REV 17:6-13

The Mystery Explained

6And I saw the woman fully drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I marveled, having seen her, with great wonder. [17:7] And the angel said to me: 'Why did you marvel? I myself will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the one having the seven heads and the ten horns. [17:8] The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go into destruction. And those dwelling on the earth — whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world — will be astonished, seeing the beast, that it was and is not and yet will be present. [17:9] Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains where the woman sits on them. And there are seven kings: [17:10] the five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, it is necessary for him to remain a little while. [17:11] And the beast that was and is not — he himself also is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction. [17:12] And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings for one hour along with the beast. [17:13] These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.'

In the world it was spoken into

In the first century, the imagery of a woman drunk with the blood of saints and witnesses would evoke the pervasive violence against early Christians, particularly under Roman persecution. The term (martys) carried the weight of someone who bore witness to their faith, often unto death, a reality familiar to communities facing imperial hostility. The beast with seven heads and ten horns symbolized Rome’s imperial power, drawing on apocalyptic traditions that depicted oppressive empires as monstrous entities. The mention of the (abyss) tapped into Jewish and Greco-Roman conceptions of the underworld as a place of chaos and confinement for malevolent forces. The angel’s explanation that the beast ‘was and is not and is about to come up’ reflects the cyclical nature of imperial tyranny, a pattern recognized by those living under Roman rule. The astonishment of ‘those dwelling on the earth’ highlights the shock of witnessing such power’s rise and fall, a theme resonant in a world dominated by imperial instability.

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How other translations render this

REV 17:6

KJV: 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.
BSB: I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and witnesses for Jesus. And I was utterly amazed at the sight of her.
Koinōnos: And I saw the woman fully drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. And I marveled, having seen her, with great wonder.

REV 17:7

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.
BSB: “Why are you so amazed?” said the angel. “I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.
Koinōnos: And the angel said to me: 'Why did you marvel? I myself will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that is carrying her, the one having the seven heads and the ten horns.

REV 17:8

KJV: 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.
BSB: The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.
Koinōnos: The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go into destruction. And those dwelling on the earth — whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world — will be astonished, seeing the beast, that it was and is not and yet will be present.

REV 17:9

KJV: And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
BSB: This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.
Koinōnos: Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains where the woman sits on them. And there are seven kings:

REV 17:10

KJV: 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.
BSB: There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. But when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.
Koinōnos: the five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, it is necessary for him to remain a little while.

REV 17:11

KJV: And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
BSB: The beast that was, and now is not, is an eighth king, who belongs to the other seven and is going into destruction.
Koinōnos: And the beast that was and is not — he himself also is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction.

REV 17:12

KJV: 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.
BSB: The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
Koinōnos: And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings for one hour along with the beast.

REV 17:13

KJV: These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
BSB: These kings have one purpose: to yield their power and authority to the beast.
Koinōnos: These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Where the historical framing draws from

Tacitus, AnnalsAnn. 15.44

›Tacitus, Annals Ann. 15.44

“Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace.”

Cited to ground: The imagery of a woman drunk with the blood of saints and witnesses would evoke the pervasive violence against early Christians, particularly under Roman persecution.

Translator's notes

REV 17:6

being drunk:The word translated 'being drunk' implies a state of intoxication that is not merely tipsy, but fully and deeply inebriated, often to the point of losing control.
witnesses:The word translated 'witnesses' carries the strong connotation of someone who testifies to what they have seen or heard, often at great personal risk, even to the point of martyrdom.

REV 17:8

abyss:The term 'abyss' here refers to a deep, bottomless chasm, often associated with the underworld or a place of confinement for evil forces, not just a deep hole.

REV 17:13

mind:The word translated 'mind' here refers not just to intellectual thought, but to a settled purpose, a deliberate judgment, or a firm resolution that guides action.