Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
He stood (estaqh). First aorist passive indicative of isthmi (intransitive), as in Revelation 8:3. "He stopped" on his way to war with the rest of the woman's seed. P Q read here estaqhn (I stood) when it has to be connected with chapter Rev. 13.
Upon the sand (epi thn ammon). The accusative case as in Revelation 7:1; Revelation 8:3, etc. Ammov is an old word for sand, for innumerable multitude in Revelation 20:8.
Out of the sea (ek thv qalasshv). See Revelation 11:7 for "the beast coming up out of the abyss." The imagery comes from Daniel 7:3. See also Revelation 17:8. This "wild beast from the sea," as in Daniel 7:17, Daniel 7:23, is a vast empire used in the interest of brute force. This beast, like the dragon (Revelation 12:3), has ten horns and seven heads, but the horns are crowned, not the heads. The Roman Empire seems to be meant here (Revelation 17:9, Revelation 17:12). On "diadems" (diadhmata) see Revelation 12:3, only ten here, not seven as there.
Names of blasphemy (onomata blasfhmiav). See Revelation 17:3 for this same phrase. The meaning is made plain by the blasphemous titles assumed by the Roman emperors in the first and second centuries, as shown by the inscriptions in Ephesus, which have qeov constantly applied to them.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Revelation 13:1:
Revelation 1:4
Revelation 4:4
Revelation 5:6
Revelation 11:7
Revelation 12:3
Revelation 13:11
Revelation 15:2
Revelation 16:13
Revelation 17:3
Revelation 17:8
Revelation 17:9
Revelation 19:12
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