Revelation 9:17

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And, thus, saw I the horses in the vision, - and them who were sitting upon them, having breastplates as of fire and hyacinth and brimstone; - and, the heads of the horses, were as heads of lions, and, out of their mouths, come forth fire and smoke and brimstone:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
In my vision, I saw the horses and the riders on the horses. They looked like this: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions. The horses had fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

Revised Standard Version
And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And thus I sawe the horses in a vision and them yt sate on the havynge fyry habbergions of a Iacyncte coloure and brymstony and the heeddes of ye horses werre as the heeddes of lyons. And out of their mouthes went forth fyre and smoke and brymstone.

Hebrew Names Version
Thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur.

New American Standard Bible
And this is how I saw in my vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire, of hyacinth, and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone.

New Century Version
The horses and their riders I saw in the vision looked like this: They had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and yellow like sulfur. The heads of the horses looked like heads of lions, with fire, smoke, and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

Update Bible Version
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat on them, having breastplates [as] of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceeds fire and smoke and brimstone.

Webster's Bible Translation
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breast-plates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions: and out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

World English Bible
Thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, having breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of lions. Out of their mouths proceed fire, smoke, and sulfur.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And thus I saw the horses in the vision and them that sat on them, having breast-plates of fire and hyacinth and brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths goeth fire, and smoke and brimstone.

Weymouth's New Testament
And this was the appearance of the horses which I saw in my vision--and of their riders. The body-armour of the riders was red, blue and yellow; and the horses' heads were shaped like the heads of lions, while from their mouths there came fire and smoke and sulphur.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And so Y say horsis in visioun; and thei that saten on hem hadden firy haburiouns, and of iacynt, and of brymstoon. And the heedis of the horsis weren as heedis of liouns; and fier, and smoke, and brymston, cometh forth of the mouth of hem.

English Revised Version
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the horses and riders in my vision looked like this: The riders had breastplates the colors of fire, sapphire, and brimstone. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceeded fire, smoke, and brimstone.

Contemporary English Version
In my vision their riders wore fiery-red, dark-blue, and yellow armor on their chests. The heads of the horses looked like lions, with fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths.

Amplified Bible
And this is how I saw the horses and their riders in my vision: the riders had breastplates [the color] of fire and of hyacinth (sapphire blue) and of brimstone (yellow); and the heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions; and from out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone (burning sulfur).

American Standard Version
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses are as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceedeth fire and smoke and brimstone.

Bible in Basic English
And so I saw the horses in the vision, and those who were seated on them, having breastplates of fire and glass and of burning stone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and a smell of burning.

Complete Jewish Bible
Here is how the horses looked in the vision: the riders had breastplates that were fire-red, iris-blue and sulfur-yellow; the horses' heads were like lions' heads; and from their mouths issued fire, smoke and sulfur.

Darby Translation
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those that sat upon them, having breastplates of fire and jacinth and brimstone; and the heads of the horses [were] as heads of lions, and out of their mouths goes out fire and smoke and brimstone.

International Standard Version
This was how I saw the horses in my vision: The riders wore breastplates that had the color of fire, sapphire, and sulfur. The heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.1 Chronicles 12:8; Isaiah 5:28-29;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And as I beheld those horses in the vision, and those who sat upon them, (I saw that) they had breast-plates of fire, and jacinth, and sulphur; and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and from their mouths went out fire, and smoke, and sulphur.

Murdock Translation
And while I looked on the horses in the vision, and on them who sat on them [fn] that the breastplates were of fire, and of jacinth, and of sulphur. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and from their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and sulphur.

King James Version (1611)
And thus I sawe the horses in the vision, and them that sate on them, hauing brest-plates of fire and of Iacinct, and brimstone, & the heades of the horses were as the heads of Lions, and out of their mouthes issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

New Living Translation
And in my vision, I saw the horses and the riders sitting on them. The riders wore armor that was fiery red and dark blue and yellow. The horses had heads like lions, and fire and smoke and burning sulfur billowed from their mouths.

New Life Bible
I saw, as God wanted to show me, the horses and the men on them. The men had pieces of iron over their chests. These were red like fire and blue like the sky and yellow like sulphur. The heads of the horses looked like the heads of lions. Fire and smoke and sulphur came out of their mouths.

New Revised Standard
And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur; the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.

English Standard Version
And this is how I saw the horses in my vision and those who rode them: they wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulfur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulfur came out of their mouths.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And thus I saw the horses in a vision, & them that sate on them, hauing firie habbergions, and of Iacinth, and of brimstone, and the heads of the horses were as the heades of lyons: and out of their mouthes went foorth fire and smoke and brimstone.

George Lamsa Translation
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those who sat on them, and they had breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and of brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions, and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thus I saw the horses in the vision. And they that sat on them had breastplates of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone. And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions: and from their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and brimstone.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And thus I sawe the horses in a vision, and them that sate on them, hauing fierie habbergions of a iacinct colour, and brymstone, and the heades of the horses were as the heades of lions, and out of their mouthes went foorth fire, and smoke, and brymstone.

Good News Translation
And in my vision I saw the horses and their riders: they had breastplates red as fire, blue as sapphire, and yellow as sulfur. The horses' heads were like lions' heads, and from their mouths came out fire, smoke, and sulfur.

Christian Standard Bible®
This is how I saw the horses and their riders in the vision: They had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths came fire, smoke, and sulfur.

King James Version
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.

Lexham English Bible
And in this way I saw the horses in the vision, and those seated on them, who had fiery red and hyacinth-colored and sulphurous yellow breastplates, and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and sulphur.

Literal Translation
And so I saw in the vision the horses, and those sitting on them, having fire-colored breastplates, even dusky red and brimstone-like; and the heads of the horses as heads of lions; and out of their mouths come fire and smoke and brimstone.

Young's Literal Translation
And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and those sitting upon them, having breastplates of fire, and jacinth, and brimstone; and the heads of the horses [are] as heads of lions, and out of their mouths proceedeth fire, and smoke, and brimstone;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And thus I sawe the horses in a vision, and them that sat on the hauynge fyry habbergions of a yalowe and brymstony color, and the heades of ye horses werre as the heades of lyons. And out of their mouthes went forth fyre, and smoke, and brymstone.

Mace New Testament (1729)
the horses I saw in my vision had this appearance: the riders had breast-plates of fire, of jacinth, and brimstone: the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire, smoke, and brimstone.

New English Translation
Now this is what the horses and their riders looked like in my vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, dark blue, and sulfurous yellow in color. The heads of the horses looked like lions' heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur came out of their mouths.

New King James Version
And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone.

Simplified Cowboy Version
The horses had heads like lions. Fire, smoke, and sulfur poured out of their mouths like deadly exhaust.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.

Contextual Overview

¹³ And, the sixth messenger, sounded; and I heard one voice, from among the horns of the altar of gold which is before God, ¹⁴ saying unto the sixth messenger, who was holding the trumpet - Loose the four messengers, who are bound at the great river Euphrates. ¹⁵ And the four messengers were loosed, who had been prepared for the hour, and day, and month, and year, that they should slay the third of men. ¹⁶ And, the number of the armies of the horsemen, was twice ten thousand times ten thousand - I heard the number of them. ¹⁷ And, thus, saw I the horses in the vision, - and them who were sitting upon them, having breastplates as of fire and hyacinth and brimstone; - and, the heads of the horses, were as heads of lions, and, out of their mouths, come forth fire and smoke and brimstone: ¹⁸ by these three plagues, were slain, the third part of mankind, by reason of the fire and the smoke and the brimstone, that proceedeth out of their mouths; ¹⁹ for, the licence of the horses, is, in their mouth, and in their tails, for, their tails, are like unto serpents, having heads, and, with them, they injure. ²⁰ And, the rest of mankind who were not slain by these plagues, repented not of the works of their hands, - that they should not do homage unto the demons, nor unto the idols of gold and of silver and of copper and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; ²¹ Neither repented they of their murders, or of their sorceries, or of their lewdnesses, or of their thefts.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

having: This appears to point out the scarlet, blue and yellow colours, for which the Turks have always been remarkable. The "four angels bound in the Euphrates" denote their four sultanies bordering on that river, where they were confined till after the period of the Crusades. The time for which they were prepared, "an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year," computing a year for each day, amounts to 391 years, 15 days; and from their first conquest over the Christians, ad 1281, to the taking of Cameniec from the Poles, ad 1672, which was the last conquest by which their dominion was extended, is exactly that period. Revelation 9:9

jacinth: Revelation 21:20

brimstone: Revelation 9:18, Revelation 14:10, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 21:8, Genesis 19:24, Psalms 11:6, Isaiah 30:33, Ezekiel 33:22

as the: 1 Chronicles 12:8, Isaiah 5:28, Isaiah 5:29

Reciprocal: Exodus 28:4 - a breastplate Ezekiel 28:14 - and I Ephesians 6:14 - the breastplate Revelation 9:2 - there Revelation 16:8 - and power

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them,.... In such numbers, and with horsemen on them, and in such order, and in appearance, as follows:

having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth and brimstone; which may be understood either literally of their external breastplates, which being of polished iron, according to the custom of these people, looked at a distance like sparkling fire, and seemed to be of the colour of hyacinth, or of a sky colour, and appeared as flaming sulphur; though some think that their breastplates were of different colours, some looked like fire, others like jacinth, and others like brimstone; or it may denote that they would be accoutred in scarlet, blue, and yellow, which are the colours the Turks have commonly wore; or this may be understood of their internal breastplates, and the disposition of their minds, having in their breasts nothing but wrath, fury, desolation, and destruction; a fire devoured before them, and behind them a flame burned:

and the heads of the horses [were] as the heads of lions: gaping and roaring for their prey, or all bloody with it, and looked fierce, and savage, and terrible: this designs not so much the strength, boldness, and intrepidity of their horses, which are warlike creatures, and very undaunted in battle, as of the men that sat upon them, who were like David's heroes and warriors, 1 Chronicles 12:8.

And out of their mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone; which may be referred either to the horses, or to the horsemen, or both: some interpret this allegorically, and by "fire" understand either the tyranny of the Turks over their own people, or their fury against others, or their blasphemy against God, and Christ, and his people, being like so many railing Rabshakehs against the God of the Christians; and by "smoke" the false doctrine of Mahomet, which came out of the same bottomless pit the doctrine of the Romish antichrist did; and is fitly compared to smoke for its disagreeableness, darkness, levity, and duration; 1 Chronicles 12:8- :; and by "brimstone" the immorality and sad corruption of manners among the Turks, and what is allowed of, or winked at, as fornication, polygamy, sodomy, c. but rather this is to be taken more literally, and represents the firing of guns on horseback in battle. Guns are a late invention, and the use of them was found out in the age this trumpet refers to and were much made use of by the Turks in their wars, and particularly great guns or cannons; these were used by Amurath at the sieges of Belgrade, and of Constantinople m; and by Mahomet the Second at the taking of Constantinople, where a gun or cannon was used of that size, as to be drawn by seventy yoke of oxen, and two thousand men n. Gunpowder set on fire is fitly signified by fire, smoke, and brimstone, which is made of nitre, charcoal, and brimstone; and the firing of guns on horseback is most aptly described by these coming out of the mouths of horses and horsemen: nor could it well appear to John to be otherwise, who could never have seen a gun, and one fired off in his life; nor could he well represent to others what he saw in vision, than in this manner.

m Chalcocond. l. 5. p. 152, 163. n Chalcocond. l. 8. p. 252.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And thus I saw the horses in the vision - That is, he saw them as he proceeds to describe them, for the word “thus” - οὕτως houtōs - refers to what follows. Compare Robinson’s Lexicon on the word (b), and see Matthew 1:18; Matthew 2:5; John 21:1; Hebrews 4:4. Prof. Stuart, however, refers to what precedes. The meaning, as it seems to me, is, that he fixed his attention on the appearance of the immense army - the horses and their riders, and proceeded to describe them as they struck him.

And them that sat on them - He fixed the attention on horse and rider. Their appearance was unusual, and deserved a particular description.

Having breastplates of fire - That is, those who sat on them had such breastplates. The word rendered here as “breastplate” denoted properly a coat of mail that covered the body from the neck to the thighs. See the notes on Ephesians 6:14. This would be a prominent object in looking at a horseman. This was said to be composed of “fire, and jacinth, and brimstone”; that is, the part of the body usually incased in the coat of mail had these three colors. The word “fire” here simply denotes red. It was burnished and bright, and seemed to be a blaze of fire. The word “jacinth” - ὑακινθίνους huakinthinous - means “hyacinthine.” The color denoted is that of the hyacinth - a flower of a deep purple or reddish blue. Then it refers to a gem of the same color, nearly related to the zircon of the mineralogists, and the color mentioned here is deep purple or reddish blue. The word rendered “brimstone” - θειώδης theiōdēs - means properly “sulphurous,” that is, made of sulphur, and means here simply yellow. The meaning of the whole then is, that these horsemen appeared to be clad in a special kind of armor - armor that shone like fire, mingled with blue and yellow. It will be necessary to look for the fulfillment of this in cavalry that was so caparisoned.

And the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions - Resembled, in some respects, the heads of lions. He does not say that they were the heads of lions, or that the riders were on monsters, but only that they, in some respects, resembled the heads of lions. It would he easy to give this general appearance by the way in which the head-dress of the horses was arrayed.

And out of their mouths issued - That is, appeared to issue. It is not necessary to understand this as affirming that it actually came from their months, but only that, to one looking on such an approaching army, it would have this appearance. The pagan poets often speak of horses breathing out fire and smoke (Virgil, Geor. vol. ii. p. 140; iii. 85; Ovid, Met. vol. vii. p. 104), meaning that their breath seemed to be mingled smoke and fire. There is an image superadded here not found in any of the classic descriptions, that this was mingled with brimstone. All this seemed to issue from their mouths - that is, it was breathed forth in front of the host, as if the horses emitted it from their mouths.

Fire and smoke and brimstone - The exact idea, whether that was intended or not, would be conveyed by the discharge of musketry or artillery. The fire, the smoke, and the sulphurous smell of such a discharge would correspond precisely with this language; and if it be supposed that the writer meant to describe such a discharge, this would be the very language that would be used. Moreover, in describing a battle nothing would be more proper than to say that this appeared to issue from the horses’ mouths. If, therefore, it should be found that there were any events where firearms were used, in contradistinction from the ancient mode of warfare, this language would be appropriate to describe that; and if it were ascertained that the writer meant to refer to some such fact, then the language used here would be what he would adopt. One thing is certain, that this is not language which would be employed to describe the onset of ancient cavalry in the mode of warfare which prevailed then. No one describing a charge of cavalry among the Persians, the Greeks, or the Romans, when the only armor was the sword and the spear, would think of saying that there seemed to be emitted from the horses’ mouths fire, and smoke, and brimstone.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 9:17. Breastplates of fire-jacinth, and brimstone — That is, red, blue, and yellow; the first is the colour of fire, the second of jacinth, and the third of sulphur.

And the heads of the horses — Is this an allegorical description of great ordnance? Cannons, on the mouths of which horses' heads were formed, or the mouth of the cannon cast in that form? Fire, smoke, and brimstone, is a good allegorical representation of gunpowder. The Ottomans made great use of heavy artillery in their wars with the Greeks of the lower empire.