Revelationchapter 17
18 verses · John, by tradition · AD 95 or 96 · Revelation
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
Introduction
John, by tradition, Revelation, Revelation Overview.
One of the angels who poured out the bowls now takes John aside to explain what he has seen. The churches who first heard this lived under a capital that drew wealth and worship from every province. The chapter moves from a picture to its meaning, and the angel does most of the talking. Listen for the contrast with another woman the book will show later. Listen too for the riddle of the beast who was and is not, since the angel says it calls for wisdom. Read it as the first of two chapters on the fall of the city.
Context
- Who
- Provincials who paid taxes to a city they had never seen and could not refuse
- What
- A vision of a woman called Babylon the Great riding a scarlet beast, followed by the angel's explanation of the woman, the beast, its heads and its horns.
- Where
- John saw it on the island of Patmos and wrote it to the seven churches of the Roman province of Asia.
- When
- About AD 95 under the emperor Domitian on the common dating, with an earlier date under Nero, about AD 68, held by others.
- Why
- To unmask the power that seduces the world, to show that it will fall to the beast it rides, and to assure the church that the Lamb will conquer.
Historical context
One of the seven bowl angels takes John aside and shows him a woman dressed in purple and scarlet, covered in gold and jewels and pearls, holding a golden cup. Purple and scarlet dye were among the most expensive goods in the Roman world, and this is the wardrobe of extreme wealth.
Show the rest of the historical context, 4 more paragraphs
The text then does something rare: it interprets itself. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. Rome was universally known as the city on seven hills, the Romans celebrated it themselves, and a coin issued under Vespasian shows the goddess Roma seated on seven hills.
The heads are also called seven kings, and readers have counted emperors from that line since the second century without reaching agreement on where the count starts. The angel's own summary is that the beast "was, and is not, and yet is," which is deliberately slippery.
The ten horns are ten kings who receive authority with the beast for a short time and give their power to him, a picture of client kingdoms, which is exactly how Rome ran its edges, through local rulers who kept their thrones by cooperating.
Then the twist: the horns and the beast turn on the woman, strip her, and burn her. The system devours its own showpiece. And the last line names her outright as the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth.
Significance
First-century readers saw Rome as the natural order of the universe, roads, coins, courts, ships, peace enforced by legions. This chapter reframed her as drunk with the blood of the saints and doomed to be destroyed by the very powers that carried her.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
That was not a call to revolt. Nobody in an Asian house church could touch Rome. It was a call to stop being impressed, to look at the purple and the gold cup and see what was inside it.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
A Harlot Riding a Scarlet Beast
Revelation 17:1-2
the punishment of the great prostitute: One of the seven angels with the seven bowls shows John the great prostitute, whose sin is her immorality with the kings of the earth. The prophets used the same figure against Tyre and Israel. She stands opposite the woman of chapter 12 and the bride of chapter 19.
Revelation 17:1
“And there came one of the seven angels, saying, Come hither - This relation concerning the great whore, and that concerning the wife of the Lamb, chap. xxi, 9, 10, have the same introduction, in token of the exact opposition between them. I will show thee the judgment of the great whore - Which is now circumstantially described.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Revelation 17:1
“But B, "the many waters" (Jer 51:13); Re 17:15, below, explains the sense. The whore is the apostate Church, just as "the woman" (Re 12:1-6) is the Church while faithful.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
The kings of the earth were immoral with her: One of the seven angels with the seven bowls says Come, I will show you, here and again at 21:9. Here he shows John the prostitute and there the bride, so the two women stand as opposites.
Revelation 17:2
“The woman (Re 12:1) is the congregation of God in its purity under the Old and New Testament, and appears again as the Bride of the Lamb, the transfigured Church prepared for the marriage feast. The woman, the invisible Church, is latent in the apostate Church, and is the Church militant; the Bride is the Church triumphant.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Revelation 17:3-5
sitting on a scarlet beast: In the wilderness John sees a woman sitting on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns, the beast of 13:1. She is dressed in purple and scarlet, yet she holds a golden cup full of abominations. The angel explains her name, BABYLON THE GREAT, from verse 7.
Revelation 17:3
"And I saw the woman herself sitting upon the scarlet-coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy." But to sit upon the scarlet beast, the author of murders, is the image of the devil. Where also is treated of his captivity, concerning which we have fully considered. I remember, indeed, that this is called Babylon also in the Apocalypse, on account of confusion; and in Isaiah also; and Ezekiel called it Sodom. In fine, if you compare what is said against Sodom, and what Isaiah says against Babylon, and what the Apocalypse says, you will find that they are all one.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
3 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:3
“So he carried me away in the spirit - In vision. He seemed to himself to be thus carried away; or the scene which he is about to describe was made to pass before him as if he were present. Into the wilderness - Into a desert. Compare the notes on Rev 12:6. Why this scene is laid in a wilderness or desert is not mentioned. Prof. Stuart supposes that it is because it is “appropriate to symbolize the future condition of the beast.” So DeWette and Rosenmuller.”
Revelation 17:3
“There is, indeed, a very close connection between them; the seven heads of the beast being "seven hills on which the woman sitteth." And yet there is a very remarkable difference between them, - between the papal power and the city of Rome. This woman is the city of Rome, with its buildings and inhabitants; especially the nobles.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 17:3
“As the dragon is fiery-red, so the beast is blood-red in color; implying its blood-guiltiness, and also deep-dyed sin. The scarlet is also the symbol of kingly authority. full--all over; not merely "on his heads," as in Re 13:1, for its opposition to God is now about to develop itself in all its intensity.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
dressed in purple and scarlet: She is dressed in purple and scarlet, the colors of the imperial robe. Purple was also the robe put on Christ in mockery before the cross.
Revelation 17:4
“And the woman was arrayed - With the utmost pomp and magnificence. In purple and scarlet - These were the colours of the imperial habit: the purple, in times of peace; and the scarlet, in times of war.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:4
“Showy adornments and clothing and the allurements of beauty are not becoming in any except prostitutes and shameless women, and of none, almost, is the dress more costly than those whose modesty is cheap. Thus in holy Scripture, by which the Lord has wished us to be instructed and admonished, a harlot city is described, beautifully attired and adorned, and with her adornments, and rather because of those very adornments, destined to perish. … Let chaste and modest virgins shun the attire of the unchaste, the clothing of the immodest, the insignia of brothels, the adornment of harlots.”
Cyprian · written before 258 · Treatise II. On the Dress of Virgins 12patristic
Revelation 17:4
The Lord alone by His coming can make the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ. The "purple" is the badge of empire; even as in mockery it was put on our Lord. decked--literally, "gilded." stones--Greek, "stone." filthiness--A, B, and ANDREAS read, "the filthy (impure) things."
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
a mysterious name was written: The name on her forehead answers the Father's name on the foreheads of the 144,000 at 14:1. Jerome read the name as eternal Rome. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown widen it to an apostate Christendom, as Israel once became a harlot as a whole.
Revelation 17:5
“Nor does he want to openly say that the Roman empire must be destroyed, which those who rule it regard as eternal. Therefore, according to the Apocalypse of John, on the forehead of the purple-clad prostitute, the name of blasphemy is written, that is, the eternal Rome. For if he had openly and boldly said that the Antichrist would not come unless the Roman empire was first destroyed, it would have seemed like a just cause for persecution to then arise against the Church in the east.”
Jerome · written before 420 · Letter 121, Chapter 11patristic
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:5
“And upon her forehead - In a circlet around her forehead. That is, it was made prominent and public, as if written on the forehead in blazing capitals. In Rev 13:1 it is said that “the name of blasphemy” was written on the “heads” of the beast. The meaning in both places is substantially the same, that it was prominent, and unmistakable. See the notes on that verse. Compare the note on Rev 14:1. Was a name written - A title, or something that would properly indicate her character.”
Revelation 17:5
“The correspondence of syllables and accents in Greek is striking; "He porne kai to therion; He numphe kai to arnion." "The whore and the beast; the Bride and the Lamb." of harlots--Greek, "of the harlots and of the abominations." Not merely Rome, but Christendom as a whole, even as formerly Israel as a whole, has become a harlot.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
drunk with the blood: The golden cup of verse 4 is matched by blood: the woman is drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. John was utterly amazed at the sight of her, and the angel's explanation in verse 7 answers that wonder.
Revelation 17:6
“And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints - So that Rome may well be called, "The slaughter-house of the martyrs." She hath shed much Christian blood in every age; but at length she is even drunk with it, at the time to which this vision refers.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:6
“When great Babylon likewise is represented as drunk with the blood of the saints, doubtless the supplies needful for her drunkenness are furnished by the cups of martyrdoms; and what suffering the fear of martyrdoms will entail, is in like manner shown.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · Scorpiacepatristic
Revelation 17:6
"Corruptio optimi pessima"; when the Church falls, she sinks lower than the godless world, in proportion as her right place is higher than the world. It is striking that in Re 17:3, "woman" has not the article, "the woman," as if she had been before mentioned: for though identical in one sense with the woman, Re 12:1-6, in another sense she is not.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
The Mystery Explained: Seven Heads, Ten Kings
Revelation 17:7-8
The mystery is a hidden truth made known. The beast that was, and is not, and yet will be echoes God's name at 1:4 and the risen Christ at 1:18. The marvelers are those whose names were not written in the Book of Life, as at 20:15.
Revelation 17:7
"I will tell you what the mystery of the woman and the beast is": that is, in a mystical way these things which are written to you as in a figure are revealed through the Revelation.
Oecumenius · written before 550 · Commentary on Revelationpatristic
come up out of the Abyss: The marvel of those who dwell on the earth repeats 13:3 and 8, where the world followed the beast after its wound was healed. The oldest manuscripts end the verse with a Greek word meaning will be present, pointing to a return.
Revelation 17:8
“But A, B, Syriac, and Coptic read the singular, "name is." written in--Greek, "upon." which--rather, "when they behold the beast that it was," &c. So Vulgate. was, and is not, and yet is--A, B, and ANDREAS read, "and shall come" (literally, "be present," namely, again: Greek, "kai parestai").”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:8
“The first of these three is described in the thirteenth chapter. chap. xiii, 1-18 This was past when the angel spoke to St. John. The second was then in its course; the third woe to come. And is not - The fifth phial brought darkness upon his kingdom: the woman took this advantage to seat herself upon him.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 17:9-10
a mind with wisdom: The call for wisdom repeats 13:18, where it was spoken over the number of the beast. The seven heads are both seven mountains and seven kings: Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come.
Revelation 17:9
“The seven heads can hardly be at once seven kings or kingdoms (Re 17:10), and seven geographical mountains. The true connection is, as the head is the prominent part of the body, so the mountain is prominent in the land. Like "sea" and "earth"and "waters . . . peoples" (Re 17:15), so "mountains" have a symbolical meaning, namely, prominent seats of power.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:9
“These things, beloved, we impart to you with fear, and yet readily, on account of the love of Christ, which surpasseth all. For if the blessed prophets who preceded us did not choose to proclaim these things, though they knew them, openly and boldly, lest they should disquiet the souls of men, but recounted them mystically in parables and dark sayings, speaking thus, "Here is the mind which hath wisdom," how much greater risk shall we run in venturing to declare openly things spoken by them in obscure terms!”
Hippolytus of Rome · written before 235 · Hippolytus Dogmatical and Historical Fragmentspatristic
the other has not yet come: In the Greek the phrase for only a little while stands first, stressing how short the seventh king's reign will be. Five have fallen, one is, so John writes under the sixth.
Revelation 17:10
"And there are seven kings: five have fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he is come, he will be for a short time." The time must be understood in which the written Apocalypse was published, since then reigned Caesar Domitian; but before him had been Titus his brother, and Vespasian, Otho, Vitellius, and Galba. These are the five who have fallen. One remains, under whom the Apocalypse was written-Domitian, to wit.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:10
“And they are seven kings - Anciently there were royal palaces on all the seven Roman bills. These were the Palatine, Capitoline, Coelian, Exquiline, Viminal, Quirinal, Aventine hills. But the prophecy respects the seven hills at the time of the beast, when the Palatine was deserted and the Vatican in use.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 17:10
“The emphasis palpably is on "a short space," which therefore comes first in the Greek, not on "he must continue," as if his continuance for some [considerable] time were implied, as ALFORD wrongly thinks. The time of external Christianization (while the beast's wound continues) has lasted for centuries, ever since Constantine.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
is an eighth king: The beast is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven, matching Daniel's fourth beast and its little horn. Its end is fixed as destruction, the word used of Judas in John 17:12 and in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
Revelation 17:11
"And the beast which thou sawest is of the seven." Since before those kings Nero reigned. "And he is the eighth." He says only when this beast shall come, reckon it the eighth place, since in that is the completion. He added:- "And shall go into perdition." For that ten kings received royal power when he shall move from the east, he says. He shall be sent from the city of Rome with his armies. And Daniel sets forth the ten horns and the ten diadems.
Victorinus of Pettau · written before 304 · Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed Johnpatristic
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:11
“And the beast that was, and is not - That is, the one power that was formerly mighty; that died away so that it might be said to be extinct; and yet Rev 17:8 that “still is,” or has a prolonged existence. It is evident that, by the “beast” here, there is some one power, dominion, empire, or rule, whose essential identity is preserved through all these changes, and to which it is proper to give the same name.”
Revelation 17:12-14
The ten horns you saw: The ten kings match the ten horns of Daniel 7:24 and rule for one hour, along with the beast. The Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, the title of 19:16.
Revelation 17:12
“In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord's disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast.”
Irenaeus · written before 202 · Against Heresies Book Vpatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Revelation 17:12
“They are ten secular potentates, contemporary with, not succeeding, each other, who receive authority as kings with the beast, probably in some convention, which, after a very short space, they will deliver up to the beast. Because of their short continuance, only authority as kings, not a kingdom, is ascribed to them.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Revelation 17:12
“Compare Da 2:34, 44, "the stone smote the image upon his feet," that is, upon the ten toes, which are, in Da 2:41-44, interpreted to be "kings." The ten kingdoms are not, therefore, ten which arose in the overthrow of Rome (heathen), but are to rise out of the last state of the fourth kingdom under the eighth head.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
These kings have one purpose: Their single purpose is set inside a larger one, since verse 17 says God put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose. Andreas of Caesarea applies the saying that no one can serve two masters. Kings who ally with the antichrist set themselves against Christ.
the Lamb will triumph over them: The title Lord of lords and King of kings returns at 19:16 in reverse order, written on the Rider's robe. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the called, chosen and faithful as sharing the victory, saints now appearing with Him. John Wesley reads them as calling, election and faithfulness to death.
Revelation 17:14
“This shall not be till after they have first executed judgment on the harlot (Re 17:15, 16). Lord of lords, &c.--anticipating Re 19:16. are--not in the Greek. Therefore translate, "And they that are with Him, called chosen, and faithful (shall overcome them, namely, the beast and his allied kings)." These have been with Christ in heaven unseen, but now appear with Him.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:14
“And they that are with him - Beholding his victory, are such as were, while in the body, called, by his word and Spirit. And chosen - Taken out of the world, when they were enabled to believe in him. And faithful - Unto death.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
The Ten Kings Turn on Her and Burn Her
Revelation 17:15-17
where the prostitute was seated: The waters are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues, as at 7:9. The ten horns will hate the prostitute and burn her with fire, the penalty of Leviticus 21:9 for a priest's daughter who became a harlot. God has put it into their hearts.
Revelation 17:15
“And he saith unto me - The angel, Rev 17:7. This commences the more “literal” statement of what is meant by these symbols. See the Analysis of the chapter. The waters which thou sawest - See the notes on Rev 17:1. Are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues - For an explanation of these terms, see the notes on Rev 7:9. The meaning here is: (a) that these waters represent a multitude of people. This is a common and an obvious symbol - for outspread seas or raging floods would naturally represent such a multitude.”
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:15
“The "tongues" remind us of the original Babel, the confusion of tongues, the beginning of Babylon, and the first commencement of idolatrous apostasy after the flood, as the tower was doubtless dedicated to the deified heavens. Thus, Babylon is the appropriate name of the harlot.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
will hate the prostitute: The kings of the earth weep over her smoke at 18:9, while the ten horns here burn her. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown find a pattern in history. Jerusalem used Rome to crucify her Saviour and was then destroyed by Rome, and the harlot falls to the power that carried her.
Revelation 17:16
“As Jerusalem used the world power to crucify her Saviour, and then was destroyed by that very power, Rome; so the Church, having apostatized to the world, shall have judgment executed on her first by the world power, the beast and his allies; and these afterwards shall have judgment executed on them by Christ Himself in person.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
God has put it into their hearts: God rules even the plans of His enemies here, as He used Assyria in Isaiah 10, the text Albert Barnes sets beside the verse. Bede reads it as a just permission, a punishment for earlier sins. The closing phrase recalls the finished mystery of 10:7.
Revelation 17:17
“For God hath put it into their heart - Which indeed no less than almighty power could have effected. To execute his sentence - till the words of God - Touching the overthrow of all his enemies, should be fulfilled.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Revelation 17:17
“Greek, "hoi logoi," in A, B, and ANDREAS. English Version reading is Greek, "ta rhemata," which is not well supported. No mere articulate utterances, but the efficient words of Him who is the Word: Greek, "logos." fulfilled-- (Re 10:7).”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
is the great city: The angel ends where he began, with the woman, and now names her the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. The chapter leads straight into the lament over that city in chapter 18.
How this psalm is built
The form: A vision followed by its interpretation, the angel turning each symbol into a plain statement, as Barnes classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The harlot and the bride | The angel who shows John the prostitute at 17:1 shows him the bride at 21:9 with the same opening words. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown mark the matching sound of the Greek pairs, the harlot and the beast against the bride and the Lamb, so the two women are drawn to be read together.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 17:5. | Revelation 17:1, Revelation 17:3, Revelation 21:9 |
| Was, and is not, and will come | The beast is described three times in a riddle of tenses, twice at verse 8 and again at verse 11. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that the oldest manuscripts close verse 8 with will be present, which answers the name of God at 1:4, who is and was and is to come.Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871, on Revelation 17:8. | Revelation 17:8, Revelation 17:11 |
| Symbol, then meaning | The angel explains the picture piece by piece: the heads are mountains and kings, the horns are kings, the waters are peoples and the woman is the great city. Albert Barnes marks verse 15 as the start of the plainer statement of what the symbols mean.Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869), on Revelation 17:15. | Revelation 17:9, Revelation 17:12, Revelation 17:15, Revelation 17:18 |
Where the pictures come from
9 more paragraphs on the patterns
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown hear Jeremiah 51:13 in the many waters (Commentary Critical and Explanatory, on 17:1), and they hear the tongues of Babel in verse 15, the first seat of idolatry after the flood (on 17:15). Irenaeus reads the ten horns as the ten horns Daniel saw (Against Heresies Book V), and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown add the ten toes of Daniel 2 (on 17:12). Victorinus of Pettau sets Isaiah's Babylon and Ezekiel's Sodom beside this city and finds them one (Commentary on the Apocalypse, on 17:3).
Where it sits in the book
The seventh bowl at 16:19 says God remembered Babylon the great, and this chapter and the next tell her fall. The angel who shows her is one of the seven with the bowls, and one of the same seven shows the bride at 21:9. The ten kings who give their power to the beast make war on the Lamb, and that war is told at 19:19.
The debated concept: who the woman is
Jerome reads her name as eternal Rome (Letter 121, chapter 11), and Victorinus of Pettau reads the heads as Roman emperors (on 17:10). John Wesley reads the woman as the city of Rome, distinct from the papal power that is the beast (Explanatory Notes, on 17:3). Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read her as the church gone apostate (on 17:1). The site's note on 17:18 reads her as a real seat of power in the last days and names no city living today.
The debated concept: the heads, the eighth king and the ten horns
Victorinus counts Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian and Titus as fallen and Domitian as reigning (on 17:10). Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the mountains as seats of power and the kings as kingdoms (on 17:9 and 17:10). Irenaeus reads the ten kings as rulers among whom the empire will be divided in the last times (Against Heresies Book V), the reading the site holds. Hippolytus of Rome warns that the prophets spoke of these things in dark sayings (Dogmatical and Historical Fragments).
Where the New Testament touches it
The beast goes into destruction, and the site's note on 17:11 ties the word to the son of perdition at John 17:12 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The title Lord of lords and King of kings returns at 19:16, and Paul gives God the same title at 1 Timothy 6:15.
Keep studying
Studies7
Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869), on Revelation 17:15; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755, on Revelation 17:1 and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John, 304, on Revelation 17:3.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes; Andreas of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE 17:13-14; Bede, Commentary on Revelation; Cyprian, Treatise II. On the Dress of Virgins 12; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Letter 121, Chapter 11; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on Revelation and Victorinus of Pettau, Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John.