Revelation 17:4

Revelation 17:4 in other versions

• King James Version (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:
• New International Version (NIV)The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

Context of Revelation 17:4

2The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those who live on the earth became drunk on the wine of her sexual immorality.” 3Then he carried me away in the Spirit to a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold, jewels, and pearls. She had a golden cup in her hand filled with everything detestable and with the impurities of her prostitution. 5On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Detestable Things of the Earth. 6Then I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.

Revelation 17:4 word by word

καὶ ἡ γυνὴ ἦν περιβεβλημένη πορφυροῦν καὶ κόκκινον καὶ κεχρυσωμένη χρυσίῳ καὶ λίθῳ τιμίῳ καὶ μαργαρίταις, ἔχουσα ποτήριον χρυσοῦν ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτῆς γέμον βδελυγμάτων καὶ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα τῆς πορνείας αὐτῆς.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the womanὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• arrayed inπεριβάλλωperiballō · to clotheG4016
• purpleπορφύραporphura · purple clothG4209
• scarlet colourκόκκινοςkokkinos · scarletG2847
• deckedχρυσόωchrusoō · to gildG5558
• with goldχρυσόςchrusos · goldG5557
• preciousτίμιοςtimios · preciousG5093
• stonesλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
• pearlsμαργαρίτηςmargaritēs · pearlG3135
• havingἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• a goldenχρύσεοςchruseos · goldenG5552
• cupποτήριονpotērion · cupG4221
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• handχείρcheir · handG5495
• fullγέμωgemō · be fullG1073
• of abominationsβδέλυγμαbdelugma · abominationG946
• filthinessἀκαθάρτηςakathartēs · uncleannessG168
• fornicationπορνείαporneia · sexual sinG4202

Cross-references for Revelation 17:4

• Revelation 18:7As much as she glorified herself and indulged her sensual and excessive ways, give her that much torment and grief. For she says in her heart, “I sit as a queen; I am not a widow, and I will never see grief.”
• Daniel 11:38Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses — a god his ancestors did not know — with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches.
• Revelation 14:8And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.”
• Revelation 18:6Pay her back the way she also paid, and double it according to her works. In the cup in which she mixed, mix a double portion for her.
• Revelation 19:2because his judgments are true and righteous, because he has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and he has avenged the blood of his servants that was on her hands.
• Jeremiah 51:7Babylon was a gold cup in the Lord’s hand, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore, the nations go mad.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
• Deuteronomy 29:17You saw their abhorrent images and idols made of wood, stone, silver, and gold, which were among them.
• 1 Kings 14:24there were even male cult prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
• 2 Kings 21:2He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, imitating the detestable practices of the nations that the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.
• Isaiah 66:3One person slaughters an ox, another kills a person; one person sacrifices a lamb, another breaks a dog’s neck; one person offers a grain offering, another offers pig’s blood; one person offers incense, another praises an idol — all these have chosen their ways and delight in their abhorrent practices.
• Ezekiel 20:30“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you defiling yourselves the way your ancestors did, and prostituting yourselves with their abhorrent things?
• Hosea 9:10I discovered Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your ancestors like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, consecrated themselves to Shame, and became abhorrent, like the thing they loved.
• Ezra 9:11you gave through your servants the prophets, saying, “The land you are entering to possess is an impure land. The surrounding peoples have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness by their impurity and detestable practices.
• Lamentations 1:9Her uncleanness stains her skirts. She never considered her end. Her downfall was astonishing; there was no one to comfort her. Lord, look on my affliction, for the enemy boasts.
• Ezekiel 24:11Set the empty pot on its coals so that it becomes hot and its copper glows. Then its impurity will melt inside it; its corrosion will be consumed.

Commentaries on Revelation 17:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication - This strikingly represents the most pompous and costly manner in which the Latin Church has held forth to the nations the rites and ceremonies of its idolatrous and corrupt worship.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour - On the nature of the scarlet color, see the notes on Revelation 17:3. The purple color - ́ porphura- was obtained from a species of shellfish found on the coasts of the Mediterranean, which yielded a reddish-purple dye, much prized by the ancients. Robes dyed in that color were commonly worn by persons of rank and wealth, Mark 15:17, Mark 15:20; Luke 16:19. The purple color contains more blue than…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4John is taken in the spirit into the wilderness, which he uses to describe a visionary experience (see Revelation 1:10; 4:2). He sees a representation of Rome's moral decay and extreme luxury (see Revelation 18:12–13, 16). This shows how such wealth can be offensive to God. The beast here resembles the second figure in the evil trinity (see Revelation 13:1–4). blasphemous names: See Revelation 13:5–6. purple and scarlet: Clothing in these colors signified…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. The color scarlet, it is remarkable, is that reserved for popes and cardinals. Paul II made it penal for anyone but cardinals to wear hats of scarlet; compare Roman Ceremonial [3.5.5]. This book was compiled several centuries ago by Marcellus, a Romish archbishop, and dedicated to Leo X. In it are enumerated five different articles of dress of scarlet color. A vest is mentioned studded with pearls. The Pope's miter is of gold and precious stones. These…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 17:4

• Colors
• Horn
• Idolatry
• Pearl
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Precious Stones
• Abomination
• Antichrist
• Carry
• Colour
• Cup
• Pearl
• Array
• Color; Colors
• Crime; Crimes

Commentaries on Revelation 17

• 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
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings