17:l. And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:

                Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me:

 Revelation 21:9.  

                “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot:  (WS ‘Mystery Babylon’)

Deut. 32:16-25;

Isaiah l:21-24; 13:19-22;

Jer. 2:33; 3:1-13, 20, 27; 50, 51;

Ezek. 23;

Hosea 1:2-2:13; 4:10-14; 5:4-7; 6:10; 7:4; 9:1

Nahum 3:1-4;

Zeph. 3:1;

Revelation 16:19; 19:2.

                Who is seated upon many waters:

Jer. 51:13;

Ezek. 31:4;

Revelation 17:15.

17:2. With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

                With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication:

“The Kings of the Earth/Land” =Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11;

Isaiah 47:5; 57:8-10;

Revelation 1:5-6; 6:15; 17:18; 18:3, 9; 21:24.

                And with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”

Isaiah 47:5; 57:8-10;

Revelation 1:5-6; 6:15; 17:18; 18:3, 9; 21:24;

Jer. 25:15-16; 51:7;

Ezek. 23;

Revelation 14:8; 18:3.

17:3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.

                And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness:

Jer. 2:2, 6;

Ezek. 19:13;

Zech. 5:5-11;

Revelation 12:6, 14.

                And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast:  (WS ‘Sitting’)

Exod. 22:19;

Lev. 18:23; 20:15-16;

Deut. 27:21;

Hosea 14:3;

Revelation 12:3, 7-9; 13:1.

                Which was full of blasphemous names:

Lev. 18:21; 24:16;

Isaiah 14:22;

Daniel 4:30.

                And it had seven heads and ten horns:  Daniel 7:7.

17:4. 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:

                The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls:

Jer. 4:30;

Ezek. 16:13-34; 23:36-42;

Hosea 2:13;

Revelation 18:16.

                Holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication;

Psalm 76:8;

Isaiah 57:34;

Jer. 51:7; (31:32- the Lord her husband)

Amos 6:4-6;

Revelation 17:6; 18:6.

17:5. And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

                And on her forehead was written a name of mystery:

Jer. 3:3 (forehead);

Jer. 51:41 (“Sheshach” code name for Jerusalem).

2 Thess. 2:7.

                “Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.”

Lam. 1:9;

Isaiah 48:14;

Ezek. 23:11-21;

Mal. 2:11;

Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 18:9.

17:6. 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.

                And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.  When I saw her I marveled greatly:

Lev. 24:17;

Psalm 16:4;

Isaiah 63:6;

Jer. 50:34-38; 51:34-37, 57;

Lam. 4:21-22 (“daughter of ‘Edom‘–‘Edom’=blood?)

Ezek. 9:9;

Daniel 7:25;

Joel 3:19-21;

Nahum 3:1, 11;

Matt. 23:35-37;

Revelation 6:10; 12:11; 13:15; 18:20, 24.

17:7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

                But the angel said to me, “Why marvel?  I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her:  (See verses 3, 5, and 9.)

17:8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

                The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition:

(Contrast “Is, Was, and Is To Come” 1:4.)  Revelation 11:7; 13:3, 12, 14.

                And the dwellers on earth/ (land) whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast:  Because it was and is not and is to come: 

Gal. 2:20.

17:9. And here [is] the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

                This calls for a mind with wisdom:  (See 13:18 ‘Wisdom’)

Daniel 12:10;

Hosea 14:9;

Revelation 13:18.

                The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated:  (WS ‘Mountain’)

Isaiah 57:7;

Micah 1:5; 3:12.

17:10. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.

                They are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come:  And when he comes he must remain only a little while:

17:11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.

                As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition: 

Revelation 17:8.   

17:12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.

                And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received royal power:

Daniel 7:20-27;

Revelation 13:1.

                But they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast:

 Revelation 18:10, 17, 19.    

17:13. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.

                These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast: 

Revelation 17:17.

17:14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful.

                They will make war on the Lamb and the Lamb will conquer them:  Revelation 16:14.         

                For He is Lord of lords and King of kings:

1 Tim. 6:15-16;                                               Revelation 19:16.

                And those with him are called and chosen and faithful:

Isaiah 65:9;

Matt. 22:14;

John 15:16, 19;

Rom. 8:30; 9:11,24;

1 Cor. 1:24;

2 Tim. 1:9;

1 Peter 1:15; 2:4, 9;

1 John 3:1.

17:15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

                And he said to me, “The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues:

Isaiah 8:7;

Jer. 5:22; 51:13;

Ezek. 31:4;

Book of Hosea;

Revelation 5:9; 13:7; 17:1.

17:16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked:  (WS ‘desolate’)

2 Sam. 13:20;

Psalm 69:25; 109:8-13;

Isaiah 24:1-27:13, esp. 24:1, 3, 6, 10, 12, 19, 20; 25:2, 12; 26:5, 14; 47:9-11;

Jer. 4:30b; 6:2-30; 12:10-11; 22:5; 26:9; 34:23; 50:10-13; 51:26, 29;

Lam. 1:2, 8, 16, 19;

Ezek. 15:8; 16:37-42;

Daniel 9:26-27; 11:32;

Micah 6:16; (desolation)

Zech. 7:14;

Matt. 23:38 KJV & RSV: ‘Desolate’ (of Jerusalem);

Luke 13:35; 21:20;

Acts 1:20;

Revelation 17:16-:’make desolate’;    18:17 RSV: ‘laid waste’; 18:19:KJV ‘come to nought.’

(WS 17:16 ‘Naked’).

2 Kings 15:29; 16:9; 17:6, 11, 26-28, 33; 18:11; 24:14-15; 25:11;

Jer. 20:4; 22:12; 24:1; 25:18; 27:20; 29:1, 4, 7, 14; 39:9; 43:3; 52:15, 28-30;

Lam. 3:11; 4:22;

Ezek. 39:28;

Amos 5:27;

                And devour her flesh and burn her up with fire:

Isaiah 64:10-11;

Jer. 4:30; 5:14; 12:9; 17:4.

Lam. 1:2, 7, 8, 19; 2:16, 17;

Ezek. 23:9-30;

Hosea 2:3; 8:9;

Micah 1:7;

Nahum 3:5;

Revelation 18:8; 19:18.

17:17. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

                For God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled:

Lam. 2:17;

Revelation 10:7.

17:18. And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

                And the woman that you saw is the great city that has dominion over: (For “Great City” see 11:8).

Isaiah 47:5; (Daughter of the Chaldeans; a suitable name for the Judasim that was dominated by those in Babylon.)

                The kings of the earth: