SEV Biblia, Chapter 6:15
Y los reyes de la tierra, y los príncipes, y los ricos, y los capitanes, y los fuertes, y todo siervo y todo libre, se escondieron en las cuevas y entre las piedras de los montes;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 6:15
Verse 15. The kings of the earth, &c.] All the secular powers who had endeavoured to support the pagan worship by authority, influence, riches, political wisdom, and military skill; with every bondman - all slaves, who were in life and limb addicted to their masters or owners. And every freeman] Those who had been manumitted, commonly called freedmen, and who were attached, through gratitude, to the families of their liberators. All hid themselves - were astonished at the total overthrow of the heathen empire, and the revolution which had then taken place.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 15. And the king's of the earth, and the great men , etc.] The Roman emperors, and other principal magistrates, governors of provinces and cities: and the rich men ; among the commonalty; these three may design perhaps more particularly the emperors, nobles, and senate of Rome: and the chief captains ; or captains of thousands, that had the command of the Roman legions and the mighty men ; the soldiers that were under them, men of strength, courage, and valour; and every bondman, and every freeman ; which takes in all the inhabitants of the Roman empire, of every state and condition, and which was an usual distinction among the Romans: these hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains ; where, through their cruel persecutions, they had forced multitudes of Christians to flee, and therefore, lex talionis, the law of retaliation was righteously inflicted on them; and not to take notice of any other, this was remarkably true of their kings or emperors Dioclesian and Herculius Maximianus, who were emperors together, in the height of their imperial glory and grandeur, the one being at Nicomedia, and the other at Milan, did, on one and the same day, of their own accord, abdicate the empire, and divested themselves of their imperial crown and government, and retired to a private life; pretending in public, that old age, and the weight of business, were the cause, but to their friends they owned, that it was through despair, because they could not extinguish the Christian religion f207 . Some ascribed this to frenzy and madness f208 ; but the true reason was, that the wrath of the Lamb was let into their consciences, and which they could not bear, and which obliged them to take this step, to the amazement of the whole world.
Maximinus, who succeeded them, being overcome by Licinius, laid aside his imperial habit, and hid himself among the common people, and skulked about in fields and villages f209 . Maxentius, another emperor, fled from Constantine, the instrument of the wrath of the Lamb, and the pouring it out upon his enemies, and fell into the river Tiber, from the Mylvian bridge, where he perished; and which was the very place in which he had laid snares for Constantine f210 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-17 - When the sixth seal was opened, there was a great earthquake. The foundations of churches and states would be terribly shaken. Such bol figurative descriptions of great changes abound in the prophecies of Scripture; for these events are emblems, and declare the end of the world and the day of judgment. Dread and terror would seize on all sorts of men. Neither grandeur, riches, valour, nor strength, can support men at that time. They would be glad to be no more seen; yea to have no longer any being. Though Christ be a Lamb, he can be angry and the wrath of the Lamb is exceedingly dreadful; for if the Redeeme himself, who appeases the wrath of God, be our enemy, where shall we find a friend to plead for us? As men have their day of opportunity and their seasons of grace, so God has his day of righteous wrath. I seems that the overthrow of the paganism of the Roman empire is her meant. The idolaters are described as hiding themselves in their den and secret caves, and vainly seeking to escape ruin. In such a day when the signs of the times show those who believe in God's word, tha the King of kings is approaching, Christians are called to a decide course, and to a bold confession of Christ and his truth before their fellowmen. Whatever they may have to endure, the short contempt of ma is to be borne, rather than that shame which is everlasting __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 οι 3588 βασιλεις 935 της 3588 γης 1093 και 2532 οι 3588 μεγιστανες 3175 και 2532 οι 3588 πλουσιοι 4145 και 2532 οι 3588 χιλιαρχοι 5506 και 2532 οι 3588 δυνατοι 1415 και 2532 πας 3956 δουλος 1401 και 2532 πας 3956 ελευθερος 1658 εκρυψαν 2928 5656 εαυτους 1438 εις 1519 τα 3588 σπηλαια 4693 και 2532 εις 1519 τας 3588 πετρας 4073 των 3588 ορεων 3735
Vincent's NT Word Studies
15. Of the earth. See on verse 10.
Great men (megistanev). Rev., princes. See on high captains, Mark vi. 21 Chief captains (ciliarcoi). See on Mark vi. 21, and on centurion, Luke vii. 2.
The mighty (oi dunatoi). The best texts read oiJ ijscuroi. Rev., the strong. For the difference in meaning, see on the kindred words dunamiv and ijscuv might and power, 2 Pet. ii. 11.
Every free man. Omit every, and read as Rev., every bondman and free man.
In the dens (eiv ta sphlaia). Rev., caves. The preposition eijv into implies running for shelter into.
Rocks (petrav). See on Matt. xvi. 18.
