What Does Revelation 9:19 Mean in the King James?

For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

Revelation 9:19 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

This verse in the Selah Decoded Version

THE KEY

The word translated “do hurt” also carries the sense of doing wrong, so the verse joins bodily injury to injustice.

THE MEANING

The verse confronts you with creatures whose power is carried in both mouth and tail. Their tails are like serpents, bear heads, and inflict injury; the verb for what they do also carries the sense of doing wrong. Injury and violation stay joined in the image.

THE ROOT

ἀδικοῦσιν

adikousin

GROWS FROM

δικ-

dik-

Right, justice, and what is rightly ordered.

The verb translated “do hurt” can mean both to injure and to do wrong. Its family also names justice and the just, joining bodily harm to a violation of what is right.

ALSO GROWS

adikéō: To do wrong; to injure.

ἀδικέω

This verb family carries both the physical harm in the verse and the sense of wrongdoing.

adikía: Injustice; wrongdoing.

ἀδικία

This branch shows the moral edge carried by the harm the creatures inflict.

díkaios: Just; right; aligned.

δίκαιος

Its sense of what is rightly aligned illuminates the violation implied by ⁨ἀδικέω⁩.

THE PATTERN

Harm can be carried both by speech and by a serpent’s strike.

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.

Psalm 140:3 · KJVThe tongue is compared directly to a serpent, with poison beneath the lips.

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:8 · KJVThe tongue carries deadly poison, echoing the lethal force of the serpent-like tails.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21 · KJVSpeech carries consequences as grave as the power this verse places in the creatures’ mouths.

THE THREAD

Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

1 Corinthians 6:8 · KJV

The Greek verbs rendered “do hurt” here and “do wrong” in this verse share the ⁨δικ-⁩ family. That shared root joins bodily injury to injustice while the serpent image retains its full force.

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