CHAPTER IX.

AND the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a [281]star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the [282]bottomless pit.

1. _And the fifth angel sounded._ See Notes on ch. viii. 6, 7. ¶ _And I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth._ This denotes, as was shown in the Notes on ch. viii. 10, a leader, a military {211} chieftain, a warrior. In the fulfilment of this, as in the former case, we look for the appearance of some mighty prince and warrior, to whom is given power, as it were, to open the bottomless pit, and to summon forth its legions. That some such agent is denoted by the _star_ is farther 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 here referred to. Angels, good and bad, are often called stars; but the reference here, as in ch. viii. 10, seems to me not to be to angels, but to some mighty leader of armies, who was to collect his hosts, and to go through the world in the work of destruction. ¶ _And to him was given the key of the bottomless pit._ Of the under-world, considered particularly of the abode of the wicked. This is represented often as a dark prison-house, inclosed 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 ch. i. 18 it is said that the keys of that world are in the hand of the Saviour (comp. Notes on that passage); here it is said that for a time, and for a temporary purpose, they are committed to another. The word _pit_――φρέαρ――denotes properly a well, or a pit for water dug in the earth; and then any pit, cave, 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_, ἄβυσσος――whence our word _abyss_――means properly _without any bottom_ (from α, pr., and βύθος, _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, that could be compared with a fallen star, or a lurid meteor, should summon forth followers which would _appear_ like the dwellers in the nether world called forth to spread desolation over the earth.

2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were [283]darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.

2. _And he opened the bottomless pit._ It is represented before as wholly confined, so that not even the smoke or vapour could escape. ¶ _And there arose a smoke out of the pit._ Comp. ch. xiv. 11. The meaning here is, that the pit, as a place of punishment, or as the abode of the wicked, was filled with burning sulphur, and consequently that it emitted smoke and vapour as soon as opened. The common image of the place of punishment, in the Scriptures, is that of a “lake that burns with fire and brimstone.” Comp. ch. xiv. 10; xix. 20; xx. 10; xxi. 8. See also Ps. xi. 6; Is. xxx. 33; Eze. xxxviii. 22. It is not improbable that this image was taken from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Ge. xix. 24. Such burning sulphur would produce, of course, a dense smoke or vapour; and the idea here is, that the pit had been closed, and that 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 broke loose upon the earth. Comp. Notes on ch. vi. 8. ¶ _As the smoke of a great furnace._ So in Ge. xix. 28, whence probably this image is 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_, &c. As will be the case when a smoke ascends from a furnace. The meaning here is, that an effect would be produced _as if_ a dense and dark vapour should ascend from the under-world. We are not, of course, to understand this literally.

3 And there came out of the smoke [284]locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the [285]scorpions of the earth have power.

3. _And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth._ That is, they escaped from the pit with the smoke. {212} 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, ver. 7, seq. The locust is a voracious insect belonging to the grasshopper or grylli genus, and is a great scourge in Oriental countries. A full description of the locust may be seen in Robinson’s _Calmet_, and in Kitto’s _Encyclo._ vol. ii. pp. 258, seq. 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 _Oriental_, 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 in a great measure an _Oriental_ 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 especial 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, _Horæ Apoc._ i. 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, &c. Whether this theory could be wholly carried out or not, no one can doubt that the symbol of locusts would most naturally suggest the Oriental world, and that the natural interpretation of the passage would lead us to expect its fulfilment 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 Je. xlvi. 23:――

“Cut down her forests [_i.e._ her people, or cities], saith Jehovah, That it may not be found on searching; Although they surpass the locusts in multitude, And they are without number.”

So in Na. iii. 15:――

“There shall the fire devour thee; The sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee as the locust, Increase thyself as the numerous locusts.”

So also in Na. iii. 17:――

“Thy crowned princes are as the numerous locusts, And thy captains as the grasshoppers; Which encamp in the fences in the cold day, But when the sun ariseth they depart, And their place is not known where they were.”

See also De. xxviii. 38, 42; Ps. lxxviii. 46; Am. vii. 1. Comp. Ju. vi. 3‒6; vii. 12; and Joel, ch. i. ii. (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_, {213} without predilection――vegetable matter, linens, woollens, silk, leather, &c.; and Pliny does not exaggerate 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 _Encyclo._ ii. 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 Jud._ book v. ch. vii.:――“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 Notes on Lu. x. 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 Maupertuis 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 he strikes a man, is thus described by Dioscorides, lib. vii. cap. 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 _Dic._ vol. iv. p. 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 _Dic._). 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 the Notes on ver. 7.

4 And it was [286]commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the [287]seal of God in their foreheads.

4. _And it was commanded them._ The writer does not say _by whom_ this command was given, but it is clearly by some one who had the direction of them. As they were evoked from the “bottomless pit” by one who had the key to that dark abode, and as they are represented in ver. 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 that is given by him; that is, that this expresses one of the principles on which he would act in his devastations. At all events, this denotes what would be one of the characteristics of these destroyers. Their purpose {214} would be to vex and trouble men; not to spread desolation over vineyards, olive-yards, and fields of grain. ¶ _That they should not hurt the grass of the earth_, &c. See Notes on ch. viii. 7. The meaning here is plain. There would be some sense in which these invaders would be characterized in a manner that was not common among invaders, to wit, that they would show particular care not to carry their devastations into the vegetable world. Their warfare would be with men, and not with orchards and green fields. ¶ _But only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads._ See Notes on ch. vii. 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 have respect to real infidels in the sight of God――that is, to those who rejected the true religion; in the latter it would express the sentiment of the leader of this host, as 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.

5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment _was_ as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

5. _And to them it was given._ There is here the same indefiniteness as in the former verse, the impersonal verb being here also used. 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 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 admit of the other application. The _fact_ that they did not kill them, but tormented them――if such a fact should be found to exist――would be in every sense a fulfilment of what is here said. ¶ _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 fulfilment of this would be found in that which would not be generally fatal, but which would diffuse misery and wretchedness. (Comp. ver. 6.) _Perhaps_ all that would be necessarily 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. There may be included in the fair interpretation of the words, general distress and sorrow; acts of oppression, cruelty, and violence; such a condition of public suffering that men 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 which might be properly compared with the sting of a scorpion. ¶ _Five months._ So 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. Comp. Notes on Da. ix. 24, seq. The latter is undoubtedly the correct interpretation here, for it is the character of the book thus to reckon time. See Notes on ver. 15. [See also Editor’s Preface, pp. xi.‒xv.] If this be the true method of reckoning here, then it will be necessary to find some events which will embrace about the period of 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 should be found――either that of five months literally, or that of a hundred and fifty years. It may be true, as Professor Stuart suggests (_in loco_), that “the usual time of locusts is from May to September inclusive――five months.” It may be true, also, that this symbol was chosen partly _because_ that was the fact, and they would, from that fact, be well adapted to symbolize {215} a period that could be spoken of as “five months;” but still the meaning must be more than simply 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_, &c. See Notes on ver. 3. That is, it would be painful, severe, dangerous.

6 And in those days shall [288]men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

6. _And in those days shall men seek death_, &c. See Notes on ver. 5. It is very easy to conceive of such a state of things as is here described, and, indeed, this has not been very uncommon in the world. It is a state where the distress is so great that men would consider death a relief, and where they anxiously look to the time when they may be released from their sufferings by death. In the case before us it is not intimated that they would lay violent hands on themselves, or that they would take any positive measures to end their sufferings; and this, perhaps, _may be_ a circumstance of some importance to show that the persons referred to were servants of God. When it is said that “they would _seek_ death,” it can only be meant that they would look out for it――or desire it――as the end of their sorrows. This is descriptive, as we shall see, of a particular period of the world; but the _language_ is beautifully applicable to what occurs in all ages and in all lands. There is always a great number of sufferers who are looking forward to death as a relief. In cells and dungeons; on beds of pain and languishing; in scenes of poverty and want; in blighted hopes and disappointed affections, how many are there who would be glad to die, and who have no hope of an end of suffering but in the grave! A few, by the pistol, by the halter, by poison, or by drowning, seek thus to end their woes. A large part look forward to death as a release, when, if the reality were known, death would furnish no such relief, for there are deeper and longer woes beyond the grave than there are this side of it. Comp. Notes on Job iii. 20‒22. But to a portion death _will_ be a relief. It will be an end of sufferings. They will find peace in the grave, and are assured they shall suffer no more. Such bear their trials with patience, for the end of _all_ sorrow to them is near, and death will come to release their spirits from the suffering clay, and to bear them in triumph to a world where a pang shall never be felt, and a tear never shed.

7 And the [289]shapes of the locusts _were_ like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads _were_ as it were [290]crowns like gold, and their [291]faces _were_ as the faces of men.

7. _And the shapes of the locusts |were| like unto horses prepared for battle._ The resemblance between the locust and the horse, dissimilar as they are in most respects, has been often remarked. Dr. Robinson (_Bib. Research_, i. 59) says: “We found to-day upon the shrubs an insect, either a species of black locust, or much resembling them, which our Bedouin called _Farras el Jundy_, ‘soldiers’ horses.’ They said these insects were common on Mount Sinai, of a green colour, and were found on dead trees, but did them no injury.” The editor of the _Pictorial Bible_ makes the following remarks:――“The first time we saw locusts browsing with their wings closed, the idea of comparing them to horses arose spontaneously to our minds――as we had not previously met with such a comparison, and did not at that time advert to the present text [Joel ii. 4]. The resemblance in the head first struck our attention; and this notion having once arisen, other analogies were found or imagined in its general appearance and action in feeding. We have since found the observation very common. The Italians, indeed, from this resemblance, called the locust _cavaletta_, or _little horse_. Sir W. Ouseley reports: ‘Zakaria Cazvine divides the locusts into two classes, like horsemen and footmen――mounted and pedestrian.’ Niebuhr says that he heard from a Bedouin, near Bussorah, a particular comparison of the locust to other animals; but as this passage of Scripture did not occur to him at the time he thought it a mere fancy of the Arab’s, till he heard it repeated at Bagdad. He compared the head of the locust to that of the horse; the feet to those of the camel; {216} the belly with that of a serpent; the tail with that of a scorpion; and the feelers (if Niebuhr remembered rightly) to the hair of a virgin” (_Pict. Bib._ on Joel ii. 4). The resemblance to horses would naturally suggest the idea of _cavalry_, as being referred to by the symbol. ¶ _And on their heads |were| as it were crowns like gold._ The writer does not say either that these were literally _crowns_, or that they were actually made of _gold_. They were “_as it were_” (ὡς) _crowns_, and they were _like_ (ὅμοιος) _gold_. That is, as seen by him, they had a resemblance to crowns or diadems, and they also resembled gold in their colour and brilliancy. The word _crown_――στέφανος――means properly a circlet, chaplet, encircling the head (a) as an emblem of royal dignity, and as worn by kings; (b) as conferred on victors in the public games――a chaplet, a wreath; (c) as an ornament, honour, or glory, Phi. iv. 1. No particular _shape_ is designated by the word στέφανος――_stephanos_――and perhaps the word _crown_ does not quite express the meaning. The word _diadem_ would come nearer to it. The true notion in the word is that of something that is passed around the head, and that encircles it, and as such it would well describe the appearance of a _turban_ as seen at a distance. On the supposition that the symbolic beings here referred to had turbans on their heads, and on the supposition that something was referred to which was not much worn in the time of John, and, therefore, that had no name, the word _stephanos_, or _diadem_, would be likely to be used in describing it. This, too, would accord with the use of the phrase “_as it were_”――ὡς. The writer saw such head-ornaments as he was accustomed to see. They were not _exactly_ crowns or diadems, but they had a resemblance to them, and he therefore uses this language: “and on their heads were _as it were_ crowns.” Suppose that these were _turbans_, and that they were not in common use in the time of John, and that they had, therefore, no name, would not this be the exact language which he would use in describing them? The same remarks may be made respecting the other expression. ¶ _Like gold._ They were not pure gold, but they had a resemblance to it. Would not a yellow turban correspond with all that is said in this description? ¶ _And their faces |were| as the faces of men._ They had a human countenance. This would indicate that, after all, they were human beings that the symbol described, though they had come up from the bottomless pit. Horsemen, in strange apparel, with a strange head-dress, would be all that would be properly denoted by this.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their [292]teeth were as _the teeth_ of lions.

8. _And they had hair as the hair of women._ Long hair; not such as men commonly wear, but such as women wear. See Notes on 1 Co. xi. 14. This struck John as a peculiarity, that, though warriors, they should have the appearance of effeminacy indicated by allowing their hair to grow long. It is clear from this, that John regarded their appearance as unusual and remarkable. Though manifestly designed to represent an army, yet it was not the usual appearance of men who went forth to battle. Among the Greeks of ancient times, indeed, long hair was not uncommon (see the Notes above referred to on 1 Co. xi. 14), but this was by no means the usual custom among the ancients; and the fact that these warriors had long hair like women was a circumstance that would distinguish them particularly from others. On this comparison of the appearance of the locusts with the hair of women see the remarks of Niebuhr, in the Notes on ver. 7. ¶ _And their teeth were as |the teeth| of lions._ Strong; fitted to devour. The teeth of the locust are by no means prominent, though they are strong, for they readily cut down and eat up all vegetable substances that come in their way. But it is evident that John means to say that there was much that was unusual and remarkable in the teeth of these locusts. They would be ravenous and fierce, and would spread terror and desolation like the lions of the desert.

9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings _was_ as the [293]sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

9. _And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron._ Hard, horny, impenetrable, _as if_ they were made of {217} iron. The locust _has_ a firm and hard cuticle on the forepart of the breast, which serves for a shield or defence while it moves in the thorny and furzy vegetation. On those which John saw this was peculiarly hard and horny, and would thus be well adapted to be an emblem of the breastplates of iron commonly worn by ancient warriors. The meaning is, that the warriors referred to would be well clad with defensive armour. ¶ _And the sound of their wings |was| as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle._ The noise made by locusts is often spoken of by travellers, and the comparison of that noise with that of chariots rushing to battle, is not only appropriate, but also indicates clearly what was symbolized. It was _an army_ that was symbolized, and everything about them served to represent hosts of men well armed, rushing to conflict. The same thing here referred to is noticed by Joel, ch. ii. 4, 5, 7:――

“The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; And as horsemen so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains, shall they leap; Like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble; As a strong people set in battle array. They shall run like mighty men; They shall climb the wall like men of war; And they shall march every one his ways, and shall not break their ranks,” &c.

It is remarkable that Volney, who had no intention of illustrating the truth of Scripture, has given a description of locusts, _as if_ he meant to confirm the truth of what is here said. “Syria,” says he, “as well as Egypt, Persia, and almost all the south of Asia, is subject to another calamity no less dreadful [than earthquakes]; I mean those _clouds_ of locusts so often mentioned by travellers. The quantity of these insects is incredible to all who have not themselves witnessed their astounding numbers; the whole earth is covered with them for the space of several leagues. The _noise_ they make in browsing on the trees and herbage may be heard to a great distance, and resembles that of an army foraging in secret” (_Travels in Egypt and Syria_, vol. i. pp. 283, 284).

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and [294]their power _was_ to hurt men five months.

10. _And they had tails like unto scorpions._ The fancy of an Arab now often discerns a resemblance between the tail of the locust and the scorpion. See the remark of Niebuhr, quoted in the Notes on ver. 7. ¶ _And there were stings in their tails._ Like the stings of scorpions. See Notes on ver. 3. This made the locusts which appeared to John the more remarkable, for though the fancy may imagine a resemblance between the tail of a locust and a scorpion, yet the locusts have properly no sting. The only thing which they have resembling a sting is a hard bony substance like a needle, with which the female punctures the bark and wood of trees in order to deposit her eggs. It has, however, no adaptation, like a sting, for conveying poison into a wound. These, however, appeared to be armed with stings properly so called. ¶ _And their power |was| to hurt men._ Not primarily to _kill_ men, but to inflict on them various kinds of tortures. See Notes on ver. 5. The word here used――ἀδικῆσαι, rendered _to hurt_――is different from the word in ver. 5――βασανισθῶσι, rendered _should be tormented_. This word properly means _to do wrong_, _to do unjustly_, _to injure_, _to hurt_; and the two words would seem to convey the idea that they would produce distress by _doing wrong_ to others, or by dealing unjustly with them. It does not appear that the wrong would be by inflicting bodily torments, but would be characterized by that injustice towards others which produces distress and anguish. ¶ _Five months._ See Notes on ver. 5; [also Editor’s Preface, page xxiv].

11 And they had a [295]king over them, _which is_ the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue _is_ Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath _his_ name [296]Apollyon.

11. _And they had a king over them._ A ruler who marshalled their hosts. Locusts often, and indeed generally, move in bands, though they do not appear to be under the direction of any one as a particular ruler or guide. In this case it struck John as a remarkable peculiarity that they _had_ a king――a king who, it would seem, had the absolute control, and to whom was to {218} be traced all the destruction which would ensue from their emerging from the bottomless pit. ¶ _|Which is| the angel of the bottomless pit_. See Notes on ver. 1. The word _angel_ here would seem to refer to the chief of the evil angels, who presided over the dark and gloomy regions from whence the locusts seemed to emerge. This may either mean that this evil angel seemed to command them personally, or that his spirit was infused into the leader of these hosts. ¶ _Whose name in the Hebrew tongue |is| Abaddon._ The name Abaddon means literally _destruction_, and is the same as Apollyon. ¶ _But in the Greek tongue hath |his| name Apollyon._ From ἀπόλλυμι――_to destroy_. The word properly denotes a destroyer, and the name is given to this king of the hosts, represented by the locusts, because this would be his principal characteristic.

After this minute explanation of the literal meaning of the symbol, it may be useful, before attempting to apply it, and to ascertain the _events_ designed to be represented, to have a distinct impression of the principal image――the locust. It is evident that this is, in many respects, a creature of the imagination, and that we are not to expect the exact representation to be found in any forms of actual existence in the animal creation. The following engraving, prepared by Mr. Elliott (vol. i. p. 410), will give a sufficiently accurate representation of this symbolical figure as it appeared to John.

Illustration: Symbolical Locust, according to Elliott.

The question now is, whether any events occurred in history, subsequent to and succeeding those supposed to be referred to in the fourth trumpet, to which this symbol would be applicable. Reasons have already been suggested for supposing that there was a transfer of the seat of the operations to another part of the world. The first four trumpets referred to a continual series of events of the same general character, and having a proper close. These have been explained as referring to the successive shocks which terminated in the downfall of the Western empire. At the close of that series there is a pause in the representation (ch. viii. 13), and a solemn proclamation that other scenes were to open distinguished for woe. These were to be symbolized in the sounding of the remaining three trumpets, embracing the whole period till the consummation of all things――or sketching great and momentous events in the future, until the volume sealed with the seven seals (ch. v. 1) should have been wholly unrolled and its contents disclosed. The whole scene now is changed. Rome has fallen. It has passed into the hands of strangers. The power that had spread itself over the world has, in that form, come to an end, and is to exist no more――though, as we shall see (ch. xi. seq.), _another_ power, quite as formidable, existing there, is to be described by a new set of symbols. But here (ch. ix.) a new power appears. The scenery is all Oriental, and clearly has reference to events that were to spring up in the East. With surprising unanimity, commentators have agreed in regarding this as referring to the empire of the Saracens, or to the rise and progress of the religion and the empire set up by Mahomet. The inquiry now is, whether the circumstances introduced into the symbol find a proper fulfilment in the rise of the Saracenic power, and in the conquests of the Prophet of Mecca.

(1) _The country where the scene is laid._ As already remarked, the scene is Oriental――for the mention of locusts naturally suggests the East――that being the part of the world where they abound, and they being in fact peculiarly an Oriental plague. It may now be added, that in a more strict and proper sense Arabia may be intended; that is, if it be admitted that the design was to symbolize events pertaining to Arabia, or the gathering of the hosts of Arabia for conquest, the symbol of _locusts_ would have been employed for the locust, the groundwork of the symbol is peculiarly Arabic. It was the east wind which brought the locusts on Egypt (Ex. x. 13), and they must therefore have come from some portion of Arabia――for Arabia is the land that lies over against Egypt in the east. Such, too, is the testimony {219} of Volney; “the most judicious,” as Mr. Gibbon calls him, “of modern travellers.” “The inhabitants of Syria,” says he, “have remarked that locusts come constantly from the desert of Arabia,” ch. xx. sect. 5. All that is necessary to say further on this point is, that on the supposition that it was the design of the Spirit of inspiration in the passage before us to refer to the followers of Mahomet, the image of the locusts was that which would be naturally selected. There was no other one so appropriate and so striking; no one that would so naturally designate the country of Arabia. As some confirmation of this, or as showing how _natural_ the symbol would be, a remark may be introduced from Mr. Forster. In his _Mohammedanism Unveiled_, vol. i. p. 217, he says, “In the Bedoween romance of _Antar_, the _locust_ is introduced as the national emblem of the Ishmaelites. And it is a remarkable coincidence that Mohammedan tradition speaks of locusts having dropped into the hands of Mohammed, bearing on their wings this inscription――‘We are the army of the Great God.’” These circumstances will show the propriety of the symbol on the supposition that it refers to Arabia and the Saracens.

(2) _The people._ The question is, whether there was anything in the symbol, as described by John, which would properly designate the followers of Mahomet, on the supposition that it was designed to have such a reference. (a) As to _numbers_. “They (the Midianite Arabs) came as locusts for multitude,” Ju. vi. 5. See Notes on ver. 3. Nothing would better represent the _numbers_ of the Saracenic hordes that came out of Arabia, and that spread over the East――over Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Spain, and that threatened to spread over Europe――than such an army of locusts. “One hundred years after his flight [Mahomet] from Mecca,” says Mr. Gibbon, “the arms and the reign of his successors extended from India to the Atlantic Ocean, over the various and distant provinces which may be comprised under the names of Persia, Syria, Egypt, Africa, and Spain,” vol. iii. p. 410. “At the end of the first century of the Hegira the caliphs were the most potent and absolute monarchs on the globe. Under the last of the Ommiades the Arabian empire extended two hundred days’ journey from east to west, from the confines of Tartary and India to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean” (_ibid._ p. 460). In regard to the immense _hosts_ employed in these conquests, an idea may be formed by a perusal of the whole fifty-first chapter in Gibbon (vol. iii. pp. 408‒461). Those hosts issued primarily from Arabia, and in their numbers would be well compared with the swarms of locusts that issued from the same country, so numerous as to darken the sky. (b) The _description_ of the people. ¶ _Their faces were as the faces of men._ This would seem to be in contrast with other people, or to denote something that was peculiar in the appearance of the persons represented. In other words, the meaning would seem to be, that there was something manly and warlike in their appearance, so far as their _faces_ were concerned. It is remarkable that the appearance of the Goths (represented, as I suppose, under the previous trumpets) is described by Jerome (comp. on Is. viii.) as quite the reverse. They are described as having faces shaven and smooth; faces, in contrast with the bearded Romans, _like women’s faces_.[297] Is it fancy to suppose that the reference here is to the beard and moustache of the Arabic hosts? We know with what care they regarded the beard; and _if_ a representation was made of them, especially in contrast with nations that shaved their faces, and who thus resembled women, it would be natural to speak of those represented in the symbol as “having faces as the faces of _men_.” ¶ _They had hair as the hair of women._ A strange mingling of the appearance of effeminacy with the indication of manliness and courage. See Notes on ver. 8. And yet this strictly accords with the appearance of the Arabs or Saracens. Pliny, the contemporary of John, speaks of the Arabs then as having the hair long and uncut, with the moustache on the upper lip, or the beard: Arabes mitrati sunt, aut _intonso crine_. Barba abraditur, _præterquam in superiore labro_. Aliis et _hæc intonsa_ (_Nat. Hist._ vol. vi. p. 28). So Solinus describes them in the third century (Plurimis crinis intonsus, mitrata capita, pars rasâ in cutem barbâ, c. 53); so Ammianus Marcellinus, in the fourth century (_Crinitus_ quidam a Saracenorum cuneo, vol. xxxi. p. 16); and so Claudian, Theodore of Mopsuesta, and Jerome, in the fifth. Jerome lived {220} about two centuries before the great Saracen invasion; and as he lived at Bethlehem, on the borders of Arabia, he must have been familiar with the appearance of the Arabs. Still later, in that most characteristic of Arab poems, _Antar_, a poem written in the time of Mahomet’s childhood, we find the moustache, and the beard, and the long flowing hair on the shoulder, and the turban, all specified as characteristic of the Arabians: “He adjusted himself properly, twisted his whiskers, _and folded up his hair under his turban_, drawing it from off his shoulders,” vol. i. p. 340. “His hair flowed down on his shoulders,” vol. i. p. 169. “Antar cut off Maudi’s hair in revenge and insult,” vol. iii. p. 117. “We will hang him up by his hair,” vol. iv. p. 325. See Elliott, vol. i. pp. 411, 412. Comp. _Newton on the Prophecies_, p. 485. ¶ _And on their heads |were| as it were crowns of gold._ See Notes on ver. 7. That is, diadems, or something that appeared like crowns, or chaplets. This will agree well with the _turban_ worn by the Arabs or Saracens, and which was quite characteristic of them in the early periods when they became known. So in the passage already quoted, Pliny speaks of them as Arabes _mitrati_; so Solinus, _mitrata capita_; so in the poem of _Antar_, “he folded up his hair _under his turban_.” It is remarkable also that Ezekiel (ch.