Revelation 17

Revelation · Chapter 17

Revelation 17:1

1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:2With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.3So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:5And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.7And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.8The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.9And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.10And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.11And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.12And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.13These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.16And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.17For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.18And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.And there came one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls, and spake with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the judgment of the great harlot that sitteth upon many waters;

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

Revelation 17:1-6The woman on the beast

About Revelation 17An angel shows John "the great whore that sitteth upon many waters," a woman on "a scarlet coloured beast... having seven heads and ten horns," with the name "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH," and "drunken with the blood of the saints." The angel explains: "The seven heads are seven mountains," "the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings," the waters "are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues," and "the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." The kings "shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings." Revelation 17:1Revelation 17:3Revelation 17:5Revelation 17:6Revelation 17:9Revelation 17:12Revelation 17:14Revelation 17:15Revelation 17:18

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
AndΚαὶKaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

cameἦλθενēlthenG2064
to come/go

ἔρχομαι (erchomai) ἔρχομαι, [in LXX very frequently for בּוֹא, also for הלךְ ni., אתה, etc., 34 words in all ;] 1. to come; (a) of persons, either as arriving or returning from elsewhere: Mat.8:9, Mrk.6:31, Luk.7:8, Jhn.4:27, Rom.9:9, al.; before ἀπό, Mrk.5:35 7:1, Jhn.3:2, al.; ἐκ, Luk.5:17, Jhn.3:31, al.; εἰς, Mrk.1:29, al.; διά before εἰς, Mrk.7:31; ἐν (Cremer, 263f., but see: ἐν), Rom.15:29, 1Co.4:21; ἐπί, with accusative, Mrk.6:53 11:13, Jhn.19:33, al.; κατά, with accusative, Luk.10:33 Act.16:7; παρά, with genitive, Luk.8:49; with accusative, Mat.15:29, Mrk.9:14, al.; with dative comm., incomm. (M, Pr., …

oneεἷςheisG1520
one

εἷς (ehis) εἷς ιά, ἕν, genitive ἑνός, μιᾶς, ἑνός, cardinal numeral, one; 1. one, as opposite to many: Mat.25:15, Rom.5:12, 1Co.10:8, al.; as subst., Rom.5:15, Eph.2:14; id. with genitive partit., Mat.5:19, al.; before ἐκ (ἐξ), Mrk.14:18, Jhn.6:8, al.; metaphorically, of union and concord, Jhn.10:30 17:11, Rom.12:4-5, Php.1:27; ἀπὸ μιᾶς (B1., § 44, 1), Luk.14:18; with neg., εἷς. . . οὐ (μή), more emphatic than οὐδείς, no one, none (cl.), Mat.5:18 10:29, Luk.11:46 12:6. 2. Emphatically, to the exclusion of others; …

ofἐκekG1537
out from

ἐκ (ek) ἐκ (ἐξ), prep. with genitive, from out of, from (see Addendum, p. 492). This entry is included here, but in the print version the entry is found on p. 492. ἐκ, before a vowel ἐξ, prep. with genitive, of motion outwards, separation from (opposite to εἰς; = Lat. e, ex), from out of, from among, from. I. Of Place, …

sevenἑπτὰheptaG2033
seven

ἑπτά (hepta) ἐπτά, οἱ, αἱ, τά indecl., seven: Mat.12:45 18:22 (cf. ἑβδομηκοντάκις), Mrk.8:5, al.; οἱ ἐ, Act.21:8 (AS)

angelsἀγγέλωνangelōnG0032G
angel

ἄγγελος (angelos) ἄγγελος, -ου, ὁ, [in LXX chiefly for מַלְאָךְ ;] 1. a messenger, one sent: Mat.11:10, Jas.22:25. 2. As in LXX, in the special sense of angel, a spiritual, heavenly being, attendant upon God and employed as his messenger to men, to make known his purposes, as Luk.1:11, or to execute them, as Mat.4:6. The ἄ. in Rev.1:20-2:1, al., is variously understood as (1) a messenger or delegate, (2) a bishop or ruler, (3) a guardian angel, (4) the prevailing spirit of each church, i.e. the Church itself. (Cf. Swete, Ap)., in l.; DB, iv, 991; Thayer, see word; Cremer, 18; MM, VGT, see word) (AS)

havingἐχόντωνechontōnG2192
to have/be

ἔχω (echō) ἔχω, [in LXX for אָצֵל (ἐχόμενος), יֵשׁ,בַּעַל, etc., 59 words in all ;] (on the Aktionsart of the various tenses, see M, Pr., 110, 145, 150, 183), to have, as in cl., in various senses and constructions. I. Trans.; 1. 1. to have, hold, hold fast, etc.; (a) to hold, as, in the hand: Rev.5:8 14:6, al.; ἐν τ. χειρί, Rev.1:16 10:2, al.; (b) of arms and clothing, = φέρω, φορέω, to bear, wear: Mat.3:4 22:12, al.; so frequently present ptcp. (LS, see word, A, I, 6; Bl., 74, 2), Mrk.11:13, Jhn.18:10, Rev.9:17, al.; (with) of a woman, ἐν γαστρὶ ἔ, to be with child: Mrk.13:17, Rom.9:10; …

sevenἑπτὰheptaG2033
seven

ἑπτά (hepta) ἐπτά, οἱ, αἱ, τά indecl., seven: Mat.12:45 18:22 (cf. ἑβδομηκοντάκις), Mrk.8:5, al.; οἱ ἐ, Act.21:8 (AS)

bowlsφιάλαςphialasG5357
bowl

φιάλη (phialē) φιάλη, -ης, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for מִזְרָק ;] a shallow bowl (= Lat. patera), used for pouring libations, etc.: Rev.5:8 15:7 16:1-17 17:1 21:9.† (AS)

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

spokeἐλάλησενelalēsenG2980
to speak

λαλέω (laleō) λαλέω, -ῶ, [in LXX chiefly for דּבר pi., also for אמר, etc. ;] 1. to utter: of inanimate things, Rev.4:1 10:4; metaphorically, Heb.11:4 12:24. 2. to talk, speak, say: absol., Mat.9:33 12:46, Mrk.5:35, Luk.8:49; before ὡς, 1Co.13:11, Rev.13:11; εἰς, 1Co.14:9; ἐκ, Mat.12:34; with accusative of thing(s), Mat.10:19, Mrk.11:32, Jhn.8:30, al.; with dative of person(s), Mat.12:46, Luk.24:6, Rom.7:1, al.; with accusative of thing(s) and dative of person(s), Mat.9:18, Jhn.10:6, al.; with prep., πρός, μετά, περί, Mrk.6:50, Luk.1:19 2:33, al.; ἐν, ἐξ, ἀπό, Mat.13:3, Jhn.12:49 14:10, al.; λ. τ. λόγον, …

withμετ᾽met᾽G3326
with/after

μετά (meta) μετά (before vowel μετ᾽; on the neglect of elision in certain cases, V. WH, App., 146 b), prep. with genitive, accusative (in poet, also with dative), [in LXX for אַחַד ,עִם ,אֵת, etc.]. I. C. genitive, 1. among, amid: Mrk.1:13, Luk.22:37 (LXX, ἐν) 24:5, Jhn.18:5, al.; διωγμῶν, Mrk.10:30. …

meἐμοῦemouG1473
I/we

ἐγώ (egō) ἐγώ, genitive, etc., ἐμοῦ, ἐμοί, ἐμέ (enclitic μου, μοι, με), pl. ἡμεῖς, -ῶν, -ῖν, -ᾶς, of person(s) pron. I. (a) The nom. is usually emphatic, when expressed as subjc, as in Mat.3:11, Mrk.1:8, Luk.3:16, al. But often there is no apparent emphasis, as Mat.10:16, Jhn.10:17; ἰδοὺ ἐ. (= Heb. הִנֵּנִי, cf. 1Ki.3:8), Act.9:10; ἐ. (like Heb. אֲנִי), I am, Jhn.1:23 (LXX), Act.7:32 (LXX). …

sayingλέγωνlegōnG3004G
to say

λέγω (legō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

to me:μοι·moiG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

Come here,δεῦρο,deuroG1204
come

δεῦρο (deuro) δεῦρο adv., [in LXX chiefly for לֵךְ, לֵכָה ;] 1. of place; (a) hither, with verbs of motion; (b) (in cl. chiefly poët.) as an imperat., here! come!: Mat.19:21, Mrk.10:21, Luk.18:22, Jhn.11:43, Act.7:3" (LXX) , 34 (LXX), Rev.17:1 21:9. 2. Of time, hitherto, now: Rev.1:13.† (AS)

I will showδείξωdeixōG1166
to show

δεικνύω (deiknuō) δείκνυμι, δεικνύω (see Bl., § 23, 1; Veitch, see word), [in LXX chiefly for רָאָה hi. ;] to show, with accusative of thing(s) (of person(s)), dative of person(s); (a) to show, exhibit: Mat.4:8 8:4, Mrk.1:44 14:15, Luk.4:5 5:14 20:24 22:12 24:40, Jhn.2:18 5:20 10:32; 20:20 Act.7:3" (LXX), 1Ti.6:15, Rev.17:1 21:9, 10 22:1, 8, pass., Heb.8:5 (LXX); (b) to make known: Mat.16:21, Jhn.14:8, 9, Act.10:28, 1Co.12:31, Rev.1:1 4:1 22:6; (with) to prove: Jas.2:18 3:13.† (AS)

youσοιsoiG4771
you

σέ (se) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

punishmentκρίμαkrimaG2917
judgment

κρίμα (krima) κρίμα (B1., § 27, 2), -τος, τό (κρίνω), [in LXX chiefly for מִשְׁפָּט ;] the issue of a judicial process, hence, 1. judgment, the decision passed on the faults of others: Mat.7:2; in forensic sense, with genitive pun., Luk.24:20; esp. of the judgment of God, Rom.2:2 5:16 11:33 (ICC, in l), 2Pe.2:3, Ju 4; κ. λαμβάνεσθαι, Mat.23:13 (Rec., R, mg.), Mrk.12:40, Luk.20:47, Rom.13:2, Jas.3:1; ἔχειν, 1Ti.5:12; βαστάζειν, Gal.5:10; ἐσθίειν ἑαυτῷ, 1Co.11:29; εἰς κ. συνέρχεσθαι, 1Co.11:34; εἶναι ἐν τ αὐτῷ κ., Luk.23:40; with genitive obj., Rom.3:8, 1Ti.3:6, Rev.17:1; of God's judgment through Christ, …

prostituteπόρνηςpornēsG4204
prostitute

πόρνη (pornē) πόρνη, -ης, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for זָנָה ;] a prostitute, harlot: Mat.21:31-32, Luk.15:30, 1Co.6:15-16 Heb.11:31, Jas.2:25. Metaphorical (see Swete, Ap., 180 f.), of Babylon (i.e. Rome): Rev.17:1, 5 17:15-16 19:2.† (AS)

greatμεγάληςmegalēsG3173
great

μέγας (megas) μέγας, μεγάλη, μέγα, [in LXX chiefly for גָּדוֹל, also for מַרְבֶּה ,רַב (incl. μείζων), רֹב (μέγιστος) ;] great; 1. of external form, bodily size, measure, extent: λίθος, Mat.2:60; δράκων, Rev.12:3; ἰχθῦς, Jhn.21:11; πόλις, Rev.11:8; μάχαιρα, Rev.6:4, al. 2. Of intensity and degree: δύναμις, Act.4:33; φόβος, Mrk.4:41; ἀγάπη, Jhn.15:13; ἄνεμος, 'ib. 6:18; κραυγή, Act.23:9; φῶς, Mat.4:16; πυρετός, Luk.4:38; θλίψις, Mat.24:21. 3. Of rank; …

is sittingκαθημένηςkathēmenēsG2521
to sit

κάθημαι (kathēmai) κάθ-ημαι [in LXX chiefly for יָשַׁב ;] in cl. present and imperfect only (prop. pf. and plpf. of καθέζομαι; cf. Bl., § 24), in LXX and NT fut. also, to sit, be seated: Mat.11:16 22:44" (LXX), Mrk.2:6, Jhn.6:3, Act.2:2, Jas.2:3 (on the vulgar imper. κάθου, see Kennedy, Sources, 162), Rev.4:3, al.; before prep. with accusative, ἐπί, Mat.9:9, Mrk.2:14, Jhn.12:16; παρά, Mat.13:1, Mrk.10:46; περί, Mrk.3:32, 34; πρός, Luk.22:56; ὑπό, Jas.2:3; εἰς, Mrk.13:3; μετά, with genitive of person(s), Mat.26:58; ἐκ δεξιῶν, Mat.22:44; ἐπάνω, with genitive, Mat.28:2; ἀπέναντι, with genitive, Mat.27:61; ἐπί, wi …

uponἐπὶepiG1909
upon/to/against

ἐπί (epi) ἐπί (before a smooth breathing ἐπ᾽, before a rough breathing ἐφ᾽), prep. with genitive, dative, accusative (accusative most frequently in NT), with primary sense of superposition, on, upon. I. C. genitive, 1. of place, answering the question, where? …

watersὑδάτωνhudatōnG5204
water

ὕδωρ (hudōr, hudatos) ὕδωρ genitive, ὕδατος, τό, [in LXX chiefly for מַיִם ;] water: Mat.3:16, Mrk.1:10, Luk.7:44, Jhn.4:7, Jas.3:12, Rev.8:10, al.; pl., Mat.14:28-29, Jhn.3:23, Rev.1:15, al.; βαπτίζειν (ἐν) ὕδατι, Mat.3:11, Mrk.1:8, Jhn.1:26, al.; τ. λυυτρὸν τοῦ ὕ., Eph.5:26; opposite to οἴνος, Jhn.2:9 4:46; αἷμα, Jhn.19:34, Heb.9:19, 1Jn.5:6 Jn 5:8 Mat.17:15 Mrk.9:22; πνεῦμα, Jhn.1:26, 31 1:33; πνεῦμα καὶ πῦρ, Mat.3:11, Luk.3:16;ἐξ ὕ. κ. πνεύματος γεννηθῆναι, Jhn.3:5; metaphorically, of divine truth and grace (τ.) ὕ. (τ.) ζῶν, Jhn.4:10-11 (cf. Jhn.4:13-15); τ. ὕ. τ. ζωῆς, of spiritual refresh­ment, Rev.21:6 2 …

many,πολλῶν,pollōnG4183
much

πολύς (polus) πολύς, πολλή, πολύ, [in LXX chiefly for רַב and cognate forms ;] 1. as adj., much, many, great, of number, space, degree, value, time, etc.: ἀριθμός, Act.11:21; ὄχλος, Mrk.5:24; θερισμός, Mat.9:37; χόρτος, Jhn.6:10; χρόνος, Mat.25:19; γογγυσμός, Jhn.7:12; πόνος, Col.4:13; δόξα, Mat.24:30; σιγή, Act.21:40; pl., προφῆται, Mat.13:17; ὄχλοι, Mat.4:25; δαιμόνια, Mrk.1:34; δυνάμεις, Mat.7:22, …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.