And the number of the army of the horsemen [were] two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
16. of the horsemen ] It is implied that the way the four angels will slay the third part of men will be by means of a vast invading army. The word rendered “horsemen” is not here plural but collective, as we should say “the cavalry.” But it is not that he gives the number of one arm only of an army containing more: apparently this army consists of cavalry exclusively. This illustrates the use of the name Euphrates, just so far as to make it possible that the image was suggested to St John’s mind by the fact that the Parthian cavalry were the most formidable barbarian force of his own day. More than this we can hardly say, as to the meaning of the vision, and any partial fulfilment that it may have had or be about to have.
two hundred thousand thousand ] The number is perhaps suggested by Psa 68:17: still, it hardly seems as if these horsemen were celestial (like those of Rev 19:14), though they are not distinctly infernal, like the locusts of the previous visions.
and I heard ] Omit “and.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the number of the army of the horsemen – It is to be observed here that the strength of the army seemed to be cavalry. In the former plagues there is no distinct mention of horsemen; but here what struck the beholder was the immense and unparalleled number of horsemen.
Were two hundred thousand thousand – A thousand thousand is one million, and consequently the number here referred to would be 200 million. This would be a larger army than was ever assembled, and it cannot be supposed that it is to be taken literally. That it would be a very large host – so large that it would not be readily numbered – is clear. The expression in the original, while it naturally conveys the idea of an immense number, would seem also to refer to some uniqueness in the manner of reckoning them. The language is, two myriads of myriads – duo muriades muriadon. The myriad was ten thousand. The idea would seem to be this. John saw an immense host of cavalry. They appeared to be divided into large bodies that were in some degree separate, and that might be reckoned by ten thousands. Of these different squadrons there were many, and to express their great and unusual numbers he said that there seemed to be myriads of them – two myriads of myriads, or twice ten thousand myriads. The army thus would seem to be immense – an army, as we should say, to be reckoned by tens of thousands.
And I heard the number of them – They were so numerous that he did not pretend to be able to estimate the number himself, for it was beyond his power of computation; but he heard it stated in these round numbers, that there were two myriads of myriads of them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Two hundred thousand thousand] Two myriads of myriads; that is, two hundred millions; an army that was never yet got together from the foundation of the world, and could not find forage in any part of the earth. Perhaps it only means vast numbers, multitudes without number. Such a number might be literally true of the locusts. Those who will have their particular system supported by the images in this most obscure book, tell us that the number here means all the soldiers that were employed in this war, from its commencement to its end! Those who can receive this saying let them receive it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He saith nothing of the infantry, but leaves us to conjecture how great that must be, from the number of the horse; we must not think there was precisely this number, but the meaning is, that the armies should be vastly great, as we know all the Turkish armies are. Magogs army is described from the cavalry, Eze 38:4,15.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. Compare with these twohundred million, Psa 68:17;Dan 7:10. The hosts here areevidently, from their numbers and their appearance (Re9:17), not merely human hosts, but probably infernal,though constrained to work out God’s will (compare Rev 9:1;Rev 9:2).
and I heardA, B,Aleph, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and CYPRIANomit “and.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the number of the army of the horsemen,…. This shows that the four angels before mentioned were men, and design generals of armies, or armies of men, even of horsemen; and manifestly point at the Turks, who were not only originally Persians, and had their name, as some say e, from Turca in Persia, and , from whence the Persians have their name, signifies an horseman; but the armies of the Turks chiefly consisted of horse, and what for show and for use, they had generally double the number of horses and mules as of men f; and they are very good horsemen, and very dextrous at leaping on and off g; and the horse’s tail is still carried before the general, and principal officers, as an ensign expressive of their military exploits, and showing where their main strength lies. And the number of this mighty army, it is said,
[were] two hundred thousand thousand; or “two myriads of myriads”; two hundred millions, or twenty thousand brigades of ten thousand each; that is, a very large and prodigious number, almost infinite and incredible, like the army of Gog and Magog, as the sand of the sea,
Re 20:8. The Turks used to bring, and still do bring vast armies into the field: in the year 1396, Bajazet, with three hundred thousand men, fell upon sixty thousand Christians, killed twenty thousand of them, and lost sixty thousand of his own: against him afterward, in the year 1397, came Tamerlane the Tartar, with four hundred thousand horse, and six hundred thousand foot, and having killed two hundred thousand Turks, took Bajazet prisoner, and carried him about in a cage, in golden chains. In the year 1438, Amurath entered into Pannonia, with three hundred thousand horsemen: and in the year 1453, Mahomet took Constantinople with the like number h; yea, it is said, that the army at the siege of that city consisted of forty myriads, or four hundred thousand men i. It is reported, that the great Turk contemptuously sent to the emperor of the Romans a camel, or a dromedary, loaden with wheat, with this vow by a message, that he should bring against him as many fighting men as there were grains of wheat therein k. And it is related l, that when Ladislaus, king of Hungary, went out against Amurath with four and twenty thousand horse, Dracula, governor of Walachia, advised him not to attack the emperor of the Turks with so small an army, since he went out every day a hunting with more men than such a number:
and I heard the number of them; expressed by some angel, and therefore John was certain of it, otherwise he could not have told them.
e Laonic. Chalcocondylas de reb. Turc. l. 1. p. 6. f Ib. l. 7. p. 227, 255. g Laonic. Chalcocond. l. 2. p. 65. h Alsted. Chronol. p. 321. i Laonic. Chalcocond. l. 7. p. 255. k Napier in loc. l Bonfinius apud Pareum in loc.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Of the horsemen ( ). Old adjective from (horse), equestrian. The neuter articular singular , the horse or the cavalry in contrast with (the infantry), here only in N.T. For the numbers here see on Rev 5:11; Rev 7:4.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Of the horsemen [ ] . Singular number, like the English the horse or the cavalry.
Two hundred thousand thousand [ ] . Lit., two ten – thousands of ten – thousands. See on ch. Rev 5:11. Rev., twice ten – thousand times ten – thousand. Compare Psa 68:17; Dan 7:10; Heb 12:22; Jude 1:14.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the number of the army,” (kai ho arithmos ton strateumaton) “And the number of the body of soldiers,” battling in endless columns along the Great River Euphrates and before the Armageddon battle that begins at the Euphrates is over it will recede or advance near 800 miles west in the Holy Land proper, where blood shall flow to the horses bridle in the valley of Jehoshaphat, Joe 3:2; Joe 3:12-16; Rev 14:20.
2) “Of the horsemen,” (tou hippikou) “Of the cavalry,” these are men from among the Gentile nations in battle array – “nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom,” men in throes of death, Mat 24:7-8.
3) “Were two hundred thousand thousand,” (dismuriades muriadon) “Was two myriads of myriads,” or some two hundred million soldiers, human soldiers, doing battle against one another incited by the very Devil, the Star out of the bottomless pit who incites men to death and war; Eze 38:4; Eze 39:1-1; Rev 9:1-2; Heb 2:14.
4) “And I heard the number of them,” (ekousa ton arithmon auton) “I (even), also heard their number,” given or called. God is a God of numbers and order, both in redemptive work and in judgment; Each person is precious in his sight. No one is lost to his sight or concern among the masses. One by one men are born, given life, breath, and all things; and one by one each shall die, and thereafter give account of or for himself at the judgment bar of God, even to be judged, Luk 14:35; Luk 15:7; Luk 10:32; Rom 14:11-12; Php_2:10-11; Joh 3:16; Joh 6:37; 2Co 5:10-11.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(16) And the number . . .Translate, And the number of the armies of the cavalry was two myriads of myriads. I heard the number of them. The writer heard, perhaps from some herald angel, the number of this vast army of horsemen; it was twice ten-thousand times ten thousandi.e., two hundred millions. The number is like an echo from Psa. 68:17The chariots of God are twenty thousand (two myriads), even thousands (or, thousands of thousands) of angels. This utterly bewildering number might have been sufficient to keep interpreters from looking for some slavishly literal fulfilment: it simply stands for an immense host, and may serve to point out the prolific powers of retributionthe harvest of sin is misery, multiplied thirty, sixty, one hundred-fold.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16. Horsemen Alford correctly says, that the four angels are apparently “resolved into the hosts of cavalry.” The cavalry alone, of this great army, is stupendous, letting alone the infantry. The number amounts to two hundred millions. It is the decimal of totality raised to the seventh power, and reduplicated, to indicate how vast the totality of the wars of the Christian ages would be!
Heard the number For no human eye could see it.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the numbers of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million, I heard the number of them. And this is how I saw the horse in the vision, and those who sat on them, they have breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three plagues were the third part of men killed, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeds from their mouths, for the power of the horses is in their mouth and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents and have heads and with them they hurt.’
The four angels were clearly able to call on a multitude of assistants, possibly demons. We are not told the source from which they came, but they have been held back until the right time came. Like the previous horsemen these have tails which hurt. Whether the tails really had heads, or simply some appendage which enabled them to hurt men, is difficult to tell, but the point is that they were dangerous both in front and behind, and there were two hundred million of them (although they would spread out over a wide area). The likeness of their tails to serpents’ heads connects them with the Great Serpent (Rev 12:9). In having dangerous tails they parallel the flying scorpion-locusts. So these evil spirits, presumably from the abyss, are released under the four fallen angels. And their purpose, unlike that of the scorpion-locusts, is to cause wholesale bloodshed as well as spiritual distress. Once again we are not to see these evil spirits as being seen by men. Men will only be aware of their effects as they see the carnage and distress round about them, wrought by men under the influence of evil spirits. The problem before the Flood (widespread demon possession) is again raising its ugly head. Men alive at the time will see nothing of these creatures, but John is allowed to see the real cause of the bloodshed and distress. We notice that God does not carry out the carnage. Evil angels (and evil men whom they utilise) are sufficient cause.
‘Two hundred million’ (twice ten thousand times ten thousand) – John was aware of the vastness of the number. He assures his readers ‘I heard the number of them’ – to show the vast armies released. We remember how in the days of Jesus one man was possessed by a host, a ‘legion’ of such evil spirits (Mar 5:9; Luk 8:30).
The evil warriors have ‘breastplates of fire and hyacinth (smoke) and brimstone’. This was the appearance of the breastplates in the vision, projecting the awfulness of these creatures. Fire and smoke is paralleled with brimstone partly to bring out the difference between the pure fire which speaks of God and the hellish fire in mind here. Brimstone is always a symbol of terrible judgment (Gen 19:24; Deu 29:23; Psa 11:6; Isa 30:33; Isa 34:9; Eze 38:22; Luk 17:29; Rev 14:10; Rev 19:20; Rev 20:10; Rev 21:8). ‘Hyacinth’ is a blue colour. Here it represents smoke. So the combination seen is of an unearthly red, blue and yellow representing creatures from the abyss.
The horses have ‘heads of lions’, this depicts their fierceness. They only purposes death. ‘From their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone’, probably from the mouths of the horses, paralleling the breastplates of their riders, underlining the hellish nature of the visitation. Note how ‘smoke’ has now replaced ‘hyacinth’ in the trilogy. Thus the hyacinth spoke of smokiness.
From the mouths of these horses issues only destruction (Rev 9:18), brought about by the fire, smoke and brimstone. They bring no hope for man. They are the opposite of the One from whose mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, which had a positive purpose and did offer hope as well as judgment (Rev 19:15). We must not take these pictures literally. No sharp-two edged sword will really come out of the mouth of the Son of Man It speaks of a spiritual reality. Thus the same principle applies here. The spiritual effect of these evil creatures will be destructive
‘Their tails are like serpents and have heads, and with them they hurt’. So like the scorpion locusts these creatures’ horses hurt viciously with their tails, suggesting the causing of spiritual distress and torment. Death proceeds from their mouths and great distress from their tails, as they incite mankind to evil. Their tails have heads of serpents which bite and bring misery. In other words the activity of these creatures is both deadly and spiritually distressing. They will be responsible for widespread slaughter. The last century has seen slaughter on a massive scale, partly at the hands of the Kaiser and a demon-possessed Hitler. This may well have been caused by these evil creatures. But what we can be certain of is that they cannot directly ‘hurt’ those who have the seal of God on their foreheads. They come from the very gates of Hades, but they will not prevail against those who belong to Christ (Mat 16:18), although no doubt they can produce conditions that result in the deaths of many of them. The seal saves from the wrath of God not the wrath of men. We are again reminded of Jesus words, ‘behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you’ (Luk 10:19). Spiritually God’s people are safe. But physically they will have to face tribulation (Joh 16:33).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Rev 9:16-19. The number of the army, &c. A description is here given of the forces, and of the means and instruments bywhich the Othmans should effect the ruin of the Eastern empire. Their army is described as very numerous,myriads of myriads; and when Mohammed the second besieged Constantinople, he had 400,000 men in his army, besides a powerful fleet of thirty larger, and two hundred lesser ships. They are described too, chiefly, as horsemen; and so they are described also by Ezekiel and Daniel; as it is well known that their armies consisted chiefly of cavalry, especially before the order of Janizaries was instituted by Amurath the first. The Timariots, or horsemen, hold lands by serving in the wars, are the strength of the government, and are accounted in all between seven and eight thousand fighting men: some indeed say that they are a million: and, besides these, there are spahis and other horsemen in the emperor’s pay. In the vision, that is in appearance, and not in reality, they had breast-plates of fire, and of hyacinth, and brimstone. The colour of fire is red, of hyacinth blue, and of brimstone yellow: and this has had a literal accomplishment: for the Othmans, from the first time of their appearance, have affected to wear such warlike apparel of scarlet, blue, and yellow. Of the spahis particularly, some have red, and some have yellow standards; and others red or yellow, mixed with other colours. In appearance too, the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, to denote their strength, courage, and fierceness; and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone, Rev 9:17.A manifest allusion to great guns and gunpowder; which were invented under this trumpet, and were of such signal service to the Othmans in their wars: for by these three was the third part of men killed; by these the Othmans made such havoc and destruction in the Greek or Eastern empire. Amurath the second broke into Peloponnesus, and took several strong places by means of his artillery. His son Mohammed, at the siege of Constantinople, employed such great guns, as were never made before. One, we are told, was so large, as to be drawn by seventy yoke of oxen, and by two thousand men: two more discharged a stone of the weight of half a talent; but the greatest of all discharged a ball of the weight of three talents, or about three hundred pounds. For forty days the wall was battered by these guns, and so many breaches were made, that the city was taken by assault, and an end put to the Grecian empire. They had power to hurt by their tails, &c. Rev 9:19. In this respect they very much resemble the locusts; only the different tails are adapted to the different creatures; the tails of scorpions to locusts, the tails of serpents, with a head at each end, to horses. By this figure it is meant, that the Turks draw after them the same poisonous train as the Saracens; they profess and propagate the same imposture; they do hurt not only by their conquests, but also by the spreading of their false doctrine; and wherever they establish their dominion, there too they establish their religion. Many, indeed, of the Greek church remained, and are still remaining among them; but are subject to a capitation tax for the exercise of theirreligion; are burthened with the most heavy and arbitrary impositions; are compelled to the most servile drudgery; are abused in their persons, and robbed of their property; but notwithstanding these and greater persecutions, some remains of the Greek church are still preserved among them, as we may reasonably conclude, to serve some great and mysterious ends of Providence.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Rev 9:16-19 . Description of the army led by the four released angels; its immense size, Rev 9:16 ; its supernatural nature, and terrible effect (Rev 9:17-19 .)
. The explanatory variations and arose from the offence taken because John did not write, in accordance with classical usage, .
; i.e., two hundred millions.
, . . ., is added by asyndeton, since an explanation is necessary as to whence it was that John knew of the immense number. [2652] Beda, who prefers to render the Greek expression by “ bis myriades myridaum ,” than with the Vulg., “ vicies millies dena millia ,” finds here “a deceitful duplicity of the perverse army.” Beng. thinks that the Turkish army could readily have reached that number; viz., in the course of the entire two hundred and seven years of their dominion (cf. Rev 9:15 ). Hengstenb. recognizes the unnaturalness of the number, and concludes thence that it is meant allegorically; it is to be ascribed to no particular war, but to “the class personified,” as in all the preceding trumpet-visions. But since the army itself, Rev 9:17 sqq., is not described allegorically, the number can be allegorical as little as the local designation, Rev 9:14 : but this number is likewise schematical; [2653] i.e., the army, which is on all occasions beheld as definite, individual, and supernatural in its entire character, appears also in a concrete but supernatural numerical quantity. An allusion to Psa 68:18 may be regarded as the substratum of the concrete number here presented to the prophet in his vision. [See Note LXI., p. 293.] That John, when he now wishes to describe the horses and riders seen by him ( , . . .), adds explicitly to the . ., can occasion surprise only as this formula, ordinarily employed by the ancient prophets, [2654] does not occur more frequently in the Apoc.; but from the fact that it is nowhere found except in this passage, although it could stand everywhere with the indicating a prophetic , nothing less follows than that the present vision has an allegorical meaning, as Beng. and Hengstenb. [2655] affirm; the latter of whom, spiritualizing throughout, says, “In the vision every thing is seen; that which is inner must imprint itself on what is outward, the spiritual must assume a body;” and thus in the color of the breastplate, described immediately afterwards, he sees only a “pictorial expression” of the murderous spirit of the soldiers, who are to be understood literally. But even granting that the idea of vision here presupposed were correct, the , in itself, would here, as everywhere, point to this allegorizing. For, why should we find just here the express addition ? In it, no intention whatever is to be perceived, and least of all, that of giving an exegetical hint: it is possible, therefore, that John here added the to his involuntarily, because, in the sixth trumpet-vision, what has thus far been advanced is what he has heard, while he now intends to describe the forms as they appeared to him in the vision.
The first part of the description,
, is referred by Beng., Ewald, De Wette, Hengstenb., Bleek, only to ., as if the description of the horses were given uninterruptedly and completely, only after that of the riders had been given more incidentally. But Zll. and Ebrard have more correctly referred the , . . ., to the horses and the riders; for it is the more improbable that the first feature of the description, which is expressly stated to be a description of the horses, should not apply to them, as the color of the breastplates has a correspondence with the things proceeding from the mouths of the horses. In general, the treatment is not concerning the riders, but the horses; so that the words . . . contain only what is incidental, and in no way hinder the reference of . ., . . ., to . .
, . . . The and the designate, just as the , only the color; [2656] and, besides, there are three colors to be regarded in their particularity, because they correspond to the three things coming from the mouths of the horses. [2657] The , which designates dark red, [2658] corresponds excellently with the succeeding .
., . . . The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, possibly similar to lion heads in the size of the mouths and the length of the manes; [2659] it is a definite, monstrous appearance, that is represented, and not in general that the heads of the horses are “fierce and terrible,” [2660] which, of course, is suited better to the allegorical explanation.
. . , . . . How seriously the description is meant, may be inferred from the fact, that in Rev 9:18 the fire, the smoke, and the sulphur, proceeding from the mouths of the horses, are expressly designated as the three plagues whereby [2661] these armies are to slay men, just as the locusts tormented them with their scorpion stings. Fire, smoke, and sulphur of which the latter, according to the analogy of Rev 21:8 , Rev 14:10 , Rev 19:20 , indicates the infernal nature of the plagues [2662] are as little intended to be allegorical as, e.g., the famine or the killing in the seal-visions. [2663] The allegorical interpretation, therefore, manifests also here the most singularly arbitrary expedients. They who understand the whole of heretics interpret the fire as “the desire for injuring;” the smoke, as “the seeming zeal of faith,” because smoke is blue like the heavens; the sulphur, as “the deformity of vices.” [2664] Similar is the interpretation in Aret., Luther, Calov., etc., who think, it is true, of the Turks, but have especially in view their erroneous doctrine. What proceeds from the mouths of the horses is, according to Calov., properly the Koran, which comprehends within itself “sulphurous lust, the smoke of false doctrines, and the fires of wars.” To expositors who understand the armies, Rev 9:16 sqq., of actual soldiers, even notwithstanding the fact that what is said in the text refers not to horsemen, the supposed “cavalrymen,” so much as to the horses, nothing is readier than to ascribe the fire, smoke, and sulphur, to fiery missiles. Much more correctly, therefore, from the standpoint of the allegory, did, e.g., Grotius understand the firebrands cast into Jerusalem, [2665] than Hengstenb., who understands “the fierce animosity, the spirit of murder, and lust for destruction,” described by personification as soldiers; after the example of Bengel, who only is unwilling to think of cannon and powder-smoke, because the followers of Mohammed did not, as yet, possess such implements of war.
, . . . Cf. Rev 9:3 ; Rev 9:10 . With reference to Rev 9:18 , it is especially emphasized, that the proper power of the horses lies in their mouths; besides this, a second point is added, . But in how far there is also in the tails an , is explained ( ): , . . . The tails of the horses are, therefore, serpent-like, [2666] especially because these tails have heads; so that they are such as to do injury ( , sc., , .). It is entirely inapplicable to explain this feature in the description of the monstrous horses, from the analogy of the ancient fiction [2667] concerning the so-called (i.e., the serpent moving forwards and backwards) with two heads; [2668] since here nothing whatever is said of two-headed serpents, but instead of the usual horse-tail, something in serpent form, viz., which has a serpent’s head, is presented.
Hengstenb. [2669] finds here the “malignity” of war symbolized. But why should Bengel be mistaken, who explains that the horsemen (the Turks), even when they turn their backs and seem to flee, do injury? Or is it not still more consistent when Grot. mentions, with reference to this, that with the ancients infantry frequently sat back of the cavalry? Volkm., without seeming to exercise the best judgment, is satisfied with referring this to the kicking-back of the horses.
[2652] Cf. Rev 7:4 .
[2653] Cf. Rev 7:4 .
[2654] Cf. Dan 8:2 ; Dan 9:21 .
[2655] Klief. also, who explains (p. 152) the troops of riders identical with the “worldly war-power” described in Rev 9:1-12 , which now proceeds to slay men.
[2656] Against Zll., who understands a breastplate of copper, blue steel, and brass. Cf. also Eichh., who thinks of an iron and bronze breastplate polished and shining in the sunlight. Still more inaptly, Heinr.: . is truly fiery; . signifies polished steel; ., exhaling a sulphurous odor.
[2657] Against Ewald: “Regard therefore the red, shining, and glowing colors brought together in order to denote the height of brilliancy.”
[2658] See the lexicons.
[2659] Ewald.
[2660] Beng., Hengstenb.
[2661] . Cf. Winer, p. 348.
[2662] Hengstenb.
[2663] The classical myth, in accordance with which Ovid ( Met ., vii. 104 sq.) writes:
[2664] N. de Lyra. Cf. also Ebrard.
[2665] “They seemed to proceed from the mouth of the horses, because they flew from before their mouths.”
[2666] See on Rev 9:10 .
[2667] Wetst., Beng., Herd., Ew., etc.
[2668] Plin., H. N ., viii. 35: “The double head of the amphisbaenae , i.e., also at the tail.”
[2669] Cf. also Stern, Ebrard.
“Ecce, adamanteis vulcanum naribus efflant Acripedes tauri, tactaeque vaporibus herbae Ardent.”
[“So the brazen-footed oxen breathe fire from their adamantine nostrils, and the grass touched by the vapors glows”], (cf. Virg., Georg . 2:140: “Tauri spirantes naribus ignem,” “Oxen breathing fire from their nostrils”), may be compared, as it expresses with all seriousness that those oxen were actually fire-breathing.
NOTES BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR
LXI. Rev 9:16 .
Beck interprets the number literally, and explains it by colossal military expeditions and wars to occur throughout the whole world, as intimated by Rev 9:15 ; Rev 9:18 , , and Rev 9:20 , : “a universal war involving all races of men, analogous to the migrations of nations, the first appearance of Mohammedanism, the Crusades,” and illustrates its probability by referring to the now estimated one thousand millions of the earth’s inhabitants.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Ver. 16. Two hundred thousand thousand ] Not so many at any one time, but in several ages and battles. Howbeit the Turk goes usually into the field 200,000 strong; many times he hath more, as in that famous battle fought by Bajazet against Tamerlane, where he had well-nigh a million. Of his common soldiers called Asapi (which for the most part are miserable Christians), he makes no great reckoning or other use than to blunt the swords of his enemies, or to abate their first fury, thereby to give the easier victory to his janizaries a and better soldiers, which are all cavalry for most part.
a One of a former body of Turkish infantry, constituting the Sultan’s guard and the main part of the standing army. The body was first organized in the 14th century, and was composed mainly of tributary children of Christians; after a large number of them had been massacred in 1826, the organization was finally abolished. D
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Rev 9:16 . The second woe is an irruption of fiendish cavalry.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
army = armies.
two . . . thousand. Literally two myriads of myriads, a literal number which John heard and recorded. Compare Rev 7:4. See App-197.
and. Omit.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Rev 9:16. ) A chiliad is 1000; but a myriad, 10,000. Myriads (the plural number being taken in its strictest sense, for a twofold number, as ch. Rev 12:14), 20,000. Therefore one chiliad of chiliads is 1,000,000; a chiliad of myriads is 10,000,000; a myriad of myriads, 100,000,000; myriads of myriads, 200,000,000. But what are , being added in the best copies[102] to the plural number of myriads? often occurs in the 2d Book of Maccabees. Thence (like , the former part of the compound being unchangeable, as is the case with numerals), that is, a myriad doubled [400 millionen, auf das wenigste.-Not. Crit.]: such as also are those expressions, Gen 32:2, two camps; Ecc 6:6, a thousand years twice (told); Psa 68:17, two myriads, thousands upon thousands: Geier especially being the interpreter. Whoever translated it in Primasius, as 80,000, was neither a Grecian nor an arithmetician: and yet he also appears to have read , as others did in Primasius; and, unless I am deceived, he at first thought that myriads of myriads, which appeared to denote something squared, were four myriads, or 40,000: then having doubled this very sum, on account of the particle , he took it as 80,000, when there were in reality 400,000,000 horsemen. The Apocalypse expresses in a twofold manner several periods of times, especially under the first and third woe: but it marks the duration of the second woe once only, by an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year; and in turn under that woe, instead of a second indication of time, it indicates the number of equestrian armies, that is, of the horsemen. The second woe is a period of about 207 years of men: therefore for every year (if there arose other or fresh horsemen every year) the immense body of 2,000,000, or at least, if that is not satisfactory to any one, 1,000,000 horsemen, are collected. When John adds, that their number was heard by him, he hints, that the certain number specified, if it is put for an uncertain one, yet has not a wide uncertainty; and that the greatness of the number, however incredible it may appear, is still to be credited. At the last even a greater multitude springs forth: ch. Rev 20:8.
[102] A and Cypr. have .: Vulg. vicies millies dena millia: Rec. Text, .: B, .-E.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the number: Psa 68:17, Dan 7:10
horsemen: Eze 23:6, Eze 38:4, Dan 11:40
I heard: Rev 7:4
Reciprocal: 2Ch 12:3 – without number
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 9:16-17. A further part of the vision is unfolded, in which we are introduced to horsemen, as if we were already familiar with them, although nothing had been said of them before. The number of the horsemen was so great that they could not be counted: St. John only heard the number of them. A fuller description both of the horses and of their riders follows. The latter, not the former, had breastplates of fire, and of hyacinth stone, and of brimstone. The hyacinth stone is of a dull dark-blue colour resembling that produced by flaming brimstone; and thus the colours of the breastplates are those of the things that in the next words issue out of the mouths of the horses. The breastplates also are more than mere weapons of defence. With the brimstone blueness of their colour they inspire the beholder with terror. It is possible that the colours are only the reflexion, on the breastplates of the riders, of the fire and smoke and brimstone that come forth from the horses mouths. This idea is in keeping with the general strain of the passage, which seems to attach all the terror to the horses and to keep the horsemen in the background; but there is no direct evidence in its support, and it is unnecessary to resort to it.Having spoken of the riders the description turns to the horses. To the Jew the horse, even considered by itself, was an object of terror, not of admiration. It was connected only with war, a living and swift weapon of destruction. As, however, the locusts of the fifth trumpet were more terrible than the locusts of the earth, so the horses of the sixth have their terror enhanced by the addition of new features not found in the horses of this world. Their heads were as the heads of lions (comp. on chap. Rev 4:7).
And out of their months cometh forth fire and smoke and brimstone; that is, all the three elements of woe issue from the mouth of each horse of the whole host,a frightful substitute for foam.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
This army of 200,000,000, which must describe a complete number, would surely terrorize anyone. Its destructive work includes the killing of one-third of mankind and should serve as a powerful reminder, or warning, to turn to God.
Fuente: Gary Hampton Commentary on Selected Books
Rev 9:16-19. The number of the army of horsemen were two hundred thousand A description is here given of the forces, and of the means and instruments by which the Othmans should effect the ruin of the eastern empire. The armies are described as very numerous, myriads of myriads. When Mohammed the Second besieged Constantinople, he had about four hundred thousand men in his army, besides a powerful fleet of thirty larger and two hundred lesser ships. They are described, too, chiefly as horsemen; and so they are described both by Ezekiel and by Daniel; (see Bishop Newtons last dissertation upon Daniel;) and it is well known that their armies consisted chiefly of cavalry, especially before the order of Janizaries was instituted by Amurath the First. The Timariots, or horsemen, holding lands by serving in the wars, are the strength of the government; and are in all accounted between seven and eight hundred thousand fighting men. Some say they are a million; and besides these, there are Spahis and other horsemen in the emperors pay.
In the vision That is, in appearance, and not in reality, they had breast- plates of fire and of hyacinth and brimstone The colour of fire is red, of hyacinth blue, and of brimstone yellow: and this hath a literal accomplishment; for the Othmans, from the first time of their appearance, have affected to wear such warlike apparel of scarlet, blue, and yellow. Of the Spahis particularly, some have red, and some have yellow standards, and others red or yellow, mixed with other colours. In appearance, too, the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions To denote their strength, courage, and fierceness; and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone A manifest allusion to great guns and gunpowder, which were invented under this trumpet, and were of such signal service to the Othmans in their wars. For by these three was the third part of men killed By these the Othmans made such havoc and destruction in the Greek or eastern empire. Amurath the Second broke into Peloponnesus, and took several strong places by means of his artillery. But his son Mohammed, at the siege of Constantinople, employed such great guns as were never made before. One is described to have been of such a monstrous size, that it was drawn by seventy yoke of oxen, and by two thousand men. Two more discharged a stone of the weight of two talents. Others emitted a stone of the weight of half a talent. But the greatest of all discharged a ball of the weight of three talents, or about three hundred pounds; and the report of this cannon is said to have been so great, that all the country round about was shaken to the distance of forty furlongs. For forty days the wall was battered by these guns, and so many breaches were made, that the city was taken by assault, and an end put to the Grecian empire.
Moreover they had power to do hurt by their tails as well as by their mouths, their tails being like unto serpents, and having heads In this respect they very much resemble the locusts, only the different tails are accommodated to the different creatures, the tails of scorpions to locusts, the tails of serpents, with a head at each end, to horses. By this figure it is meant, that the Turks draw after them the same poisonous trains as the Saracens; they profess and propagate the same imposture, they do hurt not only by their conquests, but also by spreading their false doctrine; and wherever they establish their dominion, there too they establish their religion. Many indeed of the Greek Church remained, and are still remaining among them; but they are subjected to a capitation-tax, which is rigorously exacted from all above fourteen years of age; are burdened besides with the most heavy and arbitrary impositions; are compelled to the most servile drudgery; are abused in their persons, and robbed of their property: but notwithstanding these and greater persecutions, some remains of the Greek Church are still preserved among them, as we may reasonably conclude, to serve some great and mysterious ends of providence.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The "horsemen" may be humans under the control of these four evil angels (cf. Dan 11:44), or more likely the horsemen are demons. The description of the horses (Rev 9:17) argues for an angelic army, as does its leadership, namely, four angels (Rev 9:14-15). Most interpreters take their number as meaning innumerable, but their number could be literal even if these are human warriors.
"Years ago Red China claimed to have an army of 200 million (cf. Time, May 21, 1965, p. 35)." [Note: Walvoord, "Revelation," p. 953.]
Many interpreters take the number 200 million as symbolic or as representing demonic forces. The combined Allied and Axis forces at their peak in World War II totaled about 70 million. [Note: The World Almanac, 1971, p. 355.] An angelic army of 200,000,000 demons is not hard to imagine. [Note: Recall J. R. R. Tolkien’s army of Orcs in The Lord of the Rings.]