Ĭaroline Vander Stichele (2000) demonstrated that the narrative of the Whore of Babylon follows many of the same patterns of the personification of capital cities as women who commit "prostitution / whoredom" and/or "adultery" in the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. There is much speculation within Christian eschatology on what the Whore and beast symbolize as well as the possible implications for contemporary interpretations. The Whore's apocalyptic downfall is prophesied to take place in the hands of the image of the beast with seven heads and ten horns. The word "Whore" can also be translated metaphorically as " Idolatress". The Whore is associated with the Beast of Revelation by connection with an equally evil kingdom. See also: Babylon and Rape in the Hebrew Bible § Personified capital cities threatened with rape The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.Īnd there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come and when he comes, he must continue a short space.Īnd the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition.Īnd the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.Īnd he said unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.Īnd the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. 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.Īnd 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:Īnd upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.Īnd 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.Īnd here is the mind which hath wisdom. 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.
The "great whore" of the Book of Revelation is featured in chapter 17:Īnd there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
4 Historicist and idealistic interpretations.
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