and the ten horns that thou didst see upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her in fire,Revelation 17:16 Additional Translations
Clarke's Commentary on the BibleAnd the ten horns which thou sowest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire - Here is a clue to lead us to the right interpretation of the horns of the beast. It is said the Ten horns shall hate the whore; by which is evidently meant, when connected with what follows, that the whole of the ten kingdoms in the interest of the Latin Church shall finally despise her doctrines, be reformed from popery, assist in depriving her of all influence and in exposing her follies, and in the end consign her to utter destruction. From this it follows that no Roman Catholic power which did not exist so late as the Reformation can be numbered among the horns of the beast; the horns must, therefore, be found among the great states of Europe at the commencement of the Reformation. These were exactly ten, viz., France, Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, and Portugal. In these were comprehended most of the minor states not styled monarchies, and which, from their first rise to the period of the Reformation, had been subdued by one or more of the ten grand Roman Catholic powers already named. Consequently, these ten constituted the power and strength of the beast; and each minor state is considered a part of that monarchy under the authority of which it was finally reduced previously to the Reformation.
But it may be asked, How could the empire, which was the revived head of the beast, have been at the same time one of its horns? The answer is as follows: Horns of an animal, in the language of prophecy, represent the powers of which that empire or kingdom symbolized by the animal is composed. Thus the angel, in his interpretation of Daniel's vision of the ram and he-goat expressly informs us that "the ram with two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." One of the horns of the ram, therefore, represented the kingdom of Media, and the other the kingdom of Persia; and their union in one animal denoted the united kingdom of Media and Persia, viz., the Medo-Persian empire. In like manner the beast with ten horns denotes that the empire represented by the beast is composed of ten distinct powers, and the ten horns being united in one beast very appropriately show that the monarchies symbolized by these horns are united together to form one empire; for we have already shown, in the notes on Revelation 13:1, that a beast is the symbol of an empire. Therefore, as the horns of an animal, agreeably to the angel's explanation, (and we can have no higher authority), represent all the powers of which that domination symbolized by the animal is composed, the Roman empire of Germany, as one of those monarchies which gave their power and strength to the Latin empire, must consequently have been A Horn of the beast. But the Germanic empire was not only a Latin power, but at the same time was acknowledged by all Europe to have precedency of all the others. Therefore, as it is not possible to express these two circumstances by one symbol, it necessarily follows, from the nature of symbolical language, that what has been named the holy Roman empire must have a double representation. Hence the empire, as one of the powers of the Latin monarchy, was a horn of the beast, and in having precedency of all the others was its revived head. See a similar explanation of the tail of the dragon in the notes on Revelation 12:4.
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the ten. See on ver.
Revelation 17:2,10,12 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication...
these. The ten horns, which the angel explained of 'ten kings' or kingdoms, and which once exalted and supported her ecclesiastical tyranny, will hate, desolate, strip, and devour her. They will be the principal instruments in the destruction of popery and the ruin of Rome itself.
Revelation 17:1,2,13 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying to me, Come here...
Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial on the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up...
Isaiah 13:17,18 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it...
Jeremiah 50:41,42 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth...
and naked.
Revelation 18:16,17 And saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold...
Ezekiel 16:37-44 Behold, therefore I will gather all your lovers, with whom you have taken pleasure, and all them that you have loved...
Ezekiel 23:45-49 And the righteous men, they shall judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women that shed blood...
eat.
Job 31:31 If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.
Psalm 27:2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came on me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
Daniel 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side...
and burn.
Revelation 18:8,16 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire...
Leviticus 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profanes her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
Revelation 17:16 Parallel Commentaries
Bare Beast Burn Burned Cause Desolate Devour Eat Evil Fire Flesh Food Harlot Hate Horns Laid Naked Prostitute Ruin Sawest Strip Ten Turned Uncovered Utterly Waste Whore WildBare Beast Burn Burned Cause Desolate Devour Eat Evil Fire Flesh Food Harlot Hate Horns Laid Naked Prostitute Ruin Sawest Strip Ten Turned Uncovered Utterly Waste Whore WildTHE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica®.Revelation 17:16 Mobile Bible
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