· Translation: KJV

Revelation 17:5And on her forehead a name was written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."

The setting

Island of Patmos, ~95 AD. John in Roman exile sees a vision of a woman representing corrupt religious-political systems riding a scarlet beast...

The emotion here: horrified by the vision's implications

The original word

mystērion (μυστήριον) — hidden truth now revealed, a divine secret unveiled

Why it matters

Roman prostitutes wore headbands identifying their names and prices

Read with care

What most readers miss in Revelation 17:5

The forehead inscription mimics how Roman harlots advertised their services

Common misconceptionMany think this only refers to end-times events, but John was describing the corrupt Roman religious-political system of his day that was persecuting Christians.

Bible Genome reading

Revelation 17:5 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerJohn
EraApostolic
Primary emotionangry
Literary typevision
MarkProphecy

Emotional genome

Comfort power10%
Quotability90%
Memorability90%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone80%
Themes:babylonspiritual corruptionabomination

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Revelation 17

Revelation 17:5 comes from the book of Revelation, written during the Apostolic period. These words are attributed to John. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the vision genre of biblical literature. Key themes include babylon, spiritual corruption, abomination. Notable phrases: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT; MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES. This verse contains prophecy.

Your reflection

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