Revelation 17:3-6
The Voice
3 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and the guide picked me up and carried me off. In the middle of a vast desert, I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet-colored beast covered with blasphemous names. The beast had seven heads and ten horns like the beast I had seen earlier rising out of the sea. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet fabrics; she shimmered with gold and jewels and pearls. I looked closer and saw that her hand held a golden cup brimming with abominations, bubbling over with the impurities of her sexual exploits. 5 On her forehead was inscribed a name, a mystery: “Babylon the great, the mother of whores and the abominations that defile the earth.” 6 I looked and saw that the woman was drunk because she had gorged herself on the blood of the saints and the blood of those people who refused to deny Jesus even to save their own lives. When I saw her, I was filled with wonder.
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Revelation 17:3-8
The Message
3-6 In the Spirit he carried me out in the desert. I saw a woman mounted on a Scarlet Beast. Stuffed with blasphemies, the Beast had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, festooned with gold and gems and pearls. She held a gold chalice in her hand, brimming with defiling obscenities, her foul fornications. A riddle-name was branded on her forehead: great babylon, mother of whores and abominations of the earth. I could see that the woman was drunk, drunk on the blood of God’s holy people, drunk on the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.
6-8 Astonished, I rubbed my eyes. I shook my head in wonder. The Angel said, “Does this surprise you? Let me tell you the riddle of the woman and the Beast she rides, the Beast with seven heads and ten horns. The Beast you saw once was, is no longer, and is about to ascend from the Abyss and head straight for Hell. Earth dwellers whose names weren’t written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will be dazzled when they see the Beast that once was, is no longer, and is to come.
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Revelation 17:3-6
1599 Geneva Bible
3 [a]So he carried me away into the wilderness in the Spirit, and I saw a woman sit upon a [b]scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, which had seven heads, and ten horns.
4 And [c]the woman was arrayed [d]in purple and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, [e]and had a cup of gold in her hand full of abomination, and filthiness of her fornication.
5 [f]And in her forehead was a name written, A mystery, [g]that great Babylon that mother of whoredoms, and abominations of the earth.
6 [h]And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of Saints, and with the blood of the Martyrs of JESUS: and when I saw her, [i]I wondered with great marvel.
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- Revelation 17:3 Henceforth is propounded the type of Babylon, and the state thereof in 4 verses. After a declaration of the type, in the rest of this chap., in the type are described two things, the beast (of whom chap. 13), in verse 3, and the woman that sitteth upon the beast, verses 4, 5, 6. The beast in process of time hath gotten somewhat more than was expressed in the former vision. First in that it is not read before that he was appareled in scarlet, a robe imperial and of triumph. Secondly, in that this is full of names of blasphemy: the other carried the name of blasphemy only in his head. So God did teach that this beast is much increased in impiety and injustice and doth in this last age, triumph in both these more insolently and proudly than ever before.
- Revelation 17:3 A scarlet color, that is, with a red and purple garment: and surely it was not without cause that the Romish clergy were so much delighted with this color.
- Revelation 17:4 That harlot, the spiritual Babylon, which is Rome. She is described by her attire, profession and deeds.
- Revelation 17:4 In attire most glorious, triumphant, most rich, and most gorgeous.
- Revelation 17:4 In profession, the nourisher of all, in this verse, and teaching her mysteries unto all, verse 5, setting forth all things most magnificently: but indeed most pernicious besotting miserable men with her cup, and bringing upon them a deadly giddiness.
- Revelation 17:5 Deceiving with the title of religion, and public inscription of mystery: which the beast in times past did not bear.
- Revelation 17:5 An exposition: in which S. John declareth what manner of woman this is.
- Revelation 17:6 In manner of deeds: She is red with blood, and sheddeth it most licentiously, and therefore is colored with the blood of the Saints, as on the contrary part. Christ is set forth imbrued with the blood of his enemies; Isa. 3:1.
- Revelation 17:6 A passage unto the second part of this chapter, by occasion given of S. John, as the words of the Angel do show, in the next verse.
Revelation 17:3-6
New King James Version
3 So he carried me away in the Spirit (A)into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting (B)on a scarlet beast which was full of (C)names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman (D)was arrayed in purple and scarlet, (E)and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, (F)having in her hand a golden cup (G)full of abominations and the filthiness of [a]her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:
(H)MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,
THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS
OF THE EARTH.
6 I saw (I)the woman, drunk (J)with the blood of the saints and with the blood of (K)the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
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- Revelation 17:4 M the fornication of the earth
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
