King James Version

What Does Revelation 17:4 Mean?

“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: decked: Gr. gilded”

Context

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.

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 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: decked: Gr. gilded

And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. harlots: or, fornications

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.

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Commentary

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **And the woman was arrayed . . .**—Better, *arrayed* (or, *clad*)* in purple* (the colour of the robe which was in mockery put on our Lord—John 19:2) *and scarlet, gilded* (not “decked”) *with gold, *&c. Her appearance is one of imperial splendour. (Comp. the description of Tyre in Ezekiel 28:13.) **Having a golden cup in her hand . . .**—Translate, *Having a golden cup in her hand teeming with abominations and with the unclean things of the fornication of the earth.* Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51:7) called Babylon a “golden cup in the hand of the Lord.” The cup had made all the earth drunken; the cup of intoxication, splendid and attractive, was full of an evil power, which robbed men’s senses and degraded them. The great city of the world ever holds out such a glittering cup, which “Most do taste through fond intemperate desire. Soon as the potion works, their human countenance, Th’ express resemblance of the gods, is changed Into some brutish form. . . . . . . *—Comus, *68-77.

Charles John Ellicott (1819–1905). Public Domain.

Historical Context

This verse is found in the book of Revelation. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.

Theological Significance

Revelation 17:4 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.