Discovery BoxRevelation 9:17-19 
Context9:17 Now 1 this is what the horses and their riders 2 looked like in my 3 vision: The riders had breastplates that were fiery red, 4 dark blue, 5 and sulfurous 6 yellow in color. 7 The 8 heads of the horses looked like lions’ heads, and fire, smoke, and sulfur 9 came out of their mouths. 9:18 A third of humanity was killed by these three plagues, that is, 10 by the fire, the smoke, and the sulfur that came out of their mouths. 9:19 For the power 11 of the horses resides 12 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 “now” to indicate the introduction of the description of the horses and riders, which is somewhat parenthetical in the narrative.
2 tn Grk “and those seated on them.”
3 tn Grk “the vision”; the Greek article has been translated as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
4 tn L&N 79.31 states, “‘fiery red’ (probably with a tinge of yellow or orange).”
5 tn On this term BDAG 1022 s.v. ὑακίνθινος states, “hyacinth-colored, i.e. dark blue (dark red?) w. πύρινος Rv 9:17.”
6 tn On this term BDAG 446 s.v. θειώδης states, “sulphurous Rv 9:17.”
7 sn The colors of the riders’ breastplates parallel the three plagues of fire, smoke, and sulfur in v. 18.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
9 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
10 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”).
11 tn See BDAG 352 s.v. ἐξουσία 2, “potential or resource to command, control, or govern, capability, might, power.”
12 tn Grk “is.”
