Revelation 17:16-17

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 17:14-18

Here we have some account of the downfall of Babylon, to be more fully described in the following chapter. I. Here is a war begun between the beast and his followers, and the Lamb and his followers. The beast and his army, to an eye of sense, appear much stronger than the Lamb and his army: one would think an army with a lamb at the head of them could not stand before the great red dragon. But, II. Here is a victory gained by the Lamb: The Lamb shall overcome. Christ must reign till all... 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 17:16

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast ,.... Revelation 17:3 and which are interpreted of ten kings, Revelation 17:12 . The Alexandrian copy, the Complutensian edition, and the Syriac Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, read, "and the beast"; and then the sense is, that the ten kings and states in particular, who have defended antichrist, and the whole empire in general, which has bore up and supported the whore of Rome: these shall hate the whore ; her principles and... read more

John Gill

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

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will ,.... By doing the preceding things to the whore of Rome, whose destruction is according to the will of God; it is his approving will, what he likes of, and will be well pleased with; it is his will of command, what he will order to be done, Revelation 18:6 and it is his determining will, his will of purpose, his decree, what he has resolved shall be done; he has fixed the time of her reign, and longer than that she shall not continue:... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 17:16

And the ten horns which thou sowest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire - Here is a clue to lead us to the right interpretation of the horns of the beast. It is said the Ten horns shall hate the whore; by which is evidently meant, when connected with what follows, that the whole of the ten kingdoms in the interest of the Latin Church shall finally despise her doctrines, be reformed from popery,... read more

Adam Clarke

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

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled - Let no one imagine that these ten Latin kingdoms, because they support an idolatrous worship, have been raised up merely by the power of man or the chances of war. No kingdom or state can exist without the will of God; therefore let the inhabitants of the world tremble when they see a wicked monarchy rise to power, and let them consider that... 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 17:14-18

The great moral campaign. "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful," etc. To our mind these verses seem to adumbrate the greatest of all the campaigns this world has ever witnessed or ever will. In every department of sentient being there seems to be an arena of conflict, and physical wars in human life have been rife in every part of the world, from the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 17:16

And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast; and the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast. There is no authority for the ἐπι τὸ θηρίον of Erasmus except the Vulgate, in bestia, and, of course, the description given of the beast ( Revelation 13:1 , etc,). The two are spoken of separately, on account of the separate juris diction wielded according to verses 32, 13. These shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 17:17

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled; God did put … to do his mind, and to come to one mind (Revised Version). "His mind" is thought by Bengel, De Wette, and Dusterdieck to signify the beast's mind. Others understand God's mind. In either ease the general sense is plain. While the world power is apparently performing the will of the beast, God is working above all; only by his... read more

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