Revelation 17:12
in Revelation 17The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
KJV
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
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This verse in Revelation 17
Commentary
13 notes on this verseA commentator
Victorinus of PettauCommentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John · Written before 304.
"And the beast which thou sawest is of the seven." Since before those kings Nero reigned. "And he is the eighth." He says only when this beast shall come, reckon it the eighth place, since in that is the completion. He added:- "And shall go into perdition." For that ten kings received royal power when he shall move from the east, he says. He shall be sent from the city of Rome with his armies. And Daniel sets forth the ten horns and the ten diadems.
This site's exposition
The ten horns you saw
on Revelation 17:12-14
The ten kings match the ten horns of Daniel 7:24 and rule for one hour, along with the beast. The Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, the title of 19:16.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast.
A commentator
Primasius of HadrumetumCOMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 17:12 · Written before 560.
proposed
He is speaking again of every kingdom of the world, which just above he indicated in the kings and their subjects. "The kings receive power with the beast for one hour." Here the hour is to be interpreted as referring to the time from the …
"And the ten horns which you saw", he says, "are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom." Concerning these "ten kings" or "horns" the most wise prophet Daniel explained from the dominion of the Romans, saying: "they will arise in the last times, …
The Medieval Church2 voices
Daniel also saw these ten horns that precede the antichrist. After rooting out three of them, the accursed one will subdue the others. The "one hour" indicates either the brevity of time or the one hour of the year, or by way of figure of …
And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, etc. The kingdoms of the world have not yet fully demonstrated their power in persecuting the Church; although they now dominate many, the power of insane glory was fiercer when they deceived many with signs. …
6 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
But they will receive power as kings for one hour with the beast. He said, as kings, because they reign as in dreams, who oppose the kingdom of Christ.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They are ten secular potentates, contemporary with, not succeeding, each other, who receive authority as kings with the beast, probably in some convention, which, after a very short space, they will deliver up to the beast. Because of their short continuance, only authority as kings, not a kingdom, is ascribed to them.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Compare Da 2:34, 44, "the stone smote the image upon his feet," that is, upon the ten toes, which are, in Da 2:41-44, interpreted to be "kings." The ten kingdoms are not, therefore, ten which arose in the overthrow of Rome (heathen), but are to rise out of the last state of the fourth kingdom under the eighth head.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast - The meaning of horns has already been defined when speaking of those of the dragon. The meaning is therefore as follows: Though the Latin empire be now in existence, the ten horns refer to ten Latin kingdoms yet in futurity, and consequently they have received no dominion As Yet; for that part of the Latin domination now in power is the sixth head, or imperial government of the heathen Caesars.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And the ten horns which thou sawest - On the scarlet-colored beast, Rev 17:3. Are ten kings - Represent or denote ten kings - that is, kingdoms or powers. See the notes on Dan 7:24. Which have received no kingdom as yet - That is, they were not in existence when John wrote. It is implied, that during the period under review they would arise, and would become connected, in an important sense, with the power here represented by the “beast.” For a full illustration respecting the ten “kings,” or kingdoms here referred to, see the notes on Dan. 7, at the close of the chapter, II. (2). But receive power - It is not said from what source this power is received, but it is simply implied that it would in fact be conferred on them. As kings - That is, the power would be what is usually exercised by kings. One hour - It cannot be supposed that this is to be taken literally. The meaning clearly is, that this would be brief and temporary; that is, it was a form of administration which would be succeeded by one more fixed and permanent. Anyone can see that, in fact, this is strictly applicable to the governments, as referred to in the notes on Daniel, which sprang up after the incursion of the northern barbarians, and which were finally succeeded by the permanent forms of government in Europe. Most of them were very brief in their duration, and they were soon remodelled in the forms of permanent administration. […]
The words behind it
23 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τὰ | ta | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δέκα | deka | ten | G1176 → | 27 times |
| κέρατα | kerata | horns | G2768 → | 11 times |
| ἃ | ha | which | G3739 → | 1405 times |
| εἶδες, | eides | you saw, | G1492 → | 374 times |
| δέκα | deka | ten | G1176 → | 27 times |
| βασιλεῖς | basileis | kings | G935 → | 114 times |
| εἰσιν, | eisin | are, | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| οἵτινες | oitines | who | G3748 → | 144 times |
| βασιλείαν | basileian | a kingdom | G932 → | 162 times |
| οὔπω | oupo | not yet | G3768 → | |
| ἔλαβον | elabon | have received | G2983 → | 257 times |
| ἀλλ᾽ | all᾽ | but | G235 → | 635 times |
| ἐξουσίαν | exousian | authority | G1849 → | 102 times |
| ὡς | hos | as | G5613 → | 500 times |
| βασιλεῖς | basileis | kings | G935 → | 114 times |
| μίαν | mian | one | G1520 → | 343 times |
| ὥραν | horan | hour | G5610 → | 106 times |
| λαμβάνουσιν | lambanousin | receive | G2983 → | 257 times |
| μετὰ | meta | along with | G3326 → | 461 times |
| τοῦ | tou | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θηρίου. | theriou | beast. | G2342 → | 46 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τὰthe
taG3588 →19766 times
δέκαten
dekaG1176 →27 times
κέραταhorns
kerataG2768 →11 times
ἃwhich
haG3739 →1405 times
εἶδες,you saw,
eidesG1492 →374 times
δέκαten
dekaG1176 →27 times
βασιλεῖςkings
basileisG935 →114 times
εἰσιν,are,
eisinG1510 →2333 times
οἵτινεςwho
oitinesG3748 →144 times
βασιλείανa kingdom
basileianG932 →162 times
οὔπωnot yet
oupoG3768 →
ἔλαβονhave received
elabonG2983 →257 times
ἀλλ᾽but
all᾽G235 →635 times
ἐξουσίανauthority
exousianG1849 →102 times
ὡςas
hosG5613 →500 times
βασιλεῖςkings
basileisG935 →114 times
μίανone
mianG1520 →343 times
ὥρανhour
horanG5610 →106 times
λαμβάνουσινreceive
lambanousinG2983 →257 times
μετὰalong with
metaG3326 →461 times
τοῦthe
touG3588 →19766 times
θηρίου.beast.
theriouG2342 →46 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 13:1Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea. There were ten royal crowns on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.
it leads to
- Revelation 12:3
Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 17:3
And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 11:7
When the two witnesses have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will wage war with them, and will overpower and kill them.
- Daniel 7:23–25
This is what he said: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on the earth, different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth, trample it down,…
- Daniel 7:2–3
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
- Revelation 12:3
Through
Revelation 12:3Then another sign appeared in heaven: a huge red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven royal crowns on his heads.
it leads to
- Daniel 7:20
I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn whose appearance was more imposing than the others,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 7:24
And the ten horns are ten kings who will rise from this kingdom. After them another king, different from the earlier ones, will rise and subdue three kings.
- Daniel 7:20
Through
Revelation 17:16And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.
it leads to
- Revelation 18:8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”
- Revelation 18:8
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
About Revelation

This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 17:12; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Irenaeus, Against Heresies Book V; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation; Primasius of Hadrumetum, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 17:12 and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.
