Christian Standard Bible
Revelation 19:18
18so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”
Revelation 19:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
- New International Version (NIV)so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great."
- New King James Version (NKJV)that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
Context of Revelation 19:18
16And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military commanders, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.” 19Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Read all of Revelation 19Revelation 19:18 word by word
ἵνα φάγητε σάρκας βασιλέων καὶ σάρκας χιλιάρχων καὶ σάρκας ἰσχυρῶν καὶ σάρκας ἵππων καὶ τῶν καθημένων ἐπ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ σάρκας πάντων, ἐλευθέρων τε καὶ δούλων καὶ μικρῶν καὶ μεγάλων.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- ye may eatφαγεῖνphagō · to eatG5315
- the fleshσάρξsarx · fleshG4561
- of kingsβασιλεύςbasileus · kingG935
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- of captainsχιλίαρχοςchiliarchos · military officerG5506
- of mighty menἰσχυρόςischuros · strongG2478
- of horsesἵπποςhippos · horseG2462
- of them that sitὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- of them that sitκάθημαιkathēmai · to sitG2521
- onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- of allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- freeἐλεύθεροςeleutheros · free/freedomG1658
- bondδοῦλοςdoulos · slaveG1401
- smallμικρόςmikros mikroteros · smallG3398
- greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
Cross-references for Revelation 19:18
- Deuteronomy 28:26Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth, with no one to scare them away.
- 1 Samuel 17:44“Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”
- Psalms 110:5The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his anger.
- Jeremiah 7:33The corpses of these people will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them away.
- Jeremiah 16:4They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the soil’s surface. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.
- Jeremiah 19:7I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who intend to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.
- Jeremiah 34:20all these I will hand over to their enemies, to those who intend to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.
- Ezekiel 29:5I will leave you in the desert, you and all the fish of your streams. You will fall on the open ground and will not be taken away or gathered for burial. I have given you to the wild creatures of the earth and the birds of the sky as food.
- Ezekiel 39:18You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan.
- Matthew 24:28Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.
- Luke 17:37“Where, Lord?” they asked him. He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there also the vultures will be gathered.”
- Revelation 6:15Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
- Revelation 13:16And it makes everyone — small and great, rich and poor, free and slave — to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
Commentaries on Revelation 19:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings - There shall be a universal destruction; the kings, generals, captains, and all their host, shall be slain.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18That ye may eat the flesh of kings - Of the kings under the control of the beast and the false prophet, Revelation 16:14; Revelation 17:12-14. And the flesh of captains - Of those subordinate to kings in command. The Greek word is ́ chiliarchōn- “chiliarchs” - denoting captains of a thousand, or, as we should say, commanders of a regiment. The word “colonel” would better convey the idea with us; as he is the commander of a regiment, and a regiment is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-21Verses 11-21 Christ, the glorious Head of the church, is described as on a white horse, the emblem of justice and holiness. He has many crowns, for he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He is arrayed in a vesture dipped in his own blood, by which he purchased his power as Mediator; and in the blood of his enemies, over whom he always prevails. His name is "The Word of God;" a name none fully knows but himself; only this we know, that this Word was God…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-19gather together for the great supper: This feast on the flesh of the armies fighting against Christ contrasts with the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7). The enemies ready for battle are quickly destroyed (Revelation 19:20–21; see also 14:17–20; 16:16–21). Two feasts (the marriage supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19:7–8 and the "great supper" of God's judgment in Revelation 19:17–18, 21) offer two views on the end of time. They show the two sides of…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. Contrast with this "supper," Re 19:17, 18, the marriage supper of the Lamb, Re 19:9. captains--Greek, "captains of thousands," that is, chief captains. The "kings" are "the ten" who "give their power unto the beast." free and bond--specified in Re 13:16, as "receiving the mark of the beast." The repetition of flesh (in the Greek it is plural: masses of flesh) five times in this verse, marks the gross carnality of the followers of the beast. Again, the…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 19:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Revelation 19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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