Revelation 9:16
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: the number of them came to my ears.
Webster's Revision
And the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
World English Bible
The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million. I heard the number of them.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And the number of the armies of the horsemen was twice ten thousand times ten thousand: I heard the number of them.
Clarke's Revelation 9:16 Bible Commentary
Two hundred thousand thousand - Δυο μυριαδες μυριαδων· Two myriads of myriads; that is, two hundred millions; an army that was never yet got together from the foundation of the world, and could not find forage in any part of the earth. Perhaps it only means vast numbers, multitudes without number. Such a number might be literally true of the locusts. Those who will have their particular system supported by the images in this most obscure book, tell us that the number here means all the soldiers that were employed in this war, from its commencement to its end! Those who can receive this saying let them receive it.
Barnes's Revelation 9:16 Bible Commentary
And the number of the army of the horsemen - It is to be observed here that the strength of the army seemed to be cavalry. In the former plagues there is no distinct mention of horsemen; but here what struck the beholder was the immense and unparalleled number of horsemen.
Were two hundred thousand thousand - A thousand thousand is one million, and consequently the number here referred to would be 200 million. This would be a larger army than was ever assembled, and it cannot be supposed that it is to be taken literally. That it would be a very large host - so large that it would not be readily numbered - is clear. The expression in the original, while it naturally conveys the idea of an immense number, would seem also to refer to some uniqueness in the manner of reckoning them. The language is, "two myriads of myriads" - δύο μυριάδες μυριάδων duo muriades muriadōn. The myriad was ten thousand. The idea would seem to be this. John saw an immense host of cavalry. They appeared to be divided into large bodies that were in some degree separate, and that might be reckoned by ten thousands. Of these different squadrons there were many, and to express their great and unusual numbers he said that there seemed to be myriads of them - two myriads of myriads, or twice ten thousand myriads. The army thus would seem to be immense - an army, as we should say, to be reckoned by tens of thousands.
And I heard the number of them - They were so numerous that he did not pretend to be able to estimate the number himself, for it was beyond his power of computation; but he heard it stated in these round numbers, that there were "two myriads of myriads" of them.
Wesley's Revelation 9:16 Bible Commentary
9:16 And the number of the horsemen was two hundred millions — Not that so many were ever brought into the field at once, but (if we understand the expression literally) in the course of "the hour, and day, and month, and year." So neither were "the third part of men killed" at once, but during that course of years.