Revelation 19:18

16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,

so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army.

20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”
KJV
That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
WEB
that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, small and great.”
ASV
that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, and small and great.
DARBY
that ye may eat flesh of kings, and flesh of chiliarchs, and flesh of strong men, and flesh of horses and of those that sit upon them, and flesh of all, both free and bond, and small and great.
BLB
so that you⁺ may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of commanders, and the flesh of strong [men], and the flesh of horses and of those sitting on them, and the flesh of all, both free and slaves and small and great.”
ÅB
for å spise kjøtt av konger og kjøtt av krigshøvdinger og kjøtt av veldige og kjøtt av hester og av dem som satt på dem, og kjøtt av alle, frie menn og slaver, små og store!
OTB
så dere kan spise kjøttet av konger, hærførere og mektige menn, kjøttet av hester og deres ryttere, og kjøttet av alle mennesker, frie og slaver, små og store."
B1930
for å ete kjøtt av konger og kjøtt av krigshøvdinger og kjøtt av veldige og kjøtt av hester og av dem som satt på dem, og kjøtt av alle, frie menn og træler, små og store!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Ezekiel 39:18–20

    You will eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls—all the fattened animals of Bashan.

    Read in context
  • Revelation 6:15

    Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

    Read in context
  • 1 Samuel 17:46

    This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

    Read in context
  • Deuteronomy 28:26

    Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the air and beasts of the earth, with no one to scare them away.

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 16:4

    “They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried, but will lie like dung on the ground. They will be finished off by sword and famine, and their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and beasts of the earth.”

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 7:33

    The corpses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to scare them away.

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 19:7

    And in this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

    Read in context
  • Jeremiah 34:20

    I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

    Read in context