Or,“kept biting their tongues out of pain,” that is, because of pain. Possibly an intense cold accompanied the prolonged darkness.

 The entire clause reads literally, his kingdom became darkened, the Greek implying that it remained so for a period of time. This is literal darkness (see on v. 1), with its attendant cold and misery. The absence of light and heat would be all the more impressive and painful after the intense heat experienced under the fourth plague.

 Or, its kingdom. Except for the small remnant that still resists his supremacy Satan numbers the world as his subjects, and it is through the revived papacy in particular that he seeks to secure undisputed control over the entire human race (see GC 571, 580, 656; 5T 472; 7T 182; see on chs. 16:13, 14; 17:8, 12; cf. ch. 19:19). It would therefore appear that for the duration of this plague the entire world is enveloped in a pall of darkness. Thus, while men grope unrepentantly for light in a spiritually dark world (see ch. 16:8, 9) God sends upon them literal darkness, symbolic of the deeper spiritual night that is yet to enshroud the earth (see on vs. 13, 14).

 Gr. thronos, throne (see on ch. 13:2). The seat of the beast is apparently his headquarters. The beast here represents primarily the papacy in its revived state, not so much in its religious aspect as in its assumed role of a world power dominant over other world powers (see on chs. 13:1, 2, 10; 17:3, 8, 9, 11).