And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
- BSB And the woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”
- NKJV And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
- NASB The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”
- NLT And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The woman is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth. Babylon is identified as the dominant world-power of John's day and every age.
Overview
The angel concludes by naming the prostitute as 'the great city,' a phrase that pointed John's readers to Rome yet symbolizes every proud, God-opposing civilization. Her rule over kings shows the depth of her worldly influence. The next chapter announces her fall, assuring believers that even the mightiest city stands under God's judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Rev 16:19And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
- Rev 18:2And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
- Dan 2:40–41And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
- Dan 7:23Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
- Rev 12:4And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
- Luke 2:1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 17:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.