Revelation 17:15

Revelation 17:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the angel said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.

Context of Revelation 17:15

13They will all agree to give him their power and authority. 14Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.” Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the prostitute is ruling represent masses of people of every nation and language. 16The scarlet beast and his ten horns all hate the prostitute. They will strip her naked, eat her flesh, and burn her remains with fire. 17For God has put a plan into their minds, a plan that will carry out his purposes. They will agree to give their authority to the scarlet beast, and so the words of God will be fulfilled.

Revelation 17:15 word by word

Καὶ λέγει μοι· τὰ ὕδατα ἃ εἶδες, οὗ ἡ πόρνη κάθηται, λαοὶ καὶ ὄχλοι εἰσὶν καὶ ἔθνη καὶ γλῶσσαι.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• he saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto meἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• The watersὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• The watersὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• thou sawestὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• whereοὗhou · whitherG3757
• the whoreπόρνηpornē · prostituteG4204
• sittethκάθημαιkathēmai · to sitG2521
• areεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• peoplesλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• multitudesὄχλοςochlos · crowdG3793
• nationsἔθνοςethnos · GentilesG1484
• tonguesγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100

Cross-references for Revelation 17:15

• Revelation 17:1One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. “Come with me,” he said, “and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters.
• Psalms 18:4The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me.
• Psalms 65:7You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations.
• Psalms 93:3The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
• Isaiah 8:7Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels
• Jeremiah 51:13You are a city by a great river, a great center of commerce, but your end has come. The thread of your life is cut.
• Revelation 10:11Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
• Revelation 11:9And for three and a half days, all peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will stare at their bodies. No one will be allowed to bury them.
• Revelation 13:7And the beast was allowed to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And he was given authority to rule over every tribe and people and language and nation.

Commentaries on Revelation 17:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues - "So many words," Bishop Newton observes, "in the plural number, fitly denote the great extensiveness of her power and jurisdiction. She herself glories in the title of the Catholic Church, and exults in the number of her votaries as a certain proof of the true religion. Cardinal Bellarmin's first note of the true Church is…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15And he saith unto me - The angel, Revelation 17:7. This commences the more “literal” statement of what is meant by these symbols. See the Analysis of the chapter. The waters which thou sawest - See the notes on Revelation 17:1. Are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues - For an explanation of these terms, see the notes on Revelation 7:9. The meaning here is: (a) that these waters represent a multitude of people. This is a common and an obvious…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-18Verses 15-18 God so ruled the hearts of these kings, by his power over them, and by his providence, that they did those things, without intending it, which he purposed and foretold. They shall see their folly, and how they have been bewitched and enslaved by the harlot, and be made instruments in her destruction. She was that great city which reigned over the kings of the earth, when John had this vision; and every one knows Rome to be that city…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16Although the prostitute controls the masses, she does not win. Instead, the beast hates and kills her. Satan harms even those he uses for evil.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. (Re 17:1; Is 8:7.) An impious parody of Jehovah who "sitteth upon the flood" [Alford]. Also, contrast the "many waters" Re 19:6, "Alleluia." peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues--The "peoples," &c., here mark the universality of the spiritual fornication of the Church. The "tongues" remind us of the original Babel, the confusion of tongues, the beginning of Babylon, and the first commencement of idolatrous apostasy after the flood, as the…Read the comment

Topics related to Revelation 17:15

• Horn
• Water

In the dictionaries

• Antichrist
• Carry
• Harlot
• Crime; Crimes
• Eschatology of the New Testament
• Images
• Palestine
• People
• Revelation of John

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