Revelation 7

Chap. VII. Ver. 1. The four winds of the earth.—See (Jeremiah 49:36-37). With corners here mentioned, answer to the four cardinal points—the four.

Ver. 2. From the east—Gr. “From the rising of the sun”—i. e. from the divine presence.—Woodhouse.

Ver. 3. Hurt not the earth—i. e. the inhabitants of it, in its various classes. (This chapter is a continuation of the sixth seal; and is a description of the state of the church in the time of Constantine, of the peace and protection it should enjoy under the civil powers, and of the great accession that there should be made to it, both of the Jews and Gentiles. Eusebius and Lactantius, who were contemporary writers, bear their testimony to the completion of this prophecy; and one of the medals of Constantine, bearing on the reverse beata tranquillitas, “blessed tranquillity,” is a confirmation of their testimony. All the historians who have written of these times, also bear witness to the vast numbers both of Jews and Gentiles who were converted to the Christian religion.)—Bagster.

Ver. 4. A hundred and forty and four thousand—That is, the twelve patriarchs multiplied by the twelve apostles, and both by 1000.—Lowman.