1 And 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:
2 With 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.
3 So 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.
4 And 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:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And 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.
7 And 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.
8 The 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.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
10 And 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.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
12 And 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.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These 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.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And 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.
17 For 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.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
1 And G2532 there came G2064 one G1520 of G1537 the seven G2033 angels G32 which G3588 had G2192 the seven G2033 vials, G5357 and G2532 talked G2980 with G3326 me, G1700 saying G3004 unto me, G3427 Come hither; G1204 I will shew G1166 unto thee G4671 the judgment G2917 of the great G3173 whore G4204 that sitteth G2521 upon G1909 many G4183 waters: G5204
2 With G3326 whom G3739 the kings G935 of the earth G1093 have committed fornication, G4203 and G2532 the inhabitants G2730 of the earth G1093 have been made drunk G3184 with G1537 the wine G3631 of her G846 fornication. G4202
3 So G2532 he carried G667 me G3165 away G667 in G1722 the spirit G4151 into G1519 the wilderness: G2048 and G2532 I saw G1492 a woman G1135 sit G2521 upon G1909 a scarlet coloured G2847 beast, G2342 full of G1073 names G3686 of blasphemy, G988 having G2192 seven G2033 heads G2776 and G2532 ten G1176 horns. G2768
4 And G2532 the woman G1135 was G2258 arrayed G4016 in purple G4209 and G2532 scarlet colour, G2847 and G2532 decked G5558 with gold G5557 and G2532 precious G5093 stones G3037 and G2532 pearls, G3135 having G2192 a golden G5552 cup G4221 in G1722 her G846 hand G5495 full of G1073 abominations G946 and G2532 filthiness G168 of her G846 fornication: G4202
5 And G2532 upon G1909 her G846 forehead G3359 was a name G3686 written, G1125 MYSTERY, G3466 BABYLON G897 THE GREAT, G3173 THE MOTHER G3384 OF HARLOTS G4204 AND G2532 ABOMINATIONS G946 OF THE EARTH. G1093
6 And G2532 I saw G1492 the woman G1135 drunken G3184 with G1537 the blood G129 of the saints, G40 and G2532 with G1537 the blood G129 of the martyrs G3144 of Jesus: G2424 and G2532 when I saw G1492 her, G846 I wondered G2296 with great G3173 admiration. G2295
7 And G2532 the angel G32 said G2036 unto me, G3427 Wherefore G1302 didst thou marvel? G2296 I G1473 will tell G2046 thee G4671 the mystery G3466 of the woman, G1135 and G2532 of the beast G2342 that carrieth G941 her, G846 which G3588 hath G2192 the seven G2033 heads G2776 and G2532 ten G1176 horns. G2768
8 The beast G2342 that G3739 thou sawest G1492 was, G2258 and G2532 is G2076 not; G3756 and G2532 shall G3195 ascend G305 out of G1537 the bottomless pit, G12 and G2532 go G5217 into G1519 perdition: G684 and G2532 they that dwell G2730 on G1909 the earth G1093 shall wonder, G2296 whose G3739 names G3686 were G1125 not G3756 written G1125 in G1909 the book G975 of life G2222 from G575 the foundation G2602 of the world, G2889 when they behold G991 the beast G2342 that was, G3748 G2258 and G2532 is G2076 not, G3756 and yet G2539 is. G2076
9 And here G5602 is the mind G3563 which G3588 hath G2192 wisdom. G4678 The seven G2033 heads G2776 are G1526 seven G2033 mountains, G3735 on G1909 which G846 the woman G1135 sitteth. G2521 G3699
10 And G2532 there are G1526 seven G2033 kings: G935 five G4002 are fallen, G4098 and G2532 one G1520 is, G2076 and the other G243 is G2064 not yet G3768 come; G2064 and G2532 when G3752 he cometh, G2064 he G846 must G1163 continue G3306 a short space. G3641
11 And G2532 the beast G2342 that G3739 was, G2258 and G2532 is G2076 not, G3756 even G2532 he G846 is G2076 the eighth, G3590 and G2532 is G2076 of G1537 the seven, G2033 and G2532 goeth G5217 into G1519 perdition. G684
12 And G2532 the ten G1176 horns G2768 which G3739 thou sawest G1492 are G1526 ten G1176 kings, G935 which G3748 have received G2983 no G3768 kingdom G932 as yet; G3768 but G235 receive G2983 power G1849 as G5613 kings G935 one G3391 hour G5610 with G3326 the beast. G2342
13 These G3778 have G2192 one G3391 mind, G1106 and G2532 shall give G1239 their G1438 power G1411 and G2532 strength G1849 unto the beast. G2342
14 These G3778 shall make war G4170 with G3326 the Lamb, G721 and G2532 the Lamb G721 shall overcome G3528 them: G846 for G3754 he is G2076 Lord G2962 of lords, G2962 and G2532 King G935 of kings: G935 and G2532 they that are with G3326 him G846 are called, G2822 and G2532 chosen, G1588 and G2532 faithful. G4103
15 And G2532 he saith G3004 unto me, G3427 The waters G5204 which G3739 thou sawest, G1492 where G3757 the whore G4204 sitteth, G2521 are G1526 peoples, G2992 and G2532 multitudes, G3793 and G2532 nations, G1484 and G2532 tongues. G1100
16 And G2532 the ten G1176 horns G2768 which G3739 thou sawest G1492 upon G1909 the beast, G2342 these G3778 shall hate G3404 the whore, G4204 and G2532 shall make G4160 her G846 desolate G2049 and G2532 naked, G1131 and G2532 shall eat G5315 her G846 flesh, G4561 and G2532 burn G2618 her G846 with G1722 fire. G4442
17 For G1063 God G2316 hath put G1325 in G1519 their G846 hearts G2588 to fulfil G4160 his G846 will, G1106 and G2532 to agree, G4160 G3391 G1106 and G2532 give G1325 their G846 kingdom G932 unto the beast, G2342 until G891 the words G4487 of God G2316 shall be fulfilled. G5055
18 And G2532 the woman G1135 which G3739 thou sawest G1492 is G2076 that great G3173 city, G4172 which G3588 reigneth G2192 G932 over G1909 the kings G935 of the earth. G1093
1 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;
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and they that dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her fornication.
3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness: and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication,
5 and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
6 And 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 a great wonder.
7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou wonder? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go into perdition. And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, `they' whose name hath not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall come.
9 Here is the mind that hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth:
10 and they are seven kings; the five are fallen, the one is, the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a little while.
11 And the beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goeth into perdition.
12 And the ten horns that thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet; but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority unto the beast.
14 These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they `also shall overcome' that are with him, called and chosen and faithful.
15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire.
17 For God did put in their hearts to do his mind, and to come to one mind, and to give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18 And the woman whom thou sawest is the great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
1 And there came one of the seven messengers, who were having the seven vials, and he spake with me, saying to me, `Come, I will shew to thee the judgment of the great whore, who is sitting upon the many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth did commit whoredom; and made drunk from the wine of her whoredom were those inhabiting the earth;'
3 and he carried me away to a wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of evil-speaking, having seven heads and ten horns,
4 and the woman was arrayed with purple and scarlet-colour, and gilded with gold, and precious stone, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and uncleanness of her whoredom,
5 and upon her forehead was a name written: `Secret, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whores, and the Abominations of the earth.'
6 And I saw the woman drunken from the blood of the saints, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, and I did wonder -- having seen her -- with great wonder;
7 and the messenger said to me, `Wherefore didst thou wonder? I -- I will tell thee the secret of the woman and of the beast that `is' carrying her, which hath the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 `The beast that thou didst see: it was, and it is not; and it is about to come up out of the abyss, and to go away to destruction, and wonder shall those dwelling upon the earth, whose names have not been written upon the scroll of the life from the foundation of the world, beholding the beast that was, and is not, although it is.
9 `Here `is' the mind that is having wisdom; the seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman doth sit,
10 and there are seven kings, the five did fall, and the one is, the other did not yet come, and when he may come, it behoveth him to remain a little time;
11 and the beast that was, and is not, he also is eighth, and out of the seven he is, and to destruction he doth go away.
12 `And the ten horns that thou sawest, are ten kings, who a kingdom did not yet receive, but authority as kings the same hour do receive with the beast,
13 these have one mind, and their own power and authority to the beast they shall give over;
14 these with the Lamb shall make war, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because Lord of lords he is, and King of kings, and those with him are called, and choice, and stedfast.'
15 And he saith to me, `The waters that thou didst see, where the whore doth sit, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues;'
16 and the ten horns that thou didst see upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her in fire,
17 for God did give into their hearts to do its mind, and to make one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast till the sayings of God may be complete,
18 and the woman that thou didst see is the great city that is having reign over the kings of the land.'
1 And one of the seven angels, which had the seven bowls, came and spoke with me, saying, Come here, I will shew thee the sentence of the great harlot who sits upon the many waters;
2 with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication; and they that dwell on the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
3 And he carried me away in spirit to a desert; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and had ornaments of gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and the unclean things of her fornication;
5 and upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, great Babylon, the mother of the harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.
6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I wondered, seeing her, with great wonder.
7 And the angel said to me, Why hast thou wondered? *I* will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast which carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast which thou sawest was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go into destruction: and they who dwell on the earth, whose names are not written from the founding of the world in the book of life, shall wonder, seeing the beast, that it was, and is not, and shall be present.
9 Here is the mind that has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains, whereon the woman sits.
10 And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes he must remain [only] a little while.
11 And the beast that was and is not, he also is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction.
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have not yet received a kingdom, but receive authority as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and give their power and authority to the beast.
14 These 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 called, and chosen, and faithful.
15 And he says to me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
16 And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire;
17 for God has given to their hearts to do his mind, and to act with one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is the great city, which has kingship over the kings of the earth.
1 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here. I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters,
2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality, and those who dwell in the earth were made drunken with the wine of her sexual immorality."
3 He carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored animal, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of the sexual immorality of the earth.
5 And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
6 I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered with great amazement.
7 The angel said to me, "Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction. Those who dwell on the earth and whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see that the beast was, and is not, and shall be present.{TR reads "yet is" instead of "shall be present"}
9 Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits.
10 They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.
11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes to destruction.
12 The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 These will war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. They also will overcome who are with him, called and chosen and faithful."
15 He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.
16 The ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute, and will make her desolate, and will make her naked, and will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
17 For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth."
1 And one of the seven angels who had the seven vessels came and said to me, Come here, so that you may see the judging of the evil woman who is seated on the great waters;
2 With whom the kings of the earth made themselves unclean, and those who are on the earth were full of the wine of her evil desires.
3 And he took me away in the Spirit into a waste land: and I saw a woman seated on a bright red beast, full of evil names, having seven heads and ten horns,
4 And the woman was clothed in purple and bright red, with ornaments of gold and stones of great price and jewels; and in her hand was a gold cup full of evil things and her unclean desires;
5 And on her brow was a name, SECRET, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE EVIL WOMEN AND OF THE UNCLEAN THINGS OF THE EARTH.
6 And I saw the woman overcome as with the wine of the blood of the saints, and the blood of those put to death because of Jesus. And when I saw her, I was overcome with a great wonder.
7 And the angel said to me, Why were you surprised? I will make clear to you the secret of the woman, and of the beast on which she is seated, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
8 The beast which you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the great deep, and to go into destruction. And those who are on the earth, whose names have not been put in the book of life from the first, will be full of wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and still will be.
9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman is seated:
10 And they are seven kings; the five have come to an end, the one is, the other has not come; and when he comes, he will have to go on for a little time.
11 And the beast which was, and is not, is himself the eighth, and is of the seven; and he goes into destruction.
12 And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which still have been given no kingdom; but they are given authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
13 These have one mind, and they give their power and authority to the beast.
14 These will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because he is the Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with him are named, marked out, and true.
15 And he said to me, The waters which you saw, where the evil woman is seated, are peoples, and armies, and nations and languages.
16 And the ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will be turned against the evil woman, and will make her waste and uncovered, and will take her flesh for food, and will have her burned with fire.
17 Because God has put it in their hearts to do his purpose, and to be of one mind, giving their kingdom to the beast, till the words of God have effect and are complete.
18 And the woman whom you saw is the great town, which is ruling over the kings of the earth.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Revelation 17
Commentary on Revelation 17 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 17
This chapter contains another representation of those things that had been revealed before concerning the wickedness and ruin of antichrist. This antichrist had been before represented as a beast, and is now described as a great whore. And here,
Rev 17:1-6
Here we have a new vision, not as to the matter of it, for that is contemporary with what came under the three last vials; but as to the manner of description, etc. Observe,
Rev 17:7-13
Here we have the mystery of this vision explained. The apostle wonders at the sight of this woman: the angel undertakes to open this vision to him, it being the key of the former visions; and he tells the apostle what was meant by the beast on which the woman sat; but it is so explained as still to need further explanation.
Rev 17:14-18
Here we have some account of the downfall of Babylon, to be more fully described in the following chapter.