Revelation 16:14

δαιμονίων. Text. Rec[560] reads δαιμόνων with 1 and And[561]?

[560] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.
[561] Andreas Archbishop of Caesarea.

ἄ ἐκπορεύεται. Text. Rec[562] reads ἐκπορεύεσθαι with א* 1*.

[562] Rec. Textus Receptus as printed by Scrivener.

14. εἰσὶν γὰρ κ.τ.λ. The whole verse is generally taken as more or less parenthetical, so that the structure is, I saw … three unclean spirits—for these are spirits of demons which go forth. Is it possible that the parenthesis goes no farther than σημεῖα, and means “for there really is such a thing as demoniac inspiration attested by signs and wonders”? This would give a natural sense to γὰρ which hardly has any in the common view, and, though it is hard to say what is or is not probable in this Book, the connexion of ἄ ἐκπορεύεται with what goes before would be less difficult, as would also be the change from εἰσὶν to ἐκπορεύεται. It may be added that the absence of all mention of demoniacs in the Fourth Gospel implies that the superstition and charlatanism of Ephesian enchanters had produced a widespread reaction.

σημεῖα, Revelation 13:13, is the word always used for miracles in St John’s Gospel.

ἃ ἐκπορεύεται. See Revelation 19:19; cf. Revelation 20:3; Revelation 20:8. ἐκπορευόμενα in the previous verse would have been more regular and more in accordance with the usual style of this Book, which often employs participles where relative sentences would be more regular. The construction seems to be changed by the simile, the parenthesis, and the clause expressing why they go forth: possibly also by the position of ἐκ τοῦ στόματος κ.τ.λ., which is one of several traces of a tendency to attempt the rhetorical order of ordinary Greek which manifests itself as early as chap. 10.

τὸν πόλεμον. Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:19-21.