Revelation 17:4 BSB

Revelation 17:4

The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stone and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations, even the unclean things of her fornication,

KJV

And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:

⋯

Commentary

3 voices

Cyprian

Treatise II. On the Dress of Virgins 12 (258)

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.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)

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.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

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."

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

31 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
καὶ	kai	And	G2532 →
ἡ	hē	the	G3588 →
γυνὴ	gunē	woman	G1135 →
ἦν	ēn	was	G1510 →
περιβεβλημένη	peribeblēmenē	clothed in	G4016 →
πορφυροῦν	porphuroun	purple	G4210 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
κόκκινον	kokkinon	scarlet	G2847 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
κεχρυσωμένη	kechrusōmenē	adorned	G5558 →
χρυσίῳ	chrusiō	with gold	G5553 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
λίθῳ	lithō	with stone	G3037 →
τιμίῳ	timiō	precious	G5093 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
μαργαρίταις,	margaritais	with pearls,	G3135 →
ἔχουσα	echousa	holding	G2192 →
ποτήριον	potērion	a cup	G4221 →
χρυσοῦν	chrusoun	golden	G5552 →
ἐν	en	in	G1722 →
τῇ	tēa	the	G3588 →
χειρὶ	cheiri	hand	G5495 →
αὐτῆς	autēs	of her	G846 →
γέμον	gemon	being full	G1073 →
βδελυγμάτων	bdelugmatōn	of abominations	G946 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
τὰ	ta	the	G3588 →
ἀκάθαρτα	akatharta	unclean [things]	G169 →
τῆς	tēs	of the	G3588 →
πορνείας	porneias	sexual immorality	G4202 →
αὐτῆς.	autēs	of her.	G846 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Revelation 19:2
For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her…
leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:43
  Rejoice, O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him. Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries…
- Revelation 6:10
  And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”
- Revelation 16:5–7
  And I heard the angel of the waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One, who is and was, because You have brought these judgments.
- Revelation 18:20
  Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
- Deuteronomy 32:35
  Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
Through
Lamentations 1:9
Her uncleanness stains her skirts; she did not consider her end. Her downfall was astounding; there was no one to comfort her. Look, O LORD, on my affliction, for the enemy has triumphed!
leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:29
  If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
- Isaiah 47:7
  You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome.
Through
Jeremiah 51:7
Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
leads to
- Revelation 14:8
  Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”