And they had tails like to scorpions: and there were stings in their tails. And their power was to hurt men, five months. And they had over them
και εχουσιν ουρας ομοιας σκορπιοις και κεντρα και OMIT και εν ταις ουραις αυτων εξουσιαν εχουσιν του η εξουσια αυτων αδικησαι τους ανθρωπους μηνας πεντε
3 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Their tails, the stings likened to scorpions, signify the consequences of sins that lead to spiritual death. For "sin, when it is accomplished, brings forth death" (Jas 1:15).
It also brings upon men the five-month affliction. This is limited to that time either because of its brevity compared with eternal life, or in accordance with the five senses, as was said above.
When John says that earlier a few were sent ahead on horses, and now these same ones appear in greater number on chariots, he means either the multiplication of diverse opinions or the increase in the number of those deceived. They rush into battle because the preachers of errors war against the truth and fight against unity. Of them the apostle spoke in similar words: "As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, reprobate concerning the faith" (2 Tim 3:8), and so forth. We remember what is written in Isaiah: "The elder and honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches falsehood, he is the tail. And the leaders of this people will lead them astray, and those led by them will perish" (Isa 9:15-16).
By this he shows that these people wish to be first in what all the saints and teachers of truth strove with all their might to avoid. That is, they wish to be first in the glory of this age and in the error of harmful preaching. When John says that their power was in their tails for five months, he means this temporal existence. Here falsehood can have power, taking captive the worthless and subjecting spiritual people to temporal torments.
From the smoke of scientific and technological progress, which darkens the sun and air to the point of ecological catastrophe, there comes forth a new techno-ideology. It is new as the well-forgotten old confusion of Babel was new.
It spreads across the whole maddened planet through the militant noise and clatter of the mass media. It exercises a harmful dominion over the minds and hearts of men for a definite time, five months.
This time is needed to prepare a generation unable to be instructed and unwilling to repent before the admonitions that are to come. Yet its destructiveness is obvious to all: to believers, who speak the language of the knowledge of God, and to pagans, who chiefly use the language of Hellenic wisdom.
The locusts are commanded not to harm the earth or the grass, but only those men who bear no marks of the spirit's dominion over the flesh. Such men cannot withstand its false allure, universal spread, and mighty influence.
This contagious sickness can pass by only those who avoid every influence of the spirit of this world upon their soul.
According to Andrew of Caesarea, the locusts depict evil demons prepared for battle against us. The golden crowns indicate their victories over us. The hair like women's hair speaks of demonic sensuality.
The lions' teeth signify ferocity and a disposition to murder. The iron breastplates show hardness of heart. The scorpions' tails reveal the venom of sin. The king of the locusts is the devil. The five months are the five senses, through which the demons act upon man.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 20 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS