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

19They will throw dirt from the ground on their heads because they are so sad. They will weep and they will shout, ‘Bad trouble has come to you, Babylon! Great city! It is very bad for you! Everyone who had ships on the sea became rich because of you. You used your money to buy their expensive things. But in one single hour God has destroyed that city.’ 20Yes, you who live in heaven, be happy! Be happy because God has punished Babylon! God's people and his apostles and his prophets, be happy! God has punished the city because of what she did to you. Then a powerful angel picked up a very big, heavy stone. He threw it into the sea. He said, ‘God will throw you down, Babylon! You are a great city, but God will throw you down like this stone. Nobody will ever see you again! 22Nobody will ever hear music in the city again. Nobody will sing there. Nobody will make music with harps, or with flutes, or with trumpets. There will never be workers who make things in the city. Nobody will ever hear the sound of people who make flour again. 23No light from people's lamps will ever shine in the city again. Nobody will ever hear the happy voices of a man and a woman when they marry. Your traders were the most powerful people on the earth. You used your magic to deceive people from all nations.

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• aεἷςheis · oneG1520
• mightyἰσχυρόςischuros · strongG2478
• angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• took upαἴρωairō · to take upG142
• a stoneλίθοςlithos · stoneG3037
• likeὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• a greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• millstoneμύλοςmulos · millstoneG3458
• castβάλλωballō · to throw: throwG906
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• the seaθάλασσαthalassa · seaG2281
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Thusοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• with violenceὅρμημαhormēma · sudden violenceG3731
• cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• BabylonΒαβυλώνBabulōn · BabylonG897
• shall be foundεὑρίσκωheuriskō · to find/meetG2147
• noοὐou · noG3756
• moreἔτιeti · stillG2089
• at allμήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for Revelation 18:21

• Exodus 15:5The deep waters have covered them. They fell to the floor of the sea, like a stone.
• Nehemiah 9:11You divided the sea into two parts so that your people could cross it on a dry path. When Pharaoh's soldiers chased after them, you threw them into the sea. They drowned in the water, like a heavy stone.
• Jeremiah 51:63When you have finished reading aloud all the words on the scroll, tie a big stone to it. Throw it all into the middle of the Euphrates river.
• Revelation 18:22Nobody will ever hear music in the city again. Nobody will sing there. Nobody will make music with harps, or with flutes, or with trumpets. There will never be workers who make things in the city. Nobody will ever hear the sound of people who make flour again.
• Revelation 12:8But the dragon and his army were not strong enough to win the battle. They no longer had a place for themselves in heaven.
• Revelation 16:20When the ground shook, every island in the sea disappeared. There were no more mountains anywhere.
• Revelation 20:11Then I saw a great white throne. I saw that God was sitting on it. The earth and the sky rushed away from the place where he sat. There was no longer any place for them.
• Job 20:8He will disappear like a dream that quickly goes away. Nobody can find him any more.
• Psalms 37:36But soon after that, I see that they have disappeared! I looked for them, but I could not find them anywhere.
• Ezekiel 26:21I will cause terrible things to happen to you. You will come to a complete end. People will look for you, but they will never find you. That is what the Almighty Lord says.’
• Daniel 11:19So the king of the north will return to the strong cities in his own country. But he will lose his power and he will fall. Nobody will ever see him again.

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