Revelation 17:7

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 17:7-13

Here we have the mystery of this vision explained. The apostle wonders at the sight of this woman: the angel undertakes to open this vision to him, it being the key of the former visions; and he tells the apostle what was meant by the beast on which the woman sat; but it is so explained as still to need further explanation. 1. This beast was, and is not, and yet is; that is, it was a seat of idolatry and persecution; and is not, that is, not in the ancient form, which was pagan; and yet it is,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 17:1-18

17:1-18 1 One of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls, came and spoke with me. "Come here," he said, "and I will show you the judgment of the great harlot, who sits upon many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication and with the wine of whose adultery those who inhabit the earth have become drunken." 3 He carried me away in the Spirit to a desert place, and I saw a woman, seated upon a scarlet beast, which was full of names which were insults to God, and which had... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 17:7

And the angel said unto me ,.... The same as in Revelation 17:1 wherefore didst thou marvel ? which is not said by way of reproof, as questions of this kind sometimes are, Acts 3:12 for John did not wonder at her with a sinful admiration, so as to have her in great veneration, and to do homage and worship to her, as the inhabitants of the world wondered after the beast, Revelation 13:3 but his admiration was an amazement, or stupefaction of mind, joined with indignation at her; and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 17:7

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel! I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carried her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns - The apostle was greatly astonished, as well he might be, at the woman's being drunk with the blood of the saints, when the beast which carried her abounded with sacred appellations, such as holy, most holy, most Christian, sacred, most sacred. The angel undertakes to explain to St. John the vision which had excited... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 17:1-18

"Babylon the great." Our aim in this homily will be to show to what form of evil the name "Babylon the great" specially seems to point. The complexity and difficulty which have gathered round this chapter seem to the writer to arise rather from the enormous incubus of human interpretation which has pressed it down. In this passage we are shown rather a twisted rope than a tangled web. If we untwist the threads and lay them side by side, we shall not have much difficulty, specially if we... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 17:7

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? did thou wonder? —the same word as in Revelation 17:6 . Though the seer cannot fully comprehend the terrible significance of the sign he sees, viz. that a portion of the Church is one with the hostile world (see on Revelation 17:6 ), yet there are sufficient marks wherewith to identify it. The woman, the wilderness, the reliance upon the world power, the inscription, the similar description of Judah in Jeremiah 2:1-37 and ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 17:7-13

A picture of moral error. "And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns," etc. Whilst to the eye of the Infinite the greatest cities of the world, the mightiest empires, the most stupendous productions of human art are as nothing, and less than nothing, "vanity," those great moral principles which are the expressions of his own nature, the laws that control... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Revelation 17:7

And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? - He was doubtless struck with the appearance of John as he stood fixed in astonishment. The question asked him, “why” he wondered, was designed to show him that the cause of his surprise would be removed or lessened, for that he would proceed so to explain this that he might have a correct view of its design.I will tell thee the mystery of the woman - On the word “mystery,” see the notes on Revelation 17:5. The sense is, “I will explain... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Revelation 17:6-7

Revelation 17:6-7. I saw the woman, &c. Infamous as the woman is for her idolatry, she is no less detestable for her cruelty, which are the two principal characters of the antichristian empire. She is drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs Or witnesses; of Jesus So that Rome may well be called, the slaughter-house of the martyrs. “This may indeed be applied both to pagan and to Christian Rome, for both have in their turns cruelly persecuted the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Revelation 17:7-14

Power of the beast (17:7-14)The angel now explains the meaning of the beast and the prostitute. The antichrist, empowered by Satan, controls human society, using his power to fight against the authority of God. His attacks on God’s people may die down for a period, but after he gains fresh life and strength the attacks will be renewed. In the end God will destroy him (7-8; cf. 13:3-4). (For believers of John’s time this illustration was full of meaning. The calm that followed Nero’s death was... read more

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