English Standard Version
Revelation 19:18
18to 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."
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.”
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”
Context of Revelation 19:18
16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. 17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, 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." 19And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two 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 28:26And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away.
- 1 Samuel 17:44The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."
- Psalms 110:5The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
- Jeremiah 7:33And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away.
- Jeremiah 16:4They shall die of deadly diseases. They shall not be lamented, nor shall they be buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground. They shall perish by the sword and by famine, and their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth.
- Jeremiah 19:7And in this place I will make void the plans of Judah and Jerusalem, and will cause their people to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life. I will give their dead bodies for food to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth.
- Jeremiah 34:20And I will give them into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their lives. Their dead bodies shall be food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
- Ezekiel 29:5And I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams; you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food.
- Ezekiel 39:18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan.
- Matthew 24:28Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
- Luke 17:37And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."
- Revelation 6:15Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains,
- Revelation 13:16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
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