New King James Version
Revelation 17:6
6I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
Revelation 17:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
- New International Version (NIV)I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her, I marveled greatly.
- New Living Translation (NLT)I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.
Context of Revelation 17:6
4The 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. 5And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. 7But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Read all of Revelation 17Revelation 17:6 word by word
καὶ εἶδον τὴν γυναῖκα μεθύουσαν ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αἵματος τῶν μαρτύρων Ἰησοῦ, καὶ ἐθαύμασα ἰδὼν αὐτὴν θαῦμα μέγα.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- I sawὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- the womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
- drunkenμεθύωmethuō · to get drunkG3184
- withἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- the bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
- of the saintsἅγιοςhagios · holy: saintG40
- of the martyrsμάρτυςmartus · witnessG3144
- of JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- herαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- I wonderedθαυμάζωthaumazō · to marvelG2296
- with greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- admirationθαῦμαthauma · marvelG2295
Cross-references for Revelation 17:6
- Revelation 13:7It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
- Revelation 16:6For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.”
- Revelation 18:20“Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged you on her!”
- Daniel 7:21“I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them,
- Revelation 2:13“I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
- Revelation 6:9When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
- Revelation 12:11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
- Acts 22:20And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’
- Habakkuk 1:13You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, And hold Your tongue when the wicked devours A person more righteous than he?
Commentaries on Revelation 17:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration - How exactly the cruelties exercised by the Latin Church against all it has denominated heretics correspond with this description, the reader need not be informed.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints - A reeling, intoxicated harlot, for that is the image which is kept up all along. In regard to the phrase “drunken with blood,” compare Jeremiah 46:10. “The phraseology is derived from the barbarous custom (still extant among many pagan nations) of drinking the blood of the enemies slain in the way of revenge. The effect of drinking blood is said to be to exasperate, and to intoxicate with passion…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6God’s holy people were witnesses for Jesus, even shedding their blood (see Revelation 16:6; Hebrews 12:4). During John's time, Rome caused this persecution.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. martyrs--witnesses. I wondered with great admiration--As the Greek is the same in the verb and the noun, translate the latter "wonder." John certainly did not admire her in the modern English sense. Elsewhere (Re 17:8; 13:3), all the earthly-minded ("they that dwell on the earth") wonder in admiration of the beast. Here only is John's wonder called forth; not the beast, but the woman sunken into the harlot, the Church become a world-loving apostate…Read the comment
Topics related to Revelation 17:6
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries