Revelation 9:15-19

9:15 Then ¹  the four angels who had been prepared for this ²  hour, day, ³  month, and year were set free to kill ⁴  a third of humanity. 9:16 The ⁵  number of soldiers on horseback was two hundred million; ⁶  I heard their number. 9:17 Now ⁷  this is what the horses and their riders ⁸  looked like in my ⁹  vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, ¹⁰  dark blue, ¹¹  and sulfurous ¹²  yellow in color. ¹³  The ¹⁴  heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur ¹⁵  came out of their mouths. 9:18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, ¹⁶  by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 9:19 For the power ¹⁷  of the horses resides ¹⁸  in their mouths and in their tails, because their tails are like snakes, having heads that inflict injuries.

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

² tn The Greek article τήν (thn) has been translated with demonstrative force here.

³ tn The Greek term καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term “month” since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

⁴ tn Grk “so that they might kill,” but the English infinitive is an equivalent construction to indicate purpose here.

⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁶ tn Grk “twenty thousand of ten thousands.”

⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the horses and riders, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.

⁸ tn Grk “and those seated on them.”

⁹ tn Grk “the vision”; the Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

¹⁰ tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”

¹¹ tn On this term BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑακίνθινος states, “hyacinth-colored, i.e. dark blue (dark red?) w. πύρινος Rv 9:17.”

¹² tn On this term BDAG 446 s.v. θειώδης states, “sulphurous Rv 9:17.”

¹³ sn The colors of the riders’ breastplates parallel the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur in v. 18.

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

¹⁶ tn The phrase ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τοῦ καπνοῦ καὶ τοῦ θείου τοῦ ἐκπορευομένου ἐκ τῶν στομάτων αὐτῶν (“by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths”) is taken as epexegetical (explanatory) to the phrase τῶν τριῶν πληγῶν τούτων (“these three plagues”).

¹⁷ tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”

¹⁸ tn Grk “is.”