Revelation 13:1-2

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 13:1-10

We have here an account of the rise, figure, and progress of the first beast; and observe, 1. From what situation the apostle saw this monster. He seemed to himself to stand upon the sea-shore, though it is probable he was still in a rapture; but he took himself to be in the island Patmos, but whether in the body or out of the body he could not tell. 2. Whence this beast came?out of the sea; and yet, by the description of it, it would seem more likely to be a land-monster; but the more... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 13:1-18

13:1-18 I saw a beast coming up from the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads; and it had ten royal crowns on its horns; and on its heads I saw blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's feet; its mouth was like a lion's mouth; and to it the dragon delegated its power and its throne and its great authority. I saw that one of its heads looked as if it had been wounded to death; and its deadly wound had been healed. The... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:1

And I stood upon the sand of the sea ,.... The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Ethiopic versions read, "and he stood", &c.; and so the Alexandrian copy; meaning the dragon, said to be wroth with the woman, and to go forth to make war with her seed, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, where some versions place this clause; and the Arabic version reads expressly, "and the serpent stood", &c.; And this is thought by some to be the better reading, because of the connection with what... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 13:2

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard ,.... To which the Grecian kingdom is compared in Daniel 7:6 ; because of that rapidity and swiftness with which Alexander overran the world, and set up this monarchy; and to which the Roman Papal monarchy bears some resemblance; for as the Grecian monarchy was divided into several parts, which the leopard's spots may also point out, so the Roman empire was divided into ten parts, and united under the pope, as the head of them; and may be,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 13:1

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea - Before we can proceed in the interpretation of this chapter, it will be highly necessary to ascertain the meaning of the prophetic symbol beast, as the want of a proper understanding of this term has probably been one reason why so many discordant hypotheses have been published to the world. In this investigation it is impossible to resort to a higher authority than Scripture, for the Holy Ghost is his own... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 13:2

And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard - This similitude of the beast to a leopard appears to be an allusion to the third beast of Daniel, which is well known to represent the empire of the Greeks. The Latin empire greatly resembled the modern empire of the Greeks; for that the power of the Greeks was still said to be like a leopard, even after its subjugation by the Romans, is evident from Daniel 7:12 ; : "As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 13:1

And I stood upon the sand of the sea. The Revised Version, agreeing with א , A, C, Vulgate, Syriac, AE thiopic, Armenian, Victorinus, reads ἐστάθη , "he stood." The Authorized Version follows the reading ἐστάθην , "I stood," which is found in B, P, Coptic, Andreas, Arethas. Fortunately, the point is not important. Whether St. John or the dragon stood on the edge of the sea is not material, since we are distinctly told that the ten-horned beast rose from the sea.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 13:1

Seaside lessons. "I stood upon the sand of the sea."—S. C. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 13:1-10

Safety in times of worldly oppression. The twelfth chapter, with which the thirteenth is to be connected, closes with an assertion of the wrath of "the dragon" towards "the woman." The Church of God is ever the object of Satanic wrath. In these two chapters the enmity that the Church has to contend with is represented by three beasts. Much ingenuity has been expended already on the exposition of these dark words, and much more will be until in the light of history we see clearly what, in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 13:1-18

The foes of God and of his Church: the two beasts. The evil one is responsible for much of the mischief in the world, but his responsibility for it is not an unshared one. Two other enemies are here portrayed as the emissaries and agents of the first ( Revelation 13:2 ). The thought underlying the chapter is that of the predominance of brute force over moral power; or, in other words, of might over right. Here are two beasts. The first, described in Revelation 13:1-10 , is seen... read more

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