Albert Barnes Commentary Revelation 9

CHAPTER IX

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER

The three remaining trumpets (chapters 9-11) are usually called the woe-trumpets, in reference to the proclamation of woes in Revelation 8:13 (Prof. Stuart).

I suppose these three extend to the end of time or, as the writer himself supposes (Revelation 11:15), to the period when the kingdoms of this world shall have become the kingdoms of Christ. They embrace a succinct view of the most significant events that were to occur, particularly from a secular point of view.

See the Analysis prefixed to the book. In Revelation 11:19, as I understand it, a new view is commenced, referring to the church internally: the rise of Antichrist, and the effect of the rise of that formidable power on the internal history of the church, until the time of its overthrow and the triumphant establishment of the kingdom of God.

This, of course, synchronizes in its beginning and its close with the portion already passed over, but with a different view. See the Analysis prefixed to Revelation 11:19 and following.

This chapter properly contains three parts:

1. First, a description of the first of those trumpets, or the fifth in the order of the whole (Revelation 9:1–12).

   This woe is represented under the figure of calamities brought upon the earth by an immense army of locusts. A star is seen to fall from heaven—representing some mighty chieftain—and to him is given the key of the bottomless pit.

   He opens the pit, and then an innumerable swarm of locusts comes forth that darkens the heavens, and they go forth upon the earth. They have a command given them to do a certain work. They are not to hurt the earth, or any green thing, but they are sent against those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.

   Their main business, however, was not to kill them, but to torment them for a limited time—for five months. A description of the appearance of the locusts then follows. Though they are called locusts, because in their general appearance and in the ravages they commit they resemble them, yet, in the main, they are imaginary beings, and combine in themselves qualities that are never found united in reality.

   They had a strong resemblance to horses prepared for battle; they wore on their heads crowns of gold; they had the faces of men, but the hair of women, and the teeth of lions. They had breastplates of iron, and tails like scorpions, with stings in their tails. They had a mighty king at their head, with a name significant of the destruction which he would bring upon the world.

   These mysterious beings had their origin in the bottomless pit, and they are summoned forth to spread desolation upon the earth.

2. Second, a description of the second of these trumpets, the sixth in order (Revelation 9:13–19).

   When this is sounded, a voice is heard from the four horns of the altar which is before God.

   The angel is commanded to loose the four angels who are bound in the great river Euphrates. These angels are loosed—angels who had been prepared for a definite period: a day, a month, and a year, to slay a third part of men. The number of the army that would appear—composed of cavalry—is stated to amount to two hundred thousand, and the peculiarities of these horsemen are then stated.

   They are remarkable for having breastplates of fire, jacinth, and brimstone; the heads of the horses resemble lions; and they breathe forth fire and brimstone. A third part of men fall before them, by the fire, the smoke, and the brimstone. Their power is in their mouth and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents.

3. Third, a statement of the effect of the judgments brought upon the world under these trumpets (Revelation 19:20–21).

   The effect, so far as the reasonable result could have been anticipated, is lost. The nations are not turned from idolatry. Wickedness still abounds, and there is no disposition to repent of the abominations that had been so long practiced on the earth.

And the fifth angel sounded (see Barnes on Revelation 8:6-7).

And I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth. This denotes, as was shown (see Barnes on Revelation 8:10), a leader, a military chieftain, a warrior.

In the fulfillment of this, as in the former case, we look for the appearance of some mighty prince and warrior, to whom power is given, as it were, to open the bottomless pit and to summon forth its legions.

That some such agent is denoted by the star is further apparent from the fact that it is immediately added, that to him [the star] was given the key of the bottomless pit. It could not be meant that a key would be given to a literal star, and we naturally suppose, therefore, that some intelligent being of exalted rank and of baleful influence is referred to here.

Angels, good and bad, are often called stars; but the reference here, as in Revelation 8:10, seems to me not to be to angels, but to some mighty leader of armies, who was to collect his armies and to go through the world in the work of destruction.

And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. Of the underworld, considered particularly as the abode of the wicked. This is often represented as a dark prison-house, enclosed with walls, and accessible by gates or doors.

These gates or doors are fastened, so that none of the inmates can come out, and the key is in the hand of the keeper or guardian. In Revelation 1:18, it is said that the keys of that world are in the hand of the Savior (compare Barnes on Revelation 1:18); here it is said that for a time, and for a temporary purpose, they are committed to another.

The word pit—frear—properly denotes a well, or a pit for water dug in the earth; and then any pit, cave, or abyss. The reference here is doubtless to the nether world, considered as the abode of the wicked dead, the prison-house of the guilty.

The word bottomless—abussov—from where our word abyss comes—properly means without any bottom (from a, privative, and buyov, depth, bottom). It would be applied properly to the ocean, or to any deep and dark dell, or to any obscure place whose depth was unknown.

Here it refers to Hades—the region of the dead, the abode of wicked spirits—as a deep, dark place whose bottom was unknown. Having the key to this is to have the power to confine those who are there, or to permit them to go at large.

The meaning here is that this master-spirit would have power to evoke the dead from these dark regions; and it would be fulfilled if some mighty genius, who could be compared with a fallen star or a lurid meteor, should summon forth followers who would appear like the dwellers in the nether world called forth to spread desolation over the earth.

And he opened the bottomless pit. It is represented previously as wholly confined, so that not even the smoke or vapor could escape.

And there arose a smoke out of the pit. Compare Revelation 14:11. The meaning here is that the pit, as a place of punishment or as the abode of the wicked, was filled with burning sulfur, and consequently emitted smoke and vapor as soon as it was opened. The common image of the place of punishment in the Scriptures is that of a lake that burns with fire and brimstone. Compare Revelation 14:10; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 21:8.

See also Psalm 11:6; Isaiah 30:33; Ezekiel 38:22.

It is not improbable that this image was taken from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24). Such burning sulfur would, of course, produce a dense smoke or vapor. The idea here is that the pit had been closed, and as soon as the door was opened, a dense column escaped that darkened the heavens.

The purpose of this is probably to indicate the origin of the plague that was about to come upon the world. It would be of such a character that it would appear as if it had been emitted from hell, as if the inmates of that dark world had broken loose upon the earth. Compare Barnes on Revelation 6:8.

As the smoke of a great furnace. So in Genesis 19:28, from which this image is probably taken: And he looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.

And the sun and the air were darkened, etc. This will be the case when smoke ascends from a furnace. The meaning here is that an effect would be produced as if a dense and dark vapor should ascend from the underworld. We are not, of course, to understand this literally.

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth. That is, they escaped from the pit with the smoke. At first, they were mingled with the smoke so that they were not distinctly seen, but when the smoke cleared away, they appeared in great numbers.

The idea seems to be that the bottomless pit was filled with vapour and with those creatures, and that as soon as the gate was opened, the whole contents expanded and burst forth upon the earth. The sun was immediately darkened and the air was full, but the smoke soon cleared away, so that the locusts became distinctly visible.

The appearance of these locusts is described in another part of the chapter (Revelation 9:7 and following). The locust is a voracious insect belonging to the grasshopper or grylli genus and is a great scourge in Eastern countries.

A full description of the locust may be seen in Robinson's Calmet, and in Kitto's Encyclopedia, volume 2, pages 258 and following. There are ten Hebrew words to denote the locust, and there are numerous references to the destructive habits of the insect in the Scriptures. In fact, from their numbers and their destructive habits, there was scarcely any other plague that was so much dreaded in the East. Considered as a symbol, or emblem, the following remarks may be made in explanation:

1. The symbol is Eastern and would most naturally refer to something that was to occur in the East. As locusts have appeared chiefly in the East, and as they are largely an Eastern plague, the mention of this symbol would most naturally turn the thoughts to that portion of the earth.

   The symbols of the first four trumpets had no special locality and would suggest no particular part of the world; but, on the mention of this, the mind would be naturally turned to the East, and we should expect to find that the scene of this woe would be located in the regions where the ravages of locusts most abounded.

   Compare, on this point, Elliott, Horae Apocalypticae, volume 1, pages 394-406. He has made it probable that the prophets, when they used symbolical language to denote any events, commonly, at least, employed those which had a local or geographical reference. Thus, in the symbols derived from the vegetable kingdom, when Judah is to be symbolized, the olive, the vine, and the fig-tree are selected; when Egypt is referred to, the reed is chosen; when Babylon, the willow.

   And so, in the animal kingdom, the lion is the symbol of Judah; the wild ass, of the Arabs; the crocodile, of Egypt, etc. Whether this theory could be fully applied or not, no one can doubt that the symbol of locusts would most naturally suggest the Eastern world, and that the natural interpretation of the passage would lead us to expect its fulfillment there.

2. Locusts were remarkable for their numbers—so great often as to appear like clouds and to darken the sky. In this respect, they would naturally be symbolical of numerous armies or hosts of men. This natural symbol of numerous armies is often employed by the prophets. Thus, in Jeremiah 6:23: Cut down her forest, [that is, her people or cities,] says Jehovah,
   That it may not be found on searching;
   Although they surpass the locusts in multitude,
   And they are without number.

   So in Nahum 3:15: There shall the fire devour you;
   The sword shall cut you off; it shall devour you as the locust,
   Increase yourself as the numerous locust.

   So also in Nahum 3:17: Your crowned princes are as the numerous locust,
   And your captains as the grasshoppers;
   Which encamp in the fences in the cold day,
   But when the sun arises they depart,
   And their place is not known where they were.

   See also Deuteronomy 28:38, 42; Psalms 78:46; Amos 7:1.

   Compare Judges 6:3-6; 7:12 and Joel 1-2.

3. Locusts are an emblem of desolation or destruction. No symbol of desolation could be more appropriate or striking than this, for one of the most remarkable properties of locusts is that they devour every green thing and leave a land perfectly waste. They do this even when what they destroy is not necessary for their own sustenance.

   "Locusts seem to devour not so much from a ravenous appetite as from a rage for destroying. Destruction, therefore, and not food, is the chief impulse of their devastations, and in this consists their utility; they are, in fact, omnivorous. The most poisonous plants are indifferent to them; they will prey even upon the crowfoot, whose causticity burns even the hides of beasts. They simply consume everything, without predilection—vegetable matter, linens, woollens, silk, leather, etc.; and Pliny does not exaggerate them when he says, fores quoque tectorum—'even the doors of houses'—for they have been known to consume the very varnish of furniture. They reduce everything indiscriminately to shreds, which become manure."—Kitto's Encyclopedia, page 263.

   Locusts become, therefore, 'a most striking symbol of an all-devouring army,' and as such are often referred to in Scripture. So also in Josephus, De Bello Judaico, book 5, chapter 7: "As after locusts we see the woods stripped of their leaves, so, in the rear of Simon's army, nothing but devastation remained." The natural application of this symbol, then, is to a numerous and destructive army, or to a great multitude of people committing ravages and sweeping off everything in their march.

And unto them was given power. This was something that was imparted to them beyond their ordinary nature. The locust in itself is not strong and is not a symbol of strength. Though destructive in the extreme, yet neither as individuals nor as combined are they distinguished for strength. Hence it is mentioned as a remarkable circumstance that they had such power conferred on them.

As the scorpions of the earth have power. The phrase "the earth" seems to have been introduced here because these creatures are said to have come up from "the bottomless pit," and it was natural to compare them with some well-known objects found on the earth. The scorpion is an animal with eight feet, eight eyes, and a long, jointed tail, ending in a pointed weapon or sting. It is the largest and the most malignant of all the insect tribes. It somewhat resembles the lobster in its general appearance but is much more hideous. (See Barnes on Luke 10:19).

Those found in Europe seldom exceed four inches in length, but in tropical climates, where they abound, they are often found twelve inches long. There are few animals more formidable, and none more irascible, than the scorpion. Goldsmith states that Maupertius put about a hundred of them together in the same glass, and that as soon as they came into contact, they began to exert all their rage in mutual destruction, so that in a few days, there remained but fourteen, which had killed and devoured all the rest.

The sting of the scorpion, Dr. Shaw states, is not always fatal, the malignity of their venom being in proportion to their size and complexion. The torment of a scorpion, when it strikes a man, is thus described by Dioscorides, book 7, chapter 7, as cited by Mr. Taylor: "When the scorpion has stung, the place becomes inflamed and hardened; it reddens by tension and is painful by intervals, being now chilly, now burning. The pain soon rises high and rages, sometimes more, sometimes less. A sweating succeeds, attended by a shivering and trembling; the extremities of the body become cold, the groin swells, the hair stands on end, the members become pale, and the skin feels throughout the sensation of a perpetual pricking, as if by needles."—Fragments to Calmet's Dictionary, volume 4, pages 376-377.

"The tail of the scorpion is long and formed after the manner of a string of beads, the last larger than the others, and longer; at the end of which are, sometimes, two stings which are hollow and filled with a cold poison, which it ejects into the part which it stings."—Calmet's Dictionary. The sting of the scorpion, therefore, becomes the emblem of that which causes acute and dangerous suffering. On this comparison with scorpions, see the remark of Niebuhr, quoted in (See Barnes on Revelation 9:7).

And it was commanded them. The writer does not say by whom this command was given, but it is clearly by someone who directed them. Since they were called forth from the "bottomless pit" by one who had the key to that dark dwelling, and since they are represented in Revelation 9:11 as under the command of one who is there called Abaddon, or Apollyon—the Destroyer—it would seem most probable that the command referred to is one given by him; that is, this expresses one of the principles on which he would act in his devastations.

In any case, this denotes what would be one of the characteristics of these destroyers. Their purpose would be to vex and trouble people, not to spread desolation over vineyards, olive groves, and fields of grain.

That they should not hurt the grass of the earth, etc. (See Barnes on Revelation 8:7).

The meaning here is plain. There would be some sense in which these invaders would be characterized in a way that was not common among invaders, namely, that they would show particular care not to carry their devastations into the vegetable world. Their warfare would be with people, and not with orchards and green fields.

But only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. (See Barnes on Revelation 7:2-3).

They commenced war against that part of the human race only. The language here properly denotes those who were not the friends of God. It may here refer, however, either to those who in reality were not such, or to those who were regarded by him who gave this command as not being such.

In the former case, the commission would concern real infidels in the sight of God—that is, those who rejected the true religion. In the latter, it would express the sentiment of the leader of this host, referring to those who, in his apprehension, were infidels or enemies of God.

The true interpretation must depend on the sense in which we understand the phrase "it was commanded"—whether as referring to God or to the leader of the host himself. The language, therefore, is ambiguous, and the meaning must be determined by the other parts of the passage. Either method of understanding the passage would be in accordance with its fair interpretation.

And to them it was given. There is the same indefiniteness here as in the former verse, with the impersonal verb also being used here. The writer does not say by whom this power was given—whether by God or by the leader of the host. It may be admitted, however, that the most natural interpretation is to suppose that it was given to them by God, and that this was the execution of His purpose in this case. Still, it is remarkable that this is not directly affirmed and that the language is so general as to allow for the other application. The fact that they did not kill them but tormented them—if such a fact were found to exist—would be in every sense a fulfillment of what is said here.

That they should not kill them. This is in accordance with the nature of the symbol. The locusts do not themselves destroy any living creature, and the sting of the scorpion, though exceedingly painful, is not usually fatal. The proper fulfillment of this would be found in something that would not be generally fatal but would diffuse misery and wretchedness. .

Perhaps all that would necessarily be meant by this would be, not that individual men would not be killed, but that they would be sent to inflict plagues and torments rather than to take life, and that the characteristic effects of their appearing would be distress and suffering rather than death. A fair interpretation of the words may include general distress and sorrow; acts of oppression, cruelty, and violence; such a condition of public suffering that people would regard death as a relief if they could find it.

But that they should be tormented. That is, that they should be subjected to ills and troubles that could be properly compared with the sting of a scorpion.

Five months. As far as the words here are concerned, this might be taken literally, denoting five months or one hundred and fifty days, or as a prophetic reckoning, where a day stands for a year. (Compare Barnes on Daniel 9:24 and following). The latter is undoubtedly the correct interpretation here, for it is characteristic of the book to reckon time this way. (See Barnes on Revelation 9:15).

If this is the true method of reckoning here, then it will be necessary to find some events that will cover a period of about one hundred and fifty years, during which this distress and sorrow would continue. The proper laws of interpretation demand that one or the other of these periods be found—either that of five months literally or that of one hundred and fifty years.

It may be true, as Professor Stuart suggests (in loc.,), that "the usual time of locusts is from May to September inclusive—five months." It may also be true that this symbol was chosen partly because that was the fact, and they would, from that fact, be well-suited to symbolize a period that could be spoken of as "five months"; but still, the meaning must be more than simply that it was "a short period," as he supposes. The phrase a few months might designate such a period; but if that had been the writer's intention, he would not have selected the definite number five.

And their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, etc. (See Barnes on Revelation 9:3).

That is, it would be painful, severe, dangerous.