18:21 Then 5 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 6
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 7
and it will never be found again!
1 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
2 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
3 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
4 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.
5 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
6 tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.
7 sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.