Revelation 19:12

12 His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself.

Revelation 19:12 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 19:12

His eyes were as a flame of fire
Which denotes the perspicuity and penetration of them, the omniscience of Christ to look into and discover the secret machinations, schemes, and devices of his enemies against his people, and his exercise of it in favour of them, his eyes, like a flame of fire, running to and fro on their behalf; and also this may signify the fierceness of his anger against the enemies of his people, the eyes of his glory being provoked by their cruelty and wickedness; and likewise the suddenness of their destruction, and the inevitableness of it.

And on his head were many crowns;
for he has not only a crown, as the Creator and Governor of the universe, in right of nature, but he has one which his Father has put upon his head, when he set him as King over his holy hill of Zion, ( Psalms 21:3 ) and there is another which his mother, the church, crowned him with in the day of his espousals, ( Song of Solomon 3:11 ) and besides these, every believer puts a crown on his head, gives him the glory of their salvation, and all of them cast their crowns at his feet: to which may be added, that the crowns of all the kings of the earth are his; they reign by him, and are accountable to him. This part of the description may be expressive of that all power in heaven and earth, given to Christ at his resurrection, and exercised by him ever since; and particularly of the extensiveness of his kingdom at the time this vision refers to, when the kingdoms of this world shall be his, ( Revelation 11:15 ) for this vision, and the seventh trumpet, are contemporary; and it may be a symbol of the many victories obtained by him, and of the last and closing one that should now be obtained by him.

And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself;
which seems to be his name, the Son of God, as the unknown name of the overcomer, in ( Revelation 2:17 ) is a child of God; and the sense is, that his divine nature, in which he is the Son of God, is incomprehensible, and that the begetting or generation of him, as such, is ineffable, ( Proverbs 30:4 ) and that without a divine revelation the name itself could not be known; or it could not be known that God had a Son, and that Christ is he, and bears that name, ( Matthew 11:27 ) ( Matthew 16:16 Matthew 16:17 ) or else his name Immanuel. The incarnate God may be intended, which is a secret and wonderful name, and contains in it, without controversy, a great mystery, which cannot be comprehended by finite minds; or his name, (alp) , "wonderful, secret", ( Isaiah 9:6 ) ( Judges 13:18 ) . This name is said to be "written"; that is, in the Scriptures of truth, in which it is revealed that Christ is the Son of God, and Immanuel. In ( Revelation 19:16 ) the name of King of kings is said to be written on his vesture, and on his thigh; and the Ethiopic version makes this to be written on his crown or diadem, reading the words thus; "and upon his head a crown, and there was written in his diadem a name, and no man knew it, but he himself only"; as the high priest had "holiness to the Lord" written on his mitre. The Syriac version inserts a clause between the two last, "having names written", and then follows, "and a name written" and so the Complutensian edition.

Revelation 19:12 In-Context

10 I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

11 Then I saw Heaven open wide - and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness.

12 His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself.

13 He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God."

14 The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him.