Structure in Revelation 9, again

John sees two scenes in Revelation 9: A swarm of macabre cherubim arises from the abyss, and then four angels are permitted to release a massive army from the Euphrates. Both armies are described in some detail, and the organization of the descriptions are intricately structured. This post furthers some reflections posted earlier this week.

First, we can note the structural parallels between John’s description of the “locorpions” and his sketch of the hippolions. Both descriptions begin and end by speaking of the creatures’ resemblance to horses. Here is a detailed comparison:

After this description, each includes a coda (!) that refers to the tails of the creatures: The locorpions have tails with stings (9:10) and the hippolions have tails like serpents with heads (9:19).

The description of the hippolions is structured in two interlocked chiasms. The first covers 9:17b-18 and the other is found in verse 19. Following the Greek word order, the first, incomplete chiasm is organized like this:

A. The heads of the horses as heads of lions

B. And out of their mouths

C. Proceed

D. Fire and smoke and brimstone

E. From the three (trion) plagues, these,

F. Are killed

E’. A third (to triton) of men

D’. Out of the fire and the smoke and the brimstone

C’. That proceeds

B’. Out of their mouths.

As can be seen, the structure, while precisely chiastic down to the word, is missing the conclusion, an A’. There is no reference again to lions or lion heads. Instead, verse 19 moves into a description of the creatures’ mouths and tails:

A. For the authority of the horses

B. Is in their mouth (note the singular)

C. And in their tails

C’. For their tails are like serpents

B’. Having heads

A’. And with these they harm.

The missing “head” from the first chiasm doesn’t appear until the description of the serpentine tails. The creatures have a head at each end, and the description uses the word kephale at each end.