“And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”
So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of humankind — the four angels, released at a divinely appointed moment (prepared in advance with precision: hora, hēmera, mēn, eniautos), will execute their commission to kill a third of humanity. The redundancy of time-units (hour, day, month, year) emphasizes divine timing and control.
Church Fathers on Revelation 9:15
“And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is in the presence of God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels.” That is, the four corners of the earth which hold the four winds. “Which are bound in the great river Euphrates.” By the corners of the earth, or the four winds across the river Euphrates, are meant four nations, because to every nation is sent an angel; as said the law, “He determined them by the number of the…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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