Revelation 17:5

Revelation 17:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
• New International Version (NIV)The name written on her forehead was a mystery: babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Context of Revelation 17:5

3Again, God's Spirit caused me to see and to hear strange things. The angel carried me away to a wilderness. There I saw a woman who was sitting on a wild animal that was bright red. All over this wild animal, names were written that insulted God. The animal had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was wearing clothes that were made from expensive cloth. She also wore bright things that made her look beautiful. She shone with gold, valuable stones and pearls. She held a gold cup in her hand. The cup was full of the bad and disgusting things that she had caused people to do. A name was written on the front of her head. Only God knows what it means. It was: Powerful Babylon. Mother of all prostitutes. Mother of all the disgusting things on the earth. 6I saw that the woman was like a drunk. She was like someone who had drunk the blood of God's people. She had killed them because they had told other people about Jesus. When I saw her, I was very surprised. 7Then the angel asked me, ‘Why are you surprised? I will explain the secret of the woman to you. I will tell you the secret of the wild animal that she rides. The wild animal that you saw has seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:5 word by word

καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• uponἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• foreheadμέτωπονmetopon · foreheadG3359
• a nameὄνομαonoma · nameG3686
• writtenγράφωgraphō · to writeG1125
• MYSTERYμυστήριονmustērion · mysteryG3466
• BABYLONΒαβυλώνBabulōn · BabylonG897
• THE GREATμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• THE MOTHERμήτηρmētēr · motherG3384
• OF HARLOTSπόρνηpornē · prostituteG4204
• ABOMINATIONSβδέλυγμαbdelugma · abominationG946
• OF THE EARTHγῆgē · earth: planetG1093

Cross-references for Revelation 17:5

• Revelation 7:3But he shouted to them, ‘Do not destroy the land or the sea or the trees yet. Wait until we put a seal on the heads of God's servants. God's seal on the front of their heads will keep them safe.’
• Isaiah 3:9Their proud faces show that they are guilty. Their sins are as bad as the sins of Sodom's people. And they do not try to hide it! It will be very bad for them! They have caused great trouble for themselves.
• Philippians 3:19In the end, God will destroy them. Their stomach is what they worship. They are proud of things that should make them ashamed. Their thoughts are full of things that belong to this world.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:7His power is already working secretly to turn people against God. But there is someone who makes it impossible for him to work freely. That person will continue to make it impossible, until God takes that person away.
• 2 Timothy 3:1Let me tell you this. During the last days of this world, there will be times of great trouble.
• Revelation 11:8Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city where people killed their Lord on a cross. This city should be called Sodom or Egypt, because it is as bad as those places.
• Revelation 14:8A second angel followed the first one. He said, ‘God has destroyed Babylon! It is no longer a great city! It has caused people everywhere to do the same bad things as it enjoys. She is like a prostitute who makes men become drunk and have sex in a wrong way. She has caused them to turn away from God.’
• Revelation 16:19As a result, the great city of Babylon broke into three parts. When the ground shook, it also destroyed the big cities of other nations in the world. God did not forget the evil things that the people of the great city of Babylon had done. So they had to drink wine from the cup of God's great anger.
• Revelation 18:2He shouted with a very loud voice: ‘God has destroyed the great city of Babylon! She has become a place where demons live. She is a home for every disgusting spirit. She is a home for every unclean bird. She is a home for every unclean and disgusting animal.
• Jeremiah 51:47So the time will soon come when I will punish Babylon's idols. The whole country will become ashamed. Its people will die and their dead bodies will lie everywhere.
• Revelation 18:9When all that happens, the kings on the earth will be very sad. They enjoyed the bad things that people did in that city. They had many expensive things so that they were happy. Now they will see the smoke from the fire that burns the city. As a result, they will cry and they will weep.
• Revelation 19:2Everything that he decides is right and fair. He has punished that great prostitute. She led people on the earth to do wicked things. She murdered God's servants with her own hands. But now God has punished her as she deserves.’

Commentaries on Revelation 17:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth - This inscription being written upon her forehead is intended to show that she is not ashamed of her doctrines, but publicly professes and glories in them before the nations: she has indeed a whore's forehead, she has refused to be ashamed. The inscription upon her forehead is exactly the portraiture of the Latin Church. This Church…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And upon her forehead - In a circlet around her forehead. That is, it was made prominent and public, as if written on the forehead in blazing capitals. In Revelation 13:1 it is said that “the name of blasphemy” was written on the “heads” of the beast. The meaning in both places is substantially the same, that it was prominent, and unmistakable. See the notes on that verse. Compare the note on Revelation 14:1. Was a name written - A title, or something…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5In symbolic language, John likely referred to Rome (see Revelation 17:9) as BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES. Babylon symbolized the world's idolatries and evil acts. As the MOTHER, she produced followers who imitated her behavior. Rome, like Babylon, worshipped false gods and led other nations into unfaithfulness and idol worship.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. upon ... forehead ... name--as harlots usually had. What a contrast to "Holiness to the Lord," inscribed on the miter on the high priest's forehead! mystery--implying a spiritual fact heretofore hidden, and incapable of discovery by mere reason, but now revealed. As the union of Christ and the Church is a "great mystery" (a spiritual truth of momentous interest, once hidden, now revealed, Ep 5:31, 32), so the Church conforming to the world and thereby…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 17:5

• Horn
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Babylon
• Babylon, Babylonia, Babylonian
• Antichrist
• Carry
• Forehead
• Harlot
• Babylon in the New Testament
• Crime; Crimes
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Mystery

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