Revelation 17:3

17:3 So ¹  he carried me away in the Spirit ²  to a wilderness, ³  and there ⁴  I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 17:7

17:7 But ⁵  the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret ⁶  for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

Revelation 17:18

17:18 As for ⁷  the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”

Revelation 13:1

The Two Beasts

13:1 Then ⁸  I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. It ⁹  had ten horns and seven heads, and on its horns were ten diadem crowns, ¹⁰  and on its heads a blasphemous name. ¹¹ 

[17:3]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.

[17:3]  ² tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).

[17:3]  ³ tn Or “desert.”

[17:3]  ⁴ tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.

[17:7]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[17:7]  ⁶ tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.

[17:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “And.” Because this remark is somewhat resumptive in nature, “as for” is used in the translation.

[13:1]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[13:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “having” (a continuation of the previous sentence). All of the pronouns referring to this beast (along with the second beast appearing in 13:11) could be translated as “it” because the word for beast (θηρίον, qhrion) is neuter gender in Greek and all the pronouns related to it are parsed as neuter in the Gramcord/Accordance database. Nevertheless, most interpreters would agree that the beast ultimately represents a human ruler, so beginning at the end of v. 4 the masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” etc.) are used to refer to the first beast as well as the second beast appearing in 13:11.

[13:1]  ¹⁰ tn For the translation of διάδημα (diadhma) as “diadem crown” see L&N 6.196.

[13:1]  ¹¹ tc ‡ Several mss (A 051 1611 1854 2053 2344 2351 Ï^K) read the plural ὀνόματα (onomata, “[blasphemous] names”), while the singular ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) has somewhat better support (Ì⁴⁷ א C 1006 1841 2329 Ï^A). The plural reading seems motivated by the fact that what is written is written “on its heads.” In the least, it is a clarifying reading. NA²⁷ puts the plural in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.