Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
And thus I saw in the vision (kai outwv eidon en th orasei). Nowhere else does John allude to his own vision, though often in Dan. (Daniel 7:2; Daniel 8:2, Daniel 8:15; Daniel 9:21).
Having (exontav). Accusative masculine plural of exw, probably referring to the riders (touv kaqhmenouv ep autwn) rather than to the horses (touv ippouv).
Breastplates as of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone (qwrakav purinouv kai uakinqinouv kai qeiwdeiv). There is no wv (as) in the Greek, but that is the idea of these three adjectives which are only metaphors. Purinov is an old adjective (from pur, fire), here only in N.T. uakinqov is also an old word (from uakinqov, hyacinth, then of a sapphire stone Revelation 21:20), of a red color bordering on black, here only in the N.T. Qeiwdhv is a late word (from qeion, brimstone), sulphurous, here only in N.T.
As the heads of lions (wv kefalai leontwn). This of the horses, war-horses as always in the Bible except in Isaiah 28:28. These horses likewise have "fire and smoke and brimstone" (qeion, brimstone, is old word, in N.T. only in Rev. and Luke 17:29) proceeding (ekporeuetai, singular because it comes first and the subjects afterwards) out of their mouths. Both rider and horse are terrible.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 9:17:
Acts 2:17
Revelation 8:4
Revelation 9:9
Revelation 14:10
Revelation 16:13
Revelation 21:20
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