And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: (Revelation 9:20)
The folly of idolatry is dramatized by the fact that these objects, worshiped as gods, have not even the common powers of an animal, much less a man (see Ps. 115:4-7; Jer. 10:5; Dan. 5:23).
Gold.
Gold, silver, brass, stone, wood, are listed in the descending order of their value as materials.
Idols.
As contrasted with the worship of spirits, this condemns the worship of concrete, but inanimate, objects.
Devils.
Gr. daimonia, “demons” (see on 1 Cor. 10:20). This refers to the worship of spirits, common in ancient times and still widely practiced among many heathen groups.
Rest of the men.
The majority of men were not destroyed by this horrible visitation, but in spite of what their fellow men had suffered they did not take the lesson to heart as they should have done, and repent.
Works of their hands.
Particularly the idols they had made (see Deut. 4:28; Ps. 135:15; Jer. 1:16). In modern days men who give to the structures of their own inventive genius greater importance in their lives than they do to God and His kingdom, stand equally condemned. While good in themselves, modern creature comforts—the works of men’s hands—may often fill men’s lives so fully that they become idols as much as the ancient gods of wood, stone, and metal ever were. Compare on 1 John 5:21.