By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
18. By these three ] Read, by (lit. from) these three plagues were the third part of men killed, by the fire, and the smoke, and the brimstone, &c.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By these three – Three things – explained immediately as referring to the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone.
Was the third part of men killed – See the notes on Rev 8:7-12, on each of which verses we have notices of calamities that came upon the third part of the race, of the sea, of rivers, etc. We are not to suppose that this is to be taken literally, but the description is given as it appeared to John. Those immense numbers of horsemen would sweep over the world, and a full third part of the race of people would seem to fall before them.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 18. By these three was the third part of men killed] That is, By these was great carnage made.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, a great part of men were killed by these numerous armies. No such devastations were ever made by any enemies that ever appeared in the world, as by the Turks have been; nor ever were there such vast great guns made, out of which came
fire, and smoke, and brimstone.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. By these threeA, B, C,and Aleph read (apo for kupo), “From”;implying the direction whence the slaughter came; not directinstrumentality as “by” implies. A, B, C, Aleph alsoadd “plagues” after “three.” English Versionreading, which omits it, is not well supported.
by the fireGreek,“owing to the fire,” literally, “out of.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And by these three was the third part of men killed,…. The Alexandrian copy, and some others, the Complutensian edition, the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions, read, “by these three plagues”: as the western Roman empire is in the preceding chapter frequently expressed by the third part of several things, see Re 8:7; so here the eastern Roman empire by the third part of men; vast numbers of the inhabitants of which were destroyed by the Turks, through the use of guns, out of which issued fire, smoke, and brimstone; and Constantinople, the metropolis of it, was taken in this way, as before observed, with the taking of which the empire ceased.
By the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths; that is, by the firing of guns.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
By these three plagues ( ). Our “plague” or stroke from , as in Lu 10:30 and often in Rev. (Rev 9:20; Rev 11:6; Rev 15:1; Rev 15:6; Rev 15:8; Rev 16:9; Rev 18:4; Rev 18:8; Rev 22:18). It is used in Ex 11:1ff. for the plagues in Egypt. The three plagues here are the fire, smoke, and brimstone which proceed from the mouths of the horses.
Was killed (). First aorist passive indicative of , to kill, third person plural, though is neuter singular because a collective idea. See same form in verse 20.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
These three. Add plhgwn plagues, on which see on Mr 3:10; Luk 10:30.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “By these three,” (apo ton triton plegon touton) “By these three plagues,” of 1) fire, 2) smoke, and 3) brimstone.
2) “Was the third part of men killed,” (apektonthesan to triton ton anthropon) “Were killed the third part of men,” who had not the seal of God in their foreheads; It is not clear whether the “third part of men,” refers to one third of all men on earth who had not God’s seal or one third of the two hundred million in battle array at the River Euphrates, Rev 9:14. Perhaps the latter is meant.
3) “By the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone,” (ek tou puros kai tou kapton kai tou theiou) “Out of (originating from) the cause of the fire, smoke, and sulphur,” which seem to be instruments of destruction, Divinely appointed by God’s voice and the four appointed angels to administer vengeance in this one battle, Rev 9:13-16.
4) “Which issued out of their mouths,” (tou ekporeuomenou ek ton stomaton auton) “Which poured forth out of their mouths,” the mouths of the lion-headed horses. The riders were or are destroyed by the very horses on which they ride into battle, while suddenly out of the horses’ mouths, engulfing their riders with fire, smoke, and brimstone they are stifled, smothered, then burned to death. Out of man’s own carnal, corrupt, covetous body of self-will comes his own destruction as he rebels against God’s call to salvation and separation, Pro 1:22-30; 2Pe 3:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(18) By these three . . .Better, From these three plagues were the third part of mankind slain, by the tire and the smoke and the brimstone which goeth forth out of their mouths. For the power of the horse is in their mouth, and in their tails, for their tails were like serpents, having heads, and with them they hurt (or, injure). The destructive power in this vision is in mouth and tail, in the last trumpet-vision it was in the tail only (Rev. 9:10). The devastating power is increased; the foes come swift as horsemen, strong as lions, venomous as serpents, breathing forth elements that blind and burn with deadly power. We have, then, forces which are mighty, malicious, and relentless, and which are bidden forth against mankind for their sins of worldliness. (See Rev. 9:20-21.) It is not once only in the history of the world that such powers have been let loose. The desolations wrought by invading hordes the force and ferocity of Turkish power establishing itself in Europe and threatening the power of Christendomthe widespread terror and slaughter promoted by the outbreak of the spirit of unrestrained violence in France, followed by reckless war, may illustrate such a vision as the present; but the main teaching of it is the never-failing truth that the spirit of worldliness provokes its own punishment, wherever it may exist, and its retribution is in a form which serves to reveal what latent power of destruction lurks behind every sin, and what hidden spiritual foes there are to intensify human passions and to increase human misery.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Ver. 18. The third part of men killed ] Not only of Christians, but also of their own; most of their poor being forced with victuals and other necessaries to follow their great armies in their long expeditions, of whom scarcely one of ten do ever return home again, but there perish by the way; if not by the enemy’s sword, yet by the wants, intemperateness of the air, or immoderate painstaking.
By the brimstone ] By the gunpowder, or by their sulphured bow strings, which they discharge as out of their mouths, whereunto they draw or lay them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
By. Greek. apo. App-104. as the texts.
three. The texts add “plagues”. See App-197.
by. Greek. ek. App-104. The texts omit the last two occurances of ek: (by).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the third: Rev 9:15, Rev 9:17
Reciprocal: Isa 42:25 – he knew Rev 6:8 – over Rev 14:10 – be Rev 16:8 – and power
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Rev 9:18. See the comments at chapter 8:9 for the significance of third part.
Rev 9:19. These creatures were invested with powers at the two extremities of their bodies, which indicates how complete was the agency that God suffered to come upon the citizens of the corrupt organization.
Comments by Foy E. Wallace
Verses 18-19.
The deadly plagues: “By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails”–Rev 9:18-19.
By these three: The three symbols of three atrocious plagues, fire, smoke and brimstone were a three-fold description of catastrophe and destruction in the terrors of the four angels loosed to hurt the land–“by these three was the third part of men killed.”
Power in mouth and tails: A symbol of spreading destruction before them, “issued out of their mouths,” leaving only devastation behind them, “for their tails were like serpents,” and as the horses had heads like the heads of lions, their tails were not only like serpents, but their tails had heads like serpent heads. “And with them they do hurt”–that is, using their tails to do harm, with devastation from the rear as well as destruction that issued from their mouths. It is the description of the deadly scourge in the path of the invasion before this army and in its wake behind, sweeping everything before, leaving nothing behind ; as a scorched earth and burnt land. It is an extension of the appalling picture of the complete desolation mentioned by Jesus, in Mat 24:15; Mar 13:14; Luk 21:20, which followed the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
The same description is given by Joel of the invasion of Judea by the Chaldeans in the sixth century B.C. “A fire devoureth before them, and behind them a flame burneth; the land is as the garden of Eden before them and behind them a desolate wilderness.” (Joe 2:2)
Of this same invasion of Old Testament history, Jeremiah said: “And I will send . . . the king of Babylon . . . and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants . . . and will utterly destroy them . . . and make them an hissing and perpetual desolations . . . and this whole land shall be a desolation; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jer 25:9-11)
Numerous other examples could be cited but these are sufficient to show that when comparison is made between these historical visions concerning Jerusalem of the era of six hundred B.C. with the visions of John concerning the Jerusalem of A.D. 70, their application is not only obvious but unavoidable.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Rev 9:18. Before the description of the horses is continued, the effect of the three plagues that issue from their mouths is noticed. By these three plagues was the third part of men killed,the third part, that is, of men over the whole earth, and whatever the division of the human race to which they belonged.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fire, smoke, and brimstone are natural elements that God used to bring judgment in the past during similar conditions (cf. Gen 19:24; Gen 19:28). He may use them again, or they may represent other agents of destruction. "Plagues" recalls the plagues in Egypt (cf. Exo 11:1 LXX; Rev 9:20; Rev 11:6; Rev 13:3; Rev 13:12; Rev 13:14; Rev 15:1; Rev 15:6; Rev 15:8; Rev 16:9; Rev 16:21; Rev 18:4; Rev 18:8; Rev 21:9; Rev 22:18). The repetition of the definite article "the" in the Greek text (tou) indicates that these are three distinct plagues. Together they will be responsible for the largest death toll in human history so far (cf. Rev 9:15).