Rev 6:13.
The downfall of Jewish authorities, rulers, and officials of government is here symbolized. The same signs are used in Isa 13:10 in the prophetic description of the fall of the Babylonian rulers. The princes and nobles of the Babylonian kingdom were called stars in Dan 8:10, and were said to be “cast down”; and in Dan 12:3 God’s people were said to shine “as stars forever.”
4. As a fig tree casting untimely figs when shaken by mighty wind–Rev 6:13.
The fig tree was the most familiar fruit bearing tree of scripture illustrations. The first pair clothed their nakedness with fig leaves. (Gen 3:7) The universal benefits of the new covenant were envisioned by Malachi as “every man under his vine and under his fig tree.” (Mic 4:4) The desolation of Nineveh is compared by Nahum to the ripe fig falling from the tree that is shaken. (Nah 3:12) The dissolution of the enemies of God’s people is described by Isaiah to the leaf falling from the vine and to a falling fig from a tree. (Isa 34:4) The rejection of the Jews was insinuated by Jesus in the cursing of the fruitless fig tree. (Mat 21:19)
So the maledictions about to fall upon the persecutors of the Lamb’s followers all symbolized by the casting, or forcible falling, of figs from the tree “when she is shaken of a mighty wind”–the wind of divine wrath. Isaiah compares the withholding of divine judgments against Ephraim as the staying of “his rough wind” (Isa 27:4); and Jeremiah prophesied that a “full wind” would come upon Jerusalem, “not to fan, not to cleanse,” but as a judgment to execute “sentence against them.” (Jer 4:11-12) So this apocalyptic seal makes the casting of the fig from the tree, “when shaken of a mighty wind,” a portent of the destruction that was reserved for the persecutors of the Lamb’s people.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
As a further description of the terrible nature of these events, John sees the stars falling from heaven like winter figs being blown off the trees during a high wind. The heavens being rolled up like a scroll would be familiar language to early Christians. ( Isa 34:4 ) Mountains seem so permanent, yet they and islands are moved from their normal place. Someone’s world is coming crashing down around them.