Revelation 18:21

Revelation 18:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
• New International Version (NIV)Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

Context of Revelation 18:21

19And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, wherein all that had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. 20Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye saints, and ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath judged your judgment on her. And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all. 22And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23and the light of a lamp shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the princes of the earth; for with thy sorcery were all the nations deceived.

Revelation 18:21 word by word

Καὶ ἦρεν εἷς ἄγγελος ἰσχυρὸς λίθον ὡς μύλινον μέγαν καὶ ἔβαλεν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν λέγων· οὕτως ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη πόλις καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ ἔτι.Read the interlinear

• strongἰσχυρόςischuros · strongG2478
• angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• tookαἴρωairō · to take upG142
• stoneλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• millstoneμύλοςmulos · millstoneG3458
• castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
• seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Thusοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• BabylonΒαβυλώνBabulōn · BabylonG897
• cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• moreἔτιeti · stillG2089

Cross-references for Revelation 18:21

• Exodus 15:5The deeps cover them: They went down into the depths like a stone.
• Nehemiah 9:11And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers thou didst cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters.
• Jeremiah 51:63And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates:
• Revelation 18:22And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no more at all in thee;
• Revelation 12:8and they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
• Revelation 16:20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
• Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
• Job 20:8He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: Yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night.
• Psalms 37:36But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: Yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
• Ezekiel 26:21I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt no more have any being; though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord Jehovah.
• Daniel 11:19Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

Commentaries on Revelation 18:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down - This action is finely and forcibly expressed by the original words: ̔ ̔ ̔ . The millstone will in falling have not only an accelerated force from the law of gravitation, but that force will be greatly increased by the projectile force impressed upon it by the power of the destroying angel. Shall be found no more at all - In her government, consequence, or influence. This is true of ancient…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And a mighty angel - See the notes on Revelation 18:1. This seems, however, to have been a different angel from the one mentioned in Revelation 18:1, though, like that, he is described as having great power. Took up a stone like a great millstone - On the structure of mills among the ancients see the notes on Matthew 24:41. And cast it into the sea - As an emblem of the utter ruin of the city; an indication that the city would be as completely destroyed…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. 21a stone the size of a great millstone: People used heavy millstones, shaped for grinding olives or grain, throughout the ancient world. Jesus also mentioned using such stones for judgment (see Matthew 18:6). The dramatically thrown boulder symbolized that Rome's power was permanently destroyed.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. a--Greek, "one." millstone--Compare the judgment on the Egyptian hosts at the Red Sea, Ex 15:5, 10; Ne 9:11, and the foretold doom of Babylon, the world power, Jr 51:63, 64. with violence--Greek, "with impetus." This verse shows that this prophecy is regarded as still to be fulfilled.Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Fill
• Foul
• Mighty
• Thy
• Ass
• Babylon in the New Testament
• Israel, History of

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