SEV Biblia, Chapter 16:12
¶ Y el sexto ngel derram su copa en el gran río Eufrates; y el agua de l se sec, para que fuese preparado el camino a los reyes del amanecer del sol.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 16:12
Verse 12. Upon the great river Euphrates] Probably meaning the people in the vicinity of this river; though some think that the Tiber is intended. The water thereof was dried up] The people discomfited, and all impediments removed.
The kings of the east] There seems to be an allusion here to the ruin of Babylon by Cyrus, predicted by the Prophet Jeremiah, Jer. l. 1-li. 64. But what city or people is pointed out by this Babylon it is in vain to conjecture.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. And the sixth angel poured his vial on the great river Euphrates , etc.] Which is not to be understood literally of the river Euphrates, which ran through Mesopotamia and Chaldea, and by the walls of Babylon; and of the drying of it up to make way for the Jews in the eastern parts of the world, to pass into their own land, and possess it; when a like miracle will be wrought for them as was when they came out of Egypt, by dividing the Red sea for them; and as when they entered into Canaan's land, by laying the waters of Jordan on heaps, so that they passed over as on dry land; in favour of which sense the passage in ( Isaiah 11:15,16) is thought to be, which the Targum interprets of God's smiting the river Euphrates; though the river Nile in Egypt seems rather to be meant: but it does not appear that there is any number of Jews beyond the river Euphrates; the far greater number of them is in the western and northern parts of the world; so that there will be no need for the drying up of this river for their passage into their own land; nor, if there were any in those parts, can any reason be given why they should be called the kings of the east, who, wherever they are, are a poor contemptible people, and have never had any ensigns of royalty among them for many hundreds of years; nor can that river be thought much to hinder, were all other impediments out of the way, nor the drying of it up much facilitate their passage to Judea, and much less affect their conversion: besides, this vial, as the rest, is a plague on antichrist, in some branch or other, or on some part or other, of the antichristian state; which, if not designed here, is nowhere in the account of this vial, and therefore this must be understood mystically; there is no doubt an allusion to the draining of this river at the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, according as was predicted in prophecy, ( Isaiah 44:27,28 Jeremiah 50:38 51:31,32,36,37) who, making sluices and drains, turned the river another way, and marched through it with his army, and surprised and took the city at once, while Belshazzar and his nobles were indulging themselves in rioting and drunkenness, as Daniel relates, ( Daniel 5:1-30). Now some, because that Babylon was situated upon the river Euphrates, and Rome, or the Romish antichrist, is mystical Babylon, think that is here designed, and is the object of this vial; and that the drying up of this river designs the withdrawing of nations and kingdoms, signified by waters, ( Revelation 17:15) from its jurisdiction and power, which will bring on its ruin; and also the stoppage of dues and tithes, annates, Peter's pence, and of all its traffic in indulgences, pardons, etc. whereby it will be greatly impoverished, and brought to nothing: but it should be observed, that the fifth vial affects Rome, the seat of the beast; and as for the beast himself, he will not be destroyed till the battle of Armageddon; and mystical Babylon, or the antichristian state, in the whole compass of it, will not be destroyed until the pouring out of the seventh vial; wherefore rather the eastern antichrist, the Turks are meant, in whose dominions this river is; for as the Assyrian monarch is signified by the waters of this river, when he was in his glory, and had his seat at Babylon, by which this river ran, ( Isaiah 8:7,8) so may the Turks, who inhabit by this river, be intended by it; and the rather, as this sense exactly corresponds with the sixth trumpet; for as the sounding of that trumpet looses the four angels bound in the great river Euphrates, which founded the Turkish empire, as we have seen; so the pouring out of this sixth vial affects the same empire, and brings it to ruin.
Mr. Daubuz is of opinion that this plague refers to the depopulation and destruction of the Grecian empire, and the bringing of the Turks into Europe, who have greatly distressed and tormented the corrupted Christians or Papists. And the water thereof was dried up ; the Ottoman empire will be extinct, just as the destruction of the Babylonish monarchy is expressed by the drying up of its sea, ( Jeremiah 51:36) so the destruction of the Turkish empire is signified by the drying up of the water of this river, which is in the heart of it: and this is the passing away of the second woe, ( Revelation 11:14) that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared ; which some understand of Christians in general, who are made kings and priests unto God, and of Christian kings in particular, whose way will be prepared, by the declining state of antichrist, to express their hatred to the whore of Rome, and burn her flesh with fire; but the Romish antichrist is not here intended: others think, as before observed, that the Jews are designed; that the Jews will be converted in the last days seems manifest from ( Hosea 3:5 Romans 11:25,26) and other places; and that they will return to their own land is suggested in abundance of prophecies, particularly in ( Ezekiel 37:21) ( Amos 9:14,15) and it must be allowed that the eastern, as well as the western antichrist, is a stumbling to them; and especially the advantage which the Turks have gained over the powers that go under the Christian name, and their possession of their land is an hinderance to their return to it; so that the destruction of the Turkish empire will undoubtedly make way for their conversion, and restoration to their own land; but then this will be equally advantageous to the Jews in the west as to those in the east, if there be any numbers of them there, which does not appear, and therefore there seems no reason why they should be pointed at, and be called the kings of the east: rather therefore to me it seems, that, through the fall of the Ottoman empire, way will be made for the kings and princes of the east, literally understood, to have and embrace the Gospel of Christ; for, the Turks being destroyed, the Mahometan religion will decline, the Gospel will be carried into the eastern parts of the world, into those vast kingdoms and countries which lie in those parts, when they will become the kingdoms of our Lord, and the kings and princes of them will come to the brightness of Zion's rising; so that the ruin of this monarchy will pave the way for the spread of Christ's kingdom from sea to sea, and front the river, the river Euphrates, to the ends of the earth; and this also will prepare the way, and lead on for all the saints, who are kings, and shall reign with Christ a thousand years, who is said to come from the east, ( Revelation 7:2) or from the rising of the sun, as these are said to do, as the words may be rendered, to possess the kingdom under the whole heaven: Philo the Jew has some expressions illustrating the literal sense of this, where he speaks of a Roman army on the banks of Euphrates, which kept the passage of the eastern kings.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-16 - This probably shows the destruction of the Turkish power, and of idolatry, and that a way will be made for the return of the Jews. Or take it for Rome, as mystical Babylon, the name of Babylon being pu for Rome, which was meant, but was not then to be directly named. When Rome is destroyed, her river and merchandise must suffer with her. An perhaps a way will be opened for the eastern nations to come into the church of Christ. The great dragon will collect all his forces, to make one desperate struggle before all be lost. God warns of this grea trial, to engage his people to prepare for it. These will be times of great temptation; therefore Christ, by his apostle, calls on his professed servants to expect his sudden coming, and to watch that the might not be put to shame, as apostates or hypocrites. Howeve Christians differ, as to their views of the times and seasons of event yet to be brought to pass, on this one point all are agreed, Jesu Christ, the Lord of glory, will suddenly come again to judge the world To those living near to Christ, it is an object of joyful hope an expectation, and delay is not desired by them.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 ο 3588 εκτος 1623 αγγελος 32 εξεχεεν 1632 5656 την 3588 φιαλην 5357 αυτου 846 επι 1909 τον 3588 ποταμον 4215 τον 3588 μεγαν 3173 τον 3588 ευφρατην 2166 και 2532 εξηρανθη 3583 5681 το 3588 υδωρ 5204 αυτου 846 ινα 2443 ετοιμασθη 2090 5686 η 3588 οδος 3598 των 3588 βασιλεων 935 των 3588 απο 575 ανατολων 395 ηλιου 2246
Vincent's NT Word Studies
12. Euphrates. See on ch. ix. 14.
Of the east (apo twn anatolwn hliou). Lit., as Rev., from the sunrising. See on Matt. ii. 2; and dayspring, Luke i. 78.
