Revelation 18:20

Revelation 18:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
• New International Version (NIV)“Rejoice over her, you heavens! Rejoice, you people of God! Rejoice, apostles and prophets! For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”

Context of Revelation 18:20

18and exclaimed as they watched the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘What could be compared to the great city?’ 19And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, for the great city, where all who had ships at sea grew rich from her great wealth, because in one hour she has been laid waste!’ Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints (God’s people) and apostles and prophets [who were martyred], because God has executed vengeance for you [through righteous judgment] upon her.” 21Then a single powerful angel picked up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea, saying, “With such violence will Babylon the great city be hurled down [by the sudden, spectacular judgment of God], and will never again be found. 22And the sound of harpists and musicians and flutists and trumpeters will never again be heard in you, and no skilled artisan of any craft will ever again be found in you, and the sound of the millstone [grinding grain] will never again be heard in you [for commerce will no longer flourish, and normal life will cease].

Revelation 18:20 word by word

εὐφραίνου ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ, οὐρανὲ καὶ οἱ ἅγιοι καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι καὶ οἱ προφῆται, ὅτι ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Rejoiceεὐφραίνωeuphrainō · to celebrateG2165
• overἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• holyἅγιοςhagios · holy: saintG40
• apostlesἀπόστολοςapostolos · apostleG652
• prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• hathκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• avengedκρίμαkrima · judgmentG2917
• youσύsu · youG4771
• onἐκek ex · out fromG1537

Cross-references for Revelation 18:20

• Revelation 19:1After these things I heard something like the great and mighty shout of a vast multitude in heaven, exclaiming, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory (splendor, majesty) and power (dominion, might) belong to our God;
• Judges 5:31So let all Your enemies perish, O Lord; But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.” And the land was at rest for forty years.
• Psalms 48:11Let Mount Zion be glad, Let the daughters of Judah rejoice Because of Your [righteous] judgments.
• Psalms 58:10The [unyieldingly] righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance [of God]; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
• Psalms 96:11Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; Let the sea roar, and all the things it contains;
• Psalms 107:42The upright see it and rejoice; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
• Psalms 109:28Let them curse, but You bless. When adversaries arise, let them be ashamed, But let Your servant rejoice.
• Proverbs 11:10When it goes well for the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
• Isaiah 44:23Shout for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done it! Shout in triumph, you depths of the earth; Break forth into jubilant rejoicing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, And He shows His glory in Israel.
• Isaiah 49:13Shout for joy, O heavens, and rejoice, O earth, And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people And will have compassion on His afflicted.
• Jeremiah 51:47Therefore behold (listen carefully), the days are coming When I will judge and punish the idols of Babylon; Her whole land will be perplexed and shamed, And all her slain will fall in her midst.
• Ephesians 2:20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the [chief] Cornerstone,
• Ephesians 3:5which in other generations was not disclosed to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the [Holy] Spirit;
• Ephesians 4:11And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],
• 2 Peter 3:2that you should remember the words spoken in the past [about the future] by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior given by your apostles [His personally chosen representatives].
• Jude 1:17But as for you, beloved, remember the [prophetic] words spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Commentaries on Revelation 18:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Rejoice over her, thou heaven - This is grand and sublime; the fall of this bad city was cause of grief to bad men. But as this city was a persecutor of the godly, and an enemy to the works of God, angels, apostles, and prophets are called to rejoice over her fall.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Rejoice over her - Over her ruin. There is a strong contrast between this language and what precedes. Kings, merchants, and seamen, who had been countenanced and sustained by her in the indulgence of corrupt passions, or who had been enriched by traffic with her, would have occasion to mourn. But not so they who had been persecuted by her. Not so the church of the redeemed. Not so heaven itself. The great oppressor of the church, and the corrupter of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-24Verses 20-24 That which is matter of rejoicing to the servants of God on earth, is matter of rejoicing to the angels in heaven. The apostles, who are honoured and daily worshipped at Rome in an idolatrous manner, will rejoice in her fall. The fall of Babylon was an act of God's justice. And because it was a final ruin, this enemy should never molest them any more; of this they were assured by a sign. Let us take warning from the things which brought…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20The laments (Revelation 18:9–19) prompt a call for heaven to rejoice. The people of God should not grieve because the judgment was for them. They had suffered persecution from the evil forces symbolized by the great city.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. holy apostles--So C reads. But A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, and Andreas read, "Ye saints and ye apostles." avenged you on her--Greek, "judged your judgment on (literally, exacting it from) her." "There is more joy in heaven at the harlot's downfall than at that of the two beasts. For the most heinous of all sin is the sin of those who know God's word of grace, and keep it not. The worldliness of the Church is the most worldly of all worldliness…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 18:20

• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Fill
• Foul
• Mighty
• Thy
• Avenge; Avenger
• Babylon in the New Testament
• Bishop
• Damn; Damnation; Damnable

Commentaries on Revelation 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings