Revelation 17:18

18 and the woman that thou didst see is the great city that is having reign over the kings of the land.'

Revelation 17:18 Meaning and Commentary

Revelation 17:18

And the woman which thou sawest
( Revelation 17:3 ) as there described,

is that great city,
often mentioned in this book; great Babylon, the city of Rome, ( Revelation 11:8 ) ( 14:8 ) ( 16:19 ) which reigneth over the kings of the earth; which then reigned in John's time over the kings of the earth; and this clearly points out the city of Rome, for there was no other city then, but that, which reigned over the kings of the earth; that was then the metropolis of the Roman empire, to which the whole world was subject; and therefore it is called all the world, ( Luke 2:1 ) and since, all the kings of the empire have been under the jurisdiction of Rome Papal. It was formerly called Urbs Regum, a "city of kings" F26, either for the reason in the text, or because its inhabitants looked like kings.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 Justin. l. 18. c. 2.

Revelation 17:18 In-Context

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.'
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.