Chapter
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Revelation 17:7

ESV But the angel said to me, "Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.
NIV Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
NASB And the angel said to me, 'Why do you wonder? 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.
CSB Then the angel said to me, "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast, with the seven heads and the ten horns, that carries her.
NLT Why are you so amazed?' the angel asked. 'I will tell you the mystery of this woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns on which she sits.
KJV 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.
NKJV But 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.

What does Revelation 17:7 mean?

The angel speaking here is the same one who brought John into a vision about a "great prostitute" (Revelation 17:1–6). This symbolic woman is the religious aspect of Babylon. At the end of that description, John said he "marveled greatly," meaning he was amazed or astonished. The attending angel said he would explain the mystery of the woman and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that supported her. Apparently, the angel saw the look of bafflement on John's face and promised to reveal the meaning of what he was seeing.

Although John was an apostle, he did not know everything. He often depended upon a revelation from heaven to clarify matters. We, too, will never outgrow our need to depend upon God for enlightenment. Fortunately, God has given His Holy Spirit to us to help us understand what He has revealed. First Corinthians 2:9–12 explains, "As it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him'—these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God."
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: