The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 354

mesimble flood. It iB, thmifore, significant the first of thl' Egyptian plaguM. The last of retribution more dire than that eymbolizecl claulie intensifies the horrible nature of the by the trumpet, just as the trumpet. indicated judgment, and thllll in some degree in- - the &eTirity of this plague over thai greater eeverity than the 8881. ofthetrumpets. Andnery livingll01llcliedin Ver 1.-4.nd I heard a great voice. the sea; and m,e,-y 8"' of life died, (-1 Characteristic of all the heavenly uttenmcee 1M thing• iR the ,ea, thongli Uinng aod ((wca) (of. eh. xiv. 7, 9, etc.). We huve now the is found in M. B, P, some cursives, versions, narmtion in full of the events of which oh. and Fathars. Not merely human Iba. Ths :n. has given 118 a BDmma.ry. _ Out, of the thing•, -rcl., is omitted in N, B, P, and others, temple. The vaos, shrine of God, mentioned In oh. viii. 9 we ·have, " Even the creatures in oh. xv. 8, and which no .one oould enter; that were in the sea." The interpretations the tioic8 must, therefore, be the Yoiae of God are as numero11B as in the case of the l!800nd himself, Baying to the 1even. angel• (see trumpet ( sec on eh. viii. 9). It is most on eh. XY. 1). &o your wa.ya, and pour out probable that the sea is here mentioned as the via1I of the wrath of &od upon. the part of creation (another part of whioh is earth ; go ye alld pour, etc. ThB - 'lliala mentioned in the following verae), the whole ia read in N, A. B, 0, Andreas, Aretha&, of which au:lfers foi- the Bin of man, and the Primasius, and others. .So, in ah. viii. 5, the whole of which, intended for hi• benefit, angel casts fire on the earth. beoomes a source of affliotion and woe to him Ver. 2.-And the tlrst went, and poured through sin. ilut his vial upon the earth ; hi, bmDl into, Ver. 4.-And the third angel poured out etc. (Revised Version). (On "vial," see on Jlia vial upon the rivers and foun.taiml of eh v. 8.) The preposition ~ls,'' inro," die- wa.tera; and they beaame blood. Omii tinguishee the first three vials from the last "angel" (see on ver.3). "Into the rivers," tbur, whichhavel,r{, "upon," and some writers etc., as in 1he previous 08868. The singnlar make this the bssi s for cl98sifying the vials i-yl11rro, probably on aooount of the neuter into groups of three and four; but it seems ~il11TG1 being uuderstood. The idea of the better to divide into gronpsof four and three second vial is carried on here(cf.on Yer. 3). (see on ver.1, and preliminary remark.I on the Note the oorresponding jndgment of the trumpet-visiowi). And there fell; and a third trumpet. In addition to the interpre- becaf/16 (Revised Version). Compare the tation of the second vial given above, it i1 phraseology of Exod. ix. 10. A noisome probable that the blood signifies the slaughter and grievous sore upon. the men which had and death which is part of God's vengeance the mark of the beast, and upon them which on the wicked (cf. ver. 6). The divisiona worshipped bis image. The counterpart of adopted in the first four vials correspond to the sixth plague of Egypt. The word l.\ltor, those in eh. xiv., whioh designate the whole " sore," used here, is the same used in LXX., of.God's created world," heaven, and earth, Exod. iL It is impossible ro say with and the sea, and the .fountain& of waters." certainty what (if any) partioula.r jndgment Ver. 5.-And I heard the angel of the upon the ungodly is intended to be signified water■ say. The angels, throughout thia by St. John in this plague. From amongst book, are represented as having individual the numerous interpretations which have offiooa to fulfil Here we have a reference been given to illustrate this passage, we to the angel whose duty it is to control may mention that of Andreas, who 1!888 in the rivers, j11Bt as, in oh. xiY. 18, another it a reference to the "ulcer" (.'A1<os) of angel is represented as having authority conscience. Or it may be that the writer has over fire. This verse and the following one in contemplation that bodily disease which are anticipations of oh. xiL 2, which is a is the inevitable outcome of sin, and which commentary on eh. xviii., which latter is au often afflict.I men in this world as the direet elaboration of the judgioonts here described. reeu lt of their misdoings; though. of colll'IIII, Thon art righteous, 0 Lord, whioh art, and it cannot always be &S11erted to be a con- wast, and shalt be, becauae thou hut judged 88qnence of a man's own personal misdoings. thus; righteow art thou, fllhich art and (On the latter part of the veree, see on which taari, thou Holy Ortt, liecauu thaw didae oh. xiii.) tl11u judga (Revised Version). There ia Ver. S.-4.nd the 1eooud angel pove4out 11C&roely any authority for inserting " 0 Jlia vial upon the sea. Omit "angel." which Lord," or "and aha.It be " ( of. eh. xi. 17). ia not found in the best manuscripts, though The angel, as having authority over the it is undel'lltood. " Int.o the sea," as in ver. waters, and, as it were, a commission to ilee 2. 'l'lu, 860 ill also the obje~ of the second that they do their duty for men, aclmow• trumpet-plague (see on ver. I). And it ledges the justice of the sentence which beoame aa the blood of a dead man : !Moaf!IB makes them into an instrument for, and blood aa -0/ a dead maa Almost an enc\ type of, man's deetruction. Thongh there reproduction of the 8000nd trumpet, and of • :ia no authority for inserting "and ahalt be,• 194: THE RK,ELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. (r.H.. xv1.1-2L