Revelation 17:3

He carried me away (aphnegken me). Second aorist active indicative of apoperw, to bear away, prophetic aorist. This verb is used of angels at death ( Luke 16:22 ) or in an ecstasy ( Revelation 21:10 and here). In the Spirit (en pneumati). Probably his own spirit, though the Holy Spirit is possible ( Revelation 1:10 ; Revelation 4:2 ; Revelation 21:10 ), without Paul's uncertainty ( 2 Corinthians 12:2 ). Cf. Ezekiel 3:14 ; Ezekiel 8:3 ; Ezekiel 11:24 . Into a wilderness (ei erhmon). In Isaiah 21:1 there is to orama th erhmou (the vision of the deserted one, Babylon), and in Isaiah 14:23 Babylon is called erhmon. John may here picture this to be the fate of Rome or it may be that he himself, in the wilderness (desert) this side of Babylon, sees her fate. In Isaiah 21:10 he sees the New Jerusalem from a high mountain. Sitting (kaqhmenhn). Present middle participle of kaqhmai as in verse Isaiah 1 . "To manage and guide the beast" (Vincent). Upon a scarlet-coloured beast (epi qhrion kokkinon). Accusative with epi here, though genitive in verse Isaiah 1 . Late adjective (from kokko, a parasite of the ilex coccifera), a crimson tint for splendour, in Revelation 17:3 Revelation 17:4 ; Revelation 18:12 Revelation 18:16 ; Matthew 27:28 ; Hebrews 9:19 . Full of names of blasphemy (gemonta onomata blasphmia). See Revelation 13:1 for "names of blasphemy" on the seven heads of the beast, but here they cover the whole body of the beast (the first beast of Revelation 13:1 ; Revelation 19:20 ). The harlot city (Rome) sits astride this beast with seven heads and ten horns (Roman world power). The beast is here personified with masculine participles instead of neuter, like qhrion (gemonta accusative singular, ecwn nominative singular, though some MSS. read econta), construction according to sense in both instances. The verb gemw always has the genitive after it in the Apocalypse ( Rev 4:6 Rev 4:8 ; Revelation 5:8 ; Revelation 15:7 ; Revelation 17:4 ; Revelation 21:9 ) save here and apparently once in Revelation 17:4 .