REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE - Chapter 19 - Verse 18

Verse 18. That ye may eat the flesh of kings. Of the kings under the control of the beast and the false prophet, Re 16:14; 17:12-14.

And the flesh of captains. Of those subordinate to kings in command. The Greek word is ciliarcwn—-chiliarchs—denoting captains of a thousand, or, as we should say, commanders of a regiment. The word colonel would better convey the idea with us; as he is the commander of a regiment, and a regiment is usually composed of about a thousand men.

And the flesh of mighty men. The word here means strong, and the reference is to the robust soldiery—rank and file in the army.

And the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them. Cavalry —for most armies are composed in part of horsemen.

And the flesh of all men, both free and bond. Freemen and slaves. It is not uncommon that freemen and slaves are mingled in the same army. This was the case in the American Revolution, and is common in the East.

Both small and great. Young and old; of small size and of great size; of those of humble, and those of exalted rank. The later armies of Napoleon were composed in great part of conscripts, many of whom were only about eighteen years of age, and to this circumstance many of his later defeats are to be traced. In the army that was raised after the invasion of Russia, no less than one hundred and fifty thousand of the conscripts were between eighteen and nineteen years of age.— Alison's History of Europe, iv. 27. Indeed, it is common in most armies that a considerable portion of the enlistments are from those in early life; and besides this, it is usual to employ mere boys on various services about a camp.