the Week of Proper 5 / Ordinary 10
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THE MESSAGE
Revelation 17:5
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
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- InternationalParallel Translations
On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the
And vpon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots, And Abominations Of The Earth.
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 a name was written, a mystery: "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
On her forehead a title was written that was secret. This is what was written: the great babylon mother of prostitutes and of the evil things of the earth
And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations."
and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
On her forehead a mysterious name was written: Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.
On her forehead a mysterious name was written: I AM THE GREAT CITY OF BABYLON, THE MOTHER OF EVERY IMMORAL AND FILTHY THING ON EARTH.
On her forehead was written a name with a hidden meaning, BAVEL THE GREAT MOTHER OF WHORES AND OF THE EARTH'S OBSCENITIES
and upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, great Babylon, the mother of the harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.
She had a title written on her forehead. This title has a hidden meaning. This is what was written: the great babylon mother of prostitutes and the evil things of the earth
And in her forehead was a name written, A mysterie, that great Babylon, that mother of whoredomes, and abominations of the earth.
And upon her forehead was a name written, that not all could understand, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
On her forehead was written a name that has a secret meaning: "Great Babylon, the mother of all prostitutes and perverts in the world."
And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: "Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."
And on her forehead was a name having been written: Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.
And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES (false religions, heresies) AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
and upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth .
And on her brow was a name, SECRET, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE EVIL WOMEN AND OF THE UNCLEAN THINGS OF THE EARTH.
and on her forehead a name written, "MYSTERY, BAVEL THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE ERETZ."
On her forehead was written a secret name:2 Thessalonians 2:7; Revelation 11:8; 14:8; 16:19; 19:2;">[xr] Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Detestable Things of the Earth.
And upon her forehead the name was written, Mystery: Babel the Great, the Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth.
And upon her forehead was the name written: Mystery: Babylon the great; the Mother of Harlots, and of the contaminations of the Earth.
And in her forehead was a name written, a misterie, great Babylon, the mother of whoredome & abhominations of the earth.
and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
and on her forehead a name written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
And on her forehead a name written, Mystery; Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth.
And on her forehead was a name written: "I am a symbol of great Babylon, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth."
And a name writun in the forheed of hir, Mysterie, Babiloyn the greet, modir of fornycaciouns, and of abhomynaciouns of erthe.
and on her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE DETESTABLE THINGS OF THE EARTH.
And upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth."
And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
A mysterious name was written on her forehead: "Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World."
There was a name written on her forehead which had a secret meaning. It said, "The big and powerful Babylon, mother of all women who sell the use of their bodies and mother of everything sinful of the earth."
and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations."
and, upon her forehead, a name written, a secret: Babylon the great, the Mother of the Harlots and of the Abominations of the earth.
And on her forehead a name was written: A mystery: Babylon the great, the mother of the fornications and the abominations of the earth.
and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations."
And in her forhed was a name wrytten a mistery gret Babylon the mother of whordome and abominacions of the erth.
and upon her forehead was a name written: `Secret, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whores, and the Abominations of the earth.'
And in her forhed was a name wrytte, a mistery; greate Babilon the mother of whordome, and abominacios of the earth.
Upon her forehead this mystical title was written, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth.
She had a tattoo on her forehead with a secret meaning, "Babylon the Great, mother of whores and perverts."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
upon: Revelation 7:3, Isaiah 3:9, Philippians 3:19
mystery: 2 Thessalonians 2:7, 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Babylon: Revelation 11:8, Revelation 14:8, Revelation 16:19, Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:10, Revelation 18:21, Jeremiah 51:47, Jeremiah 51:48
the Mother: Revelation 18:9, Revelation 19:2
harlots: or, fornications
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 7:25 - an abomination Deuteronomy 27:15 - an abomination 1 Kings 11:7 - abomination 2 Kings 9:22 - the whoredoms 1 Chronicles 5:25 - and went 2 Chronicles 15:8 - abominable idols 2 Chronicles 21:11 - compelled Psalms 87:4 - Babylon Psalms 137:8 - happy Song of Solomon 5:7 - they smote Isaiah 24:10 - of confusion Isaiah 41:24 - an abomination Jeremiah 44:4 - this Jeremiah 50:12 - mother Jeremiah 50:14 - for she Jeremiah 50:38 - the land Ezekiel 16:15 - and playedst Ezekiel 16:35 - O harlot Ezekiel 34:4 - but with Daniel 4:30 - great Hosea 1:2 - for Luke 12:45 - to beat Acts 5:36 - boasting Galatians 4:26 - mother 1 Timothy 3:16 - the mystery 1 Peter 4:3 - and 1 Peter 5:13 - at Revelation 9:21 - nor of their fornication Revelation 13:1 - blasphemy Revelation 13:17 - name Revelation 17:1 - the great Revelation 18:23 - for Revelation 21:27 - worketh
Cross-References
God continued speaking to Abraham, "And Sarai your wife: Don't call her Sarai any longer; call her Sarah. I'll bless her—yes! I'll give you a son by her! Oh, how I'll bless her! Nations will come from her; kings of nations will come from her."
Then Abraham took his son Ishmael and all his servants, whether houseborn or purchased—every male in his household—and circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins that very day, just as God had told him.
The man said, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through."
These are the names of the men Moses sent to scout out the land. Moses gave Hoshea (Salvation) son of Nun a new name—Joshua ( God -Saves).
You're the one, God , the God who chose Abram And brought him from Ur of the Chaldees and changed his name to Abraham. You found his heart to be steady and true to you and signed a covenant with him, A covenant to give him the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Amorites, The Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, —to give it to his descendants. And you kept your word because you are righteous.
We call Abraham "father" not because he got God's attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Isn't that what we've always read in Scripture, God saying to Abraham, "I set you up as father of many peoples"? Abraham was first named "father" and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing. When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said he would do. And so he was made father of a multitude of peoples. God himself said to him, "You're going to have a big family, Abraham!"
"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches. I'll give the sacred manna to every conqueror; I'll also give a clear, smooth stone inscribed with your new name, your secret new name."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And upon her forehead was a name written,.... As the high priest had on his mitre upon his forehead written, holiness to the Lord, Exodus 28:36 only a different inscription from that; the allusion is thought to be to harlots, who not only used to put their names over their doors, but some of them upon their foreheads, that all might know who they were; of which Mr. Daubuz has given proofs out of Seneca, Martial, Juvenal, and Petronius; and such might be said to have an whore's forehead indeed: and this is expressive of the openness and impudence of the church of Rome, in her idolatrous worship; she openly declares it, and pleads for it, and invites and ensnares persons to join with her in it: the name follows,
mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth; her name is "mystery"; not the mystery of godliness, that she dislikes and opposes, but the mystery of iniquity; which is the name antichrist went by in the Apostle Paul's time, when he was but in embryo, 2 Thessalonians 2:7. Some reference may be had to the mystery of the Mass, in which the Papists pretend are the very body and blood of Christ; to their seven sacraments, for wherever almost they find the word mystery, they make a sacrament of that to which it is applied; and to their unwritten traditions, and the sense of the Scriptures, which are locked up in the pope's breast: and it is very remarkable what has been observed by some, that the word "mystery" was formerly upon the frontlet of the pope's mitre, and was removed by Pope Julius the Third, when it was observed that the Protestants made use of this passage of Scripture, and applied it to the Romish antichrist. Joseph Scaliger l affirms, that he saw mitres at Rome with this inscription on them. Though others think that this is not any part of the name, but only signifies that this woman was, in a mysterious or mystical sense, called Babylon, c. just as the great city is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, Revelation 11:8 but to me it seems to be a part of the name, as well as what follows, "Babylon the great" that is, the great city, Revelation 14:8 by which name the church of Rome may well be called, because of the signification of it, confusion, Genesis 11:9 its doctrine and worship being a confused mixture of Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity; and because of the pride and haughtiness of it, its tyranny and cruelty, and its sorceries and idolatry; see Isaiah 14:12.
And the mother of harlots, of all antichristian states and kingdoms; and is different from the heavenly Jerusalem, the Gospel church, which is the mother of true believers, Galatians 4:26 or the "mother of fornications": as some copies read, and the Vulgate Latin and eastern versions render it; that is, the author and encourager of them, as the church of Rome has been; of corporeal fornication, by commanding celibacy, and forbidding marriage to priests, and setting up of brothel houses; and of spiritual fornication or idolatry, everywhere required and encouraged by it: and of "the abominations of the earth"; of abominable doctrines and practices; all manner of wickedness that is to be found in the earth, as murder, adultery, sodomy, perjury, &c. these, with everything that is vile and wicked, are practised and connived at by her.
l In Scaligeran.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And upon her forehead - In a circlet around her forehead. That is, it was made prominent and public, as if written on the forehead in blazing capitals. In Revelation 13:1 it is said that “the name of blasphemy” was written on the “heads” of the beast. The meaning in both places is substantially the same, that it was prominent, and unmistakable. See the notes on that verse. Compare the note on Revelation 14:1.
Was a name written - A title, or something that would properly indicate her character.
Mystery - It is proper to remark that there is nothing in the original as written by John, so far as now known, that corresponded with what is implied in placing this inscription in capital letters; and the same remark may be made of the “title” or inscription that was placed over the head of the Saviour on the cross, Matthew 27:37; Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19. Our translators have adopted this form, apparently for the sole purpose of denoting that it was an inscription or title. On the meaning of the word “mystery,” see the notes on 1 Corinthians 2:7. Compare the notes on 1 Timothy 3:16. Here it seems to be used to denote that there was something hidden, obscure, or enigmatical, under the title adopted; that is, the word “Babylon,” and the word “mother,” were symbolical. Our translators have printed and pointed the word “mystery” as if it were part of the inscription. It would probably be better to regard it as referring to the inscription, thus: “a name was written - a mysterious name, to wit, Babylon,” etc. Or, “a name was written mysteriously.” According to this, it would mean, not that there was any wonderful “mystery” about the thing itself, whatever might be true on that point, but that the name was enigmatical or symbolical; or that there was something hidden or concealed under the name. It was not to be literally understood.
Babylon the great - papal Rome, the nominal head of the Christian world, as Babylon had been of the pagan world. See the notes on Revelation 14:8.
The mother of harlots -
- Of that spiritual apostasy from God which, in the language of the prophets, might be called adultery. See the notes on Revelation 14:8.
- The promoter of lewdness by her institutions. See the notes on Revelation 9:21. In both these senses, there never was a more expressive or appropriate title than the one here employed.
And abominations of the earth - Abominable things that prevail on the earth, Revelation 17:4. Compare the notes on Revelation 9:20-21.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Revelation 17:5. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the Earth.] This inscription being written upon her forehead is intended to show that she is not ashamed of her doctrines, but publicly professes and glories in them before the nations: she has indeed a whore's forehead, she has refused to be ashamed. The inscription upon her forehead is exactly the portraiture of the Latin Church. This Church is, as Bishop Newton well expresses it, A MYSTERY of iniquity. This woman is also called Babylon the Great; she is the exact antitype of the ancient Babylon in her idolatry and cruelty, but the ancient city called Babylon is only a drawing of her in miniature. This is indeed Babylon THE GREAT. "She affects the style and title of our HOLY MOTHER, the CHURCH; but she is, in truth, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth."
