Revelation 17:16

These shall hate the harlot (outoi mishsousin thn pornhn). Future active of misew. Houtoi is resumptive demonstrative pronoun (masculine) referring to the ten horns and the beast (neuter); construction according to sense. The downfall of Rome will come from the sudden change in subject peoples. Shall make her desolate and naked (hrhmwmenhn poihsousin authn kai gumnhn). Future active of poiew and perfect passive predicate accusative participle of erhmow, old verb (from erhmo desolate), again in Psalms 18:16 Psalms 18:19 . Gumnhn (naked) is predicate adjective. Shall eat her flesh (ta sarka auth pagontai). Future middle of the defective verb esqiw, to eat. Note plural sarka, portions of flesh ( James 5:3 ) as in Psalms 27:2 ; Micah 3:3 . Shall burn her utterly with fire (authn katakausousin en puri). Future active of katakaiw, to burn down (perfective use of kaiw). John wrote before the days of Alaric, Genseric, Ricimer, Totila, with their hordes which devastated Rome and the west in the fifth and sixth centuries. "No reader of the Decline and Fall can be at a loss for materials which will at once illustrate and justify the general trend of St. John's prophecy" (Swete).