SEV Biblia, Chapter 8:12
Y el cuarto ngel toc la trompeta, y fue herida la tercera parte del sol, y la tercera parte de la luna, y la tercera parte de las estrellas; de tal manera que se oscureci la tercera parte de ellos, y no alumbraba la tercera parte del día, y lo mismo de la noche.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 8:12
Verse 12. The third part of the sun-moon-stars, was smitten] Supposed to mean Rome, with her senates, consuls, &c., eclipsed by Odoacer, king of the Heruli, and Theodouric, king of the Ostrogoths, in the fifth century. But all this is uncertain.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. And the fourth angel sounded , etc.] His trumpet. Some think this refers to the Eutychian heresy, which confounded the two natures of Christ, and of two made one mixed nature, neither human nor divine; and brought great darkness upon the doctrine of Christ's person, the sun of righteousness and into the church, signified by the moon, and among the ministers of the word, the stars. Others are of opinion that that darkness which preceded the rise of the Papacy, and introduced it, is here intended: and the third part of the sun was smitten and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise ; when the doctrine concerning the person and offices of Christ, who is the sun and light of the world, was obscured by heresies; and the discipline of the church, which, like the moon, has all its light, beauty, and order from Christ, was sadly defaced by the introduction of Jewish and Paganish rites and ceremonies; and the ministers, the stars, were drawn by the tail of the drag on, and cast to the earth, became corrupt in their principles, and carnal and sensual in their lives; so that it was a time of great darkness and gloominess, night and day: but rather this trumpet has respect to that darkness and ignorance which the above barbarous nations, the Goths, Huns, Vandals, and Heruli, spread, and left throughout the empire; for from this time there was a visible decline, as of evangelical light and knowledge, so of all kind of useful knowledge, and nothing but ignorance, stupidity, and barbarity, took place everywhere; and which were very assisting to the man of sin, antichrist, to fix and settle his dominion over the kingdoms which rose up out of the empire at this time; and it also refers to the entire destruction of the western Roman empire, which is expressed by much the same figures as the ruin of the Roman Pagan empire, in ( Revelation 6:12,13); and which the various irruptions of these savage people issued in; compare with this ( Ezekiel 32:7,8), where the destruction of the Egyptian monarchy is signified in like terms: Jerom, who lived about the time of the first inundation of these nations, in very mournful language expresses the inhumanity and impiety of them, and the ruin they threatened the empire with; and, says f261 , [Romanus] orbis ruit, the [Roman] empire is falling. About the year 455, when Rome was taken by Genseric the Vandal, the empire was divided into ten kingdoms; and in the year 476, Augustulus, the last of the Roman emperors, was obliged to quit his imperial dignity: the Heruli, a people of the same kind with the Goths, and originally Scythians, as they, under their king and leader Odoacer seized on Italy, took Rome, killed Orestes and his brother Paul, and deposed Augustulus, the last of the Roman emperors, and banished him into Campania; and so the western empire ceased, Odoacer taking upon him the title of king of Italy, and translated the seat of the empire from Rome to Ravenna f262 ; and then might the sun be truly said to be smitten: but still, though Odoacer the Herulian reigned in Italy, the Roman form of government was not altered, the consulship and senate still continued, as they did also under Theodoric the Goth, his successor; but when Italy was recovered by Narses, the Emperor Justinian's general, these, with other magistrates, ceased, and Rome became a dukedom, and was subject to an exarch of Ravenna; and then the moon and stars were smitten also. The phrase of smiting the sun, moon, and stars, is Jewish; for the Jews express the eclipses of the luminaries in this way, and say that when the luminaries yqwl , are smitten, it is an ill omen; when hqwl hmjh , the sun is smitten, it is an ill sign to the nations of the world; and when hqwl hnbl , the moon is smitten, it is a bad omen to the nations of Israel and so the phrase, the day shone not, is also Jewish; it is said of some Rabbins, that they sat and studied in the law amwy ryhnd d[ , until the day shone; and when the day shone, they rose up and went on their way.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-13 - The first angel sounded the first trumpet, and there followed hail an fire mingled with blood. A storm of heresies, a mixture of dreadfu errors falling on the church, or a tempest of destruction. The secon angel sounded, and a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast int the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood. By this mountai some understand leaders of the persecutions; others, Rome sacked by the Goths and Vandals, with great slaughter and cruelty. The third ange sounded, and there fell a star from heaven. Some take this to be a eminent governor; others take it to be some person in power wh corrupted the churches of Christ. The doctrines of the gospel, the springs of spiritual life, comfort, and vigour, to the souls of men are corrupted and made bitter by the mixture of dangerous errors, s that the souls of men find ruin where they sought refreshment. The fourth angel sounded, and darkness fell upon the great lights of heaven, that give light to the world, the sun, and the moon, and the stars. The guides and governors are placed higher than the people, an are to dispense light, and kind influences to them. Where the gospe comes to a people, and has not proper effects on their hearts an lives, it is followed with dreadful judgments. God gives alarm by the written word, by ministers, by men's own consciences, and by the sign of the times; so that if people are surprised, it is their own fault The anger of God makes all comforts bitter, and even life itsel burdensome. But God, in this world, sets bounds to the most terribl judgments. Corruption of doctrine and worship in the church are grea judgments, and also are the usual causes and tokens of other judgment coming on a people. Before the other three trumpets were sounded, ther was solemn warning how terrible the calamities would be that shoul follow. If lesser judgments do not take effect the church and the worl must expect greater; and when God comes to punish the world, the inhabitants shall tremble before him. Let sinners take warning to fle from the wrath to come; let believers learn to value and to be thankfu for their privileges; and let them patiently continue in well doing __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ ειδον 1492 5627 V-2AAI-1S και 2532 CONJ ηκουσα 191 5656 V-AAI-1S ενος 1520 A-GSM αγγελου 32 N-GSM πετωμενου 4072 5740 V-PNP-GSM εν 1722 PREP μεσουρανηματι 3321 N-DSN λεγοντος 3004 5723 V-PAP-GSM φωνη 5456 N-DSF μεγαλη 3173 A-DSF ουαι 3759 INJ ουαι 3759 INJ ουαι 3759 INJ τοις 3588 T-DPM κατοικουσιν 2730 5723 V-PAP-DPM επι 1909 PREP της 3588 T-GSF γης 1093 N-GSF εκ 1537 PREP των 3588 T-GPM λοιπων 3062 A-GPM φωνων 5456 N-GPM της 3588 T-GSF σαλπιγγος 4536 N-GSF των 3588 T-GPM τριων 5140 A-GPM αγγελων 32 N-GPM των 3588 T-GPM μελλοντων 3195 5723 V-PAP-GPM σαλπιζειν 4537 5721 V-PAN
