Revelation 18 21

Revelation 18:21 kjv

And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Revelation 18:21 nkjv

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

Revelation 18:21 niv

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

Revelation 18:21 esv

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;

Revelation 18:21 nlt

Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, "Just like this, the great city Babylon
will be thrown down with violence
and will never be found again.

Revelation 18 verses

Revelation 18 21 Meaning

Revelation 18:21 vividly portrays the absolute, swift, and irreversible destruction of "Great Babylon," symbolizing any earthly system or power that opposes God and His people, characterized by idolatry, exploitation, and moral corruption. The symbolic act of a mighty angel casting a millstone into the sea signifies that this destruction is divinely orchestrated, sudden, and leaves no possibility of recovery or return. Just as a heavy millstone, once cast into the depths of the sea, is lost forever, so too will Babylon vanish completely from existence.

Revelation 18 21 Context

Revelation chapter 18 details the complete downfall and destruction of "Babylon the Great," depicted as a powerful economic, political, and religious system that oppresses God's people and leads the nations into sin. This chapter immediately follows the proclamation of her fall in Revelation 14:8 and 16:19. Verse 21 specifically functions as a prophetic enactment and definitive declaration of this judgment's irreversible nature. The pronouncement is met with lamentation from those who prospered from her wealth (kings, merchants, shipmasters) and rejoicing from heaven, the apostles, and prophets. Historically, "Babylon" served as a cryptic reference to Rome for John's original audience, a world power that dominated politically, culturally, and economically, demanding worship and persecuting Christians. The "polemics" in this chapter are evident against the Roman imperial cult, its vast commerce fueled by ungodly means, and its moral depravity. The fall of Babylon contrasts with God's ultimate justice and the establishment of His righteous kingdom.

Revelation 18 21 Word analysis

• Then (καὶ, kai): A temporal conjunction, indicating a sequence of events, highlighting this as a conclusive act following earlier announcements of judgment.
• a strong (ἰσχυρὸς, ischyros) angel (ἄγγελος, angelos): The term ischyros signifies immense power and authority. Angelos means messenger or divine agent. This highlights the divine and powerful nature of the agent delivering and executing the judgment, not a mere human. It emphasizes God's omnipotence behind the action.
• took up (ἦρεν, ēren): Active, decisive verb implying deliberate and forceful action. It's not a casual drop but an intentional, divinely-empowered lifting and casting.
• a stone (λίθον, lithon): A simple, weighty object. Its weight and density are crucial to the symbolism.
• like a great (μέγαν, megan) millstone (μυλικὸν, mylikon / μύλος ὀνικός, mylos onikos): The comparison mylos onikos ("millstone of an ass") denotes a large, heavy stone used in large grinding mills, often requiring an animal to turn. This specifies immense weight, making the sinking irreversible. The comparison connects the specific judgment to known human instruments of labor, making the symbolism powerfully tangible and immediately understandable to the audience.
• and threw (ἔβαλεν, ebalen) it into the sea (εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, eis tēn thalassan): Ebalen is a forceful act of casting. The sea represents chaos, depths, and no possibility of return. Once an object is in the sea's abyss, it is irrecoverable. This is a symbolic act conveying absolute and complete obliteration, with no hope of retrieval or resurrection.
• saying (λέγων, legon): The action is accompanied by a verbal pronouncement, providing interpretive meaning and underscoring the divine decree.
• So (οὕτως, houtōs): Establishes a direct and immediate correlation; the action visually demonstrated exactly how the future event will transpire.
• with violence (ὁρμήματι, hormēmati): From hormaō, meaning "to set in motion, to rush violently." This word implies a sudden, powerful, irresistible, and tumultuous downfall. It emphasizes the swiftness and forcefulness of Babylon's demise, unexpected and overwhelming.
• will great (ἡ μεγάλη, hē megalē) Babylon (Βαβυλὼν, Babylon): "Great" is ironic, contrasting its former power and influence with its ignominious end. Babylon here is symbolic of every human empire that exalts itself against God, specifically aligning with imperial Rome in the first century context.
• be thrown down (βληθήσεται, blēthēsetai): A future passive verb, highlighting that divine power is the agent of this destruction. It is not self-destruction but a judgment imposed upon her.
• and will not (οὐ μὴ, ou mē) be found (εὑρεθῇ, heurethē) anymore (ἔτι, eti): Ou mē is a double negative in Greek, forming the strongest possible negation ("never ever"). This emphatically states the absolute finality and complete obliteration of Babylon. There will be no trace, no remnant, no revival, no future.

Revelation 18 21 Bonus section

The image of a "millstone thrown into the sea" resonates deeply within Jewish prophetic tradition as a symbol of utter, irrecoverable destruction. The angel's action in Revelation 18:21 is not just a description but a performed prophecy, a dramatic visible and audible sign affirming the certainty of the declared judgment. This act mirrors ancient Near Eastern traditions of performing symbolic acts to confirm an oath or prophecy. The use of a "strong angel" elevates the divine authority behind this pronouncement; it is God's unwavering decree being executed through His mighty agent. The speed and finality are key here: no gradual decay, but a swift, catastrophic plunge into non-existence, confirming the unchallengeable sovereignty of God in meting out justice to those who have defied His holy order and oppressed His people.

Revelation 18 21 Commentary

Revelation 18:21 is a powerful symbolic declaration of God's final and complete judgment against "Babylon the Great," which represents not just a historical city but any world system built on anti-God principles of greed, pride, idolatry, and oppression. The angelic act of casting a massive millstone into the sea is a vivid object lesson that mirrors an Old Testament prophetic act (Jer 51:63-64) concerning literal Babylon, giving it renewed force in this eschatological context. The millstone, too heavy to recover from the depths, guarantees Babylon's irreversible doom. The term "with violence" underscores the sudden, overwhelming nature of this divine intervention. This signifies that despite her seeming power and impregnability, "Great Babylon" will vanish completely and permanently, leaving no trace. This serves as both a terrifying warning to those who align with worldly systems that reject God and a profound comfort to believers facing oppression, assuring them that ultimate justice will prevail, and the power of the oppressor will utterly cease to exist. The permanence of this destruction is particularly emphasized, providing certainty for the persecuted church and demonstrating God's sovereign control over history and final judgment.