Revelation 17:1-6

The Great Prostitute and the Beast

1 Then 1one of the seven angels who had 2the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of 3the great prostitute 4who is seated on many waters,
2 5with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and 6with the wine of whose sexual immorality 7the dwellers on earth have become drunk."
3 And 8he carried me away in the Spirit 9into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on 10a scarlet beast that was full of 11blasphemous names, and 12it had seven heads and ten horns.
4 The woman 13was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned 14with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand 15a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
5 And on her forehead was written a name of 16mystery: 17"Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
6 And I saw the woman, drunk 18with the blood of the saints, the blood of 19the martyrs of Jesus.[a]When I saw her, I marveled greatly.

Revelation 17:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 17

This chapter contains a vision of a beast, and a woman on it, and the interpretation of it; one of the seven angels that had the seven vials proposes to John to show him the whore of Babylon, the Jezabel before spoken of, who sits on many waters, with whom the kings and inhabitants of the earth have committed fornication, being intoxicated by her, Re 17:1,2 in order to which he carries him into the wilderness, and there he sees a woman, who is described by the beast she sat on, of a scarlet colour, full of blasphemous names, with seven heads and ten horns; by her array, in purple and scarlet, decked with gold, pearls, and precious stones; by a cup she had in her hand, full of abominable filth; by a name written on her forehead, given at large, and by the condition she was in, drunk with the blood of the saints; which sight filled John with great wonder and admiration, Re 17:3-6 wherefore, to remove his astonishment, the angel proposes to explain to him the mystery of the woman, and the beast she sat on, Re 17:7 and first the mystery of the beast is explained, by its several states, past, present, and to come; by its original and end, ascending out of the bottomless pit, and going into perdition; by the veneration it would be had in by the reprobate part of the world, Re 17:8 its seven heads are interpreted of the seven mountains on which the city of Rome, designed by the woman, stood, and of seven kings, or forms of government, five of which had ceased, and one was in being in John's time, another was to come, which should not continue long, and the beast would be an eighth, Re 17:9-11 its ten horns are explained of ten kings, described by their kingdom they had not as yet received, and which they should have one hour with the beast; by their agreement in mind and conduct; and by their war with the Lamb, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and those that are with him, the called, chosen, and faithful, and the issue of it, Re 17:12-14 the waters on which the whore sat are interpreted of a multitude of people, nations, and tongues, Re 17:15 the hatred and destruction of her by the ten kings, and the manner of it, are declared, Re 17:16 which is owing to the will of God, who put it into their hearts to agree to give their kingdom to the beast till the prophecies and promises were fulfilled respecting this matter, and now to destroy the whore that sat upon it, Re 17:17 which woman is explained of the great city of Rome, that reigns over the kings of the earth, Re 17:18.

Cross References 19

  • 1. Revelation 21:9
  • 2. Revelation 15:7
  • 3. Revelation 19:2; Nahum 3:4; [Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20]
  • 4. ver. 15; [Jeremiah 51:13]
  • 5. Revelation 18:3, 9; [Isaiah 23:17]
  • 6. Revelation 14:8; Jeremiah 51:7
  • 7. See Revelation 3:10
  • 8. Revelation 21:10
  • 9. Revelation 12:6, 14
  • 10. [Revelation 12:3]
  • 11. Revelation 13:1
  • 12. ver. 7, 9, 12
  • 13. Revelation 18:16
  • 14. Daniel 11:38
  • 15. Jeremiah 51:7; [Revelation 18:6]
  • 16. ver. 7; 2 Thessalonians 2:7
  • 17. See Revelation 14:8
  • 18. Revelation 16:6; [Revelation 13:15]
  • 19. Revelation 2:13

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Greek the witnesses to Jesus
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.