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Revised Standard Version

Revelation 9:9

they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Breastplate;   Chariot;   Iron;   Locust;   Trumpet;   Vision;   The Topic Concordance - Seals;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arms, Military;   Breastplate;   Chariots;   Iron;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Locust;   Scorpion;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Abyss;   Hades;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Mahometanism;   Order;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Armour;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abaddon;   Chariot;   Joel;   Locust;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Breastplate;   Chariots;   Joel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Evil;   Lucifer;   Plagues of Egypt;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Horse;   Locust;   Locust ;   Wing ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bottomless Pit;   Breastplate;   Chariot;   Horse;   39 War Fighting;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Locusts;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Locust;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Locust,;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Iron;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Apollyon;   Chariot;   Iron (1);   Revelation of John:;   Scorpion;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
they had chests like iron breastplates; the sound of their wings was like the sound of many chariots with horses rushing into battle;
King James Version (1611)
And they had brestplates, as it were brestplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of charets of many horses running to battell.
King James Version
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
New American Standard Bible
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
New Century Version
Their chests looked like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horses and chariots hurrying into battle.
English Standard Version
they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They had breastplates like breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to battle.
Berean Standard Bible
They also had thoraxes like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
Contemporary English Version
On their chests they wore armor made of iron. Their wings roared like an army of horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle.
Complete Jewish Bible
Their chests were like iron breastplates, and the sound their wings made was like the roar of many horses and chariots rushing into battle.
Darby Translation
and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings [was] as the sound of chariots of many horses running to war;
Easy-to-Read Version
Their chests looked like iron breastplates. The sound their wings made was like the noise of many horses and chariots hurrying into battle.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they had habbergions, like to habbergions of yron: and the soud of their wings was like the sound of charets whe many horses runne vnto battel.
George Lamsa Translation
And they had breastplates, as though they were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Good News Translation
Their chests were covered with what looked like iron breastplates, and the sound made by their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle.
Lexham English Bible
and they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of many horse-drawn chariots running into battle.
Literal Translation
And they had breastplates like iron breastplates; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running to war.
Amplified Bible
They had breastplates (scales) like breastplates made of iron; and the [whirring] noise of their wings was like the [thunderous] noise of countless horse-drawn chariots charging [at full speed] into battle.
American Standard Version
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
Bible in Basic English
And they had breastplates like iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of carriages, like an army of horses rushing to the fight.
Hebrew Names Version
They had breastplates, like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, or of many horses rushing to war.
International Standard Version
They had breastplates like iron, and the noise of their wings was like the roar of chariots with many horses rushing into battle.Joel 2:5-7;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and they had breast-plates as breast-plates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of the chariots of many horses running to battle.
Murdock Translation
And they had breastplates, like breastplates of iron: and the sound of their wings, was like the sound of the chariots of many horses rushing into battle.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they had habbergions as it were habbergions of iron, and the sounde of their wynges was as ye sounde of charrettes when many horses runne together to batayle.
English Revised Version
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
World English Bible
They had breastplates, like breastplates of iron. The sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots, or of many horses rushing to war.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they had breast-plates as it were breast-plates of iron, and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
Weymouth's New Testament
They had breast-plates which seemed to be made of steel; and the noise caused by their wings was like that of a vast number of horses and chariots hurrying into battle.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei hadden haburiouns, as yren haburiouns, and the vois of her wengis as the vois of charis of many horsis rennynge `in to batel.
Update Bible Version
And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots, of many horses rushing to war.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings [was] as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.
New English Translation
They had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots charging into battle.
New King James Version
And they had breastplates like breastplates of iron, and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots with many horses running into battle.
New Living Translation
They wore armor made of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rushing into battle.
New Life Bible
Their chests were covered with what looked like pieces of iron. The sound their wings made was like the sound of many wagons rushing to war.
New Revised Standard
they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and, the sound of their wings, was as the sound of chariots of many horses, running into battle;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they had breastplates as breastplates of iron: and the noise of their wings was as the noise of chariots and many horses running to battle.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they had habbergions as it were habbergions of yron. And the sounde of their wynges was as the sounde of charettes when many horsses runne to gedder to battayle.
Young's Literal Translation
and they had breastplates as breastplates of iron, and the noise of their wings [is] as the noise of chariots of many horses running to battle;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they had habbergions, as it were habbergions of yron. And the sounde of their wynges, was as ye sounde of charettes whe many horsses runne together to battayle.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they were vested with breast-plates, as it were of iron; and the sound of their wings was like the sound of chariots and many horses running to battle.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They had iron breastplates of armor and their wings sounded like chariots racing across the battlefield in pursuit of another victim.

Contextual Overview

1 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2 he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3 Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; 4 they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; 5 they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6 And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them. 7 In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8 their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9 they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10 They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they had: Revelation 9:17, Job 40:18, Job 41:23-30, Joel 2:8

and the: Job 39:25, Isaiah 9:5, Joel 2:5-7, Nahum 2:4, Nahum 2:5

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 22:34 - joints of the harness 2 Kings 7:6 - the Lord Ephesians 6:14 - the breastplate

Cross-References

Genesis 6:18
But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
Genesis 9:7
And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it."
Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
Genesis 9:9
"Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you,
Genesis 9:10
and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.
Genesis 9:11
I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."
Genesis 9:17
God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."
Genesis 22:17
I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies,
Jeremiah 33:20
"Thus says the LORD: If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night will not come at their appointed time,
Romans 1:3
the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron,.... Alluding to the hard skin of the locusts, with which nature has fenced it q; see Joel 2:8; and denotes the armour with which the Saracens were accoutred: and if to be understood of the western locusts, the hardness of their hearts, their seared consciences, or their protection by the princes of the earth, the many privileges they are possessed of, the laws made in their favour, and for their security; their breastplates were not breastplates of righteousness, faith, and love, nor in defence of truth, but against it. And some think the iron colour may denote the colour of their habit, their black garments:

and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle; see Joel 2:5. The sound of locusts, when they fly or march in large companies, is very great. Pliny says r, they make such a noise with their wings, when they fly, that they have been thought to have been other winged creatures; hence a locust, in Hebrew, is sometimes called צלצל, the same name that is given to the high sounding cymbal. The sound of them is said to have been heard six miles s. Aristotle t ascribes it to the rubbing of their legs or thighs one against another; and so the Ethiopic version here renders it, "the sound of their feet": this may be expressive of the swift and rapid incursions of the Saracens, and of the dreadful alarms to the nations which their invasions made; and may be applied to the noisy declamations, anathemas, excommunications, and interdicts of the Romish clergy.

q Claudian. Epigram. 13. r Plin. l. 11. c. 29, 51. s Altissiodorensis in Joel ii. 5. t Hist. Animal. l. 4. c. 9. Vid. Plin. l. 11. c. 51.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron - Hard, horny, impenetrable, as if they were made of iron. The locust has a firm and hard cuticle on the forepart of the breast, which serves for a shield or defense while it moves in the thorny and furzy vegetation. On those which John saw this was especially 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 armor.

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 travelers, 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 Joel 2:4-5, Joel 2:7;

“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,” etc.

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 travelers. 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).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 9:9. They had breastplates-of iron — They seemed to be invulnerable, for no force availed against them.

The sound of their wings — Their hanging weapons and military trappings, with the clang of their shields and swords when they make their fierce onsets. This simile is borrowed from Joel 2:5-7.


 
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