SEV Biblia, Chapter 17:16
Y los diez cuernos que viste en la bestia, stos aborrecern a la ramera, y la harn desolada y desnuda; y comern sus carnes, y la quemarn con fuego,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 17:16
Verse 16. And the ten horns which thou sowest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.] Here is a clue to lead us to the right interpretation of the horns of the beast. It is said the TEN horns shall hate the whore; by which is evidently meant, when connected with what follows, that the whole of the ten kingdoms in the interest of the Latin Church shall finally despise her doctrines, be reformed from popery, assist in depriving her of all influence and in exposing her follies, and in the end consign her to utter destruction. From this it follows that no Roman Catholic power which did not exist so late as the Reformation can be numbered among the horns of the beast; the horns must, therefore, be found among the great states of Europe at the commencement of the Reformation. These were exactly ten, viz., France, Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, and Portugal. In these were comprehended most of the minor states not styled monarchies, and which, from their first rise to the period of the Reformation, had been subdued by one or more of the ten grand Roman Catholic powers already named. Consequently, these ten constituted the power and strength of the beast; and each minor state is considered a part of that monarchy under the authority of which it was finally reduced previously to the Reformation.
But it may be asked, How could the empire, which was the revived head of the beast, have been at the same time one of its horns? The answer is as follows: Horns of an animal, in the language of prophecy, represent the powers of which that empire or kingdom symbolized by the animal is composed. Thus the angel, in his interpretation of Daniel's vision of the ram and he-goat expressly informs us that "the ram with two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." One of the horns of the ram, therefore, represented the kingdom of Media, and the other the kingdom of Persia; and their union in one animal denoted the united kingdom of Media and Persia, viz., the Medo-Persian empire. In like manner the beast with ten horns denotes that the empire represented by the beast is composed of ten distinct powers, and the ten horns being united in one beast very appropriately show that the monarchies symbolized by these horns are united together to form one empire; for we have already shown, in the notes on chap. xiii. 1, that a beast is the symbol of an empire.
Therefore, as the horns of an animal, agreeably to the angel's explanation, (and we can have no higher authority,) represent all the powers of which that domination symbolized by the animal is composed, the Roman empire of Germany, as one of those monarchies which gave their power and strength to the Latin empire, must consequently have been A HORN of the beast. But the Germanic empire was not only a LATIN power, but at the same time was acknowledged by all Europe to have precedency of all the others. Therefore, as it is not possible to express these two circumstances by one symbol, it necessarily follows, from the nature of symbolical language, that what has been named the holy Roman empire must have a double representation. Hence the empire, as one of the powers of the Latin monarchy, was a horn of the beast, and in having precedency of all the others was its revived head. See a similar explanation of the tail of the dragon in the notes on chap. xii. 4.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast , etc.] ( Revelation 17:3) and which are interpreted of ten kings, ( Revelation 17:12). The Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, and the Syriac Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, read, and the beast; and then the sense is, that the ten kings and states in particular, who have defended antichrist, and the whole empire in general, which has bore up and supported the whore of Rome: these shall hate the whore ; her principles and sentiments, her doctrines, which are doctrines of devils, her wicked practices, her idolatries, adulteries, murders, and thefts; they will repent of their fornications with her, and cease from them; their love will be turned to hatred, and the latter will be greater than ever the former was, like Amnon's to Tamar; and as it usually is with men towards harlots, when they see their follies, and how they have been deceived and abused by them: and shall make her desolate ; leave her, quit her communion; no more commit fornication with her, or join with her in her idolatrous worship; but come out from that apostate church, and renounce all fellowship with her, and persuade and engage as many as they can influence to do the same: and naked ; strip her of her purple, scarlet colour, gold, pearls, and precious stones; cease to give their power and strength, withhold their taxes and tribute, deprive her of her power and authority, civil and ecclesiastical, in their realms, and take away even her patrimony from her; and not only so, but expose her shame and filthiness, her abominable principles and practices, to all the world; which has been in part done already: and shall eat her flesh ; not literally, but mystically; not out of love, but hatred; they shall take that to themselves, and make use of, which have fattened her, as bishoprics, and other benefices, lands, endowments belonging to abbeys, and monasteries, and other religious houses; an instance and example of which we have in King Henry the Eighth's time; so some understand this phrase of devouring the substance of others, in ( Psalm 27:2 Daniel 7:5). So the Targumists often interpret flesh and fatness; by riches, goods, or substance; the phrase in ( Isaiah 17:4) the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean, is paraphrased, hyrqy rtw[ , the riches of his glory shall be carried away; and the words in ( Micah 3:3) who shall also eat the flesh of my people, etc. are rendered, and they who spoil ym[ yskn , the goods, or substance of my people, and take away their precious mammon, or money, from them.
And again, ( Zechariah 11:9) let the rest eat, everyone the flesh of another, is in the Targum, let a man spoil yskn , the goods or substance of his neighbour; and in ( Revelation 17:16) he shall eat the flesh of the fat; the paraphrase is, he shall spoil yskn , the goods or substance of the rich. And burn her with fire : alluding to the law in ( Leviticus 21:9) which required that the daughter of a priest, that played the whore, should be burnt with fire; and this is to be understood literally of burning the city of Rome, the seat of the whore, with fire; of which (see Revelation 18:8,9,18). It has been very near being burnt in times past, as by Alaricus the Goth, Attila the Hun, Genseric the Vandal, and by Totilas, and in later times by Charles the Fifth; and would have been, had they not been dissuaded or diverted from it; and which were so many preludes and warnings of its future fate: and we may learn from hence, that Rome, and the Romish antichrist, will not be destroyed by the Turks, but by the Christians; and by the same states, and kingdoms, and princes, by which the whore of Rome has been supported in her grandeur, power, and authority, who will revolt from Popery, and embrace the pure Gospel of Christ: and this shows, that the ten horns, or kingdoms, into which the Roman empire has been divided, will subsist in this form at the destruction of Rome; wherefore, it has been rightly observed by some, that not one of these kingdoms shall ever be able to rise to universal monarchy. France has been for many years attempting it, but in vain; and we may sit down easy and satisfied, assuring ourselves with the greatest confidence, that all attempts this way will be fruitless; there never will be another universal monarchy on earth but that of Christ's; (see Daniel 2:37,39,40 7:3,23, 27).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-18 - God so ruled the hearts of these kings, by his power over them, and by his providence, that they did those things, without intending it, whic he purposed and foretold. They shall see their folly, and how they have been bewitched and enslaved by the harlot, and be made instruments in her destruction. She was that great city which reigned over the king of the earth, when John had this vision; and every one knows Rome to be that city. Believers will be received to the glory of the Lord, when wicked men will be destroyed in a most awful manner; their joinin together in sin, will be turned to hatred and rage, and they wil eagerly assist in tormenting each other. But the Lord's portion is his people; his counsel shall stand, and he will do all his pleasure, to his glory, and the happiness of all his servants __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 τα 3588 δεκα 1176 κερατα 2768 α 3739 ειδες 1492 5627 επι 1909 το 3588 θηριον 2342 ουτοι 3778 μισησουσιν 3404 5692 την 3588 πορνην 4204 και 2532 ηρημωμενην 2049 5772 ποιησουσιν 4160 5692 αυτην 846 και 2532 γυμνην 1131 και 2532 τας 3588 σαρκας 4561 αυτης 846 φαγονται 5315 5688 και 2532 αυτην 846 κατακαυσουσιν 2618 5692 εν 1722 πυρι 4442
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. Upon the beast ( epi). Read kai and: "the ten horns - and the beast."
Desolate ( hrhmwmenhn). Lit., desolated, the verb being in the perfect participle.
Shall eat her flesh. A token of extreme hostility. See Psalm xxvii. 2; Micah iii. 3. Xenophon, speaking of the hatred between the pure Spartans and the Helots, says that no one of the pure Spartans could conceal his readiness to eat the Helot raw. Notice the plural sarkav flesh, and see on James v. 3.
Burn (katakausousin). Rev., giving the force of kata down, burn utterly. According to some interpreters the figure is changed from the woman to a city; but this is unnecessary, as the language is probably taken from the punishment of fornication on the part of a priest's daughter (Lev. xxi. 9; compare Lev. xx. 14).
