Revelation 9:3

And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

And out of the smoke — Not out of the bottomless pit, but from the smoke which issued thence.

There went forth locusts — A known emblem of a numerous, hostile, hurtful people. Such were the Persians, from whom the Jews, in the sixth century, suffered beyond expression. In the year540 their academies were stopped, nor were they permitted to have a president for near fifty years. In589 this affliction ended; but it began long before540. The prelude of it was about the year455,474: the main storm came on in the reign of Cabades, and lasted from483to532. Toward the beginning of the sixth century, Mar Rab Isaac, president of the academy, was put to death. Hereon followed an insurrection of the Jews, which lasted seven years before they were conquered by the Persians. Some of them were then put to death, but not many; the rest were closely imprisoned. And from this time the nation of the Jews were hated and persecuted by the Persians, till they had well nigh rooted them out.

The scorpions of the earth — The most hurtful kind. The scorpions of the air have wings.