KJV: And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
YLT: And he saith to me, 'The waters that thou didst see, where the whore doth sit, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues;'
Darby: And he says to me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
ASV: And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
λέγει | he says |
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to say, to speak. |
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μοι | to me |
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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ὕδατα | waters |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural Root: ὕδωρ Sense: water. |
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ἃ | that |
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Plural Root: ὅς Sense: who, which, what, that. |
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εἶδες | you saw |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular Root: εἶδον Sense: to see with the eyes. |
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οὗ | where |
Parse: Adverb Root: οὗ Sense: where. |
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πόρνη | prostitute |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: πόρνη Sense: a woman who sells her body for sexual uses. |
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κάθηται | sits |
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: κάθημαι Sense: to sit down, seat one’s self. |
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λαοὶ | peoples |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: λαός Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language. |
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ὄχλοι | multitudes |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ὄχλος Sense: a crowd. |
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ἔθνη | nations |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Plural Root: ἔθνος Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together. |
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γλῶσσαι | tongues |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural Root: γλῶσσα Sense: the tongue, a member of the body, an organ of speech. 2 a tongue. |
Greek Commentary for Revelation 17:15
Relative adverb ου hou (where) referring to the waters The O.T. uses “waters” as symbol for “peoples” (Isaiah 8:7; Jeremiah 47:2; Psalm 29:10, etc.). “Rome‘s greatest danger lay in the multitudes which were under her sway” (Swete). [source]
The explanation of the symbol given here is in accordance with Isaiah 8:7; Psalm 18:4, Psalm 18:16; Psalm 124:4. [source]
See on 1 Peter 2:9; see on Mark 12:37. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Revelation 17:15
The word κριμα krima is the one used about the doom of Babylon in Jeremiah 51:9. Already in Revelation 14:8 Babylon is called the harlot. Πορνης Pornēs is the objective genitive, “the judgment on the great harlot.”That sitteth upon many waters (της κατημενης επι υδατων πολλων tēs kathēmenēs epi hudatōn pollōn). Note triple use of the article της tēs In Jeremiah 51:13 we have επ υδασι πολλοις eph' hudasi pollois (locative in place of genitive as here). Babylon got its wealth by means of the Euphrates and the numerous canals for irrigation. Rome does not have such a system of canals, but this item is taken and applied to the New Babylon in Revelation 17:15. Nahum (Nahum 3:4) calls Nineveh a harlot, as Isaiah (Isaiah 23:16.) does Tyre. [source]
Note triple use of the article της tēs In Jeremiah 51:13 we have επ υδασι πολλοις eph' hudasi pollois (locative in place of genitive as here). Babylon got its wealth by means of the Euphrates and the numerous canals for irrigation. Rome does not have such a system of canals, but this item is taken and applied to the New Babylon in Revelation 17:15. Nahum (Nahum 3:4) calls Nineveh a harlot, as Isaiah (Isaiah 23:16.) does Tyre. [source]
Present active predicate participle. Not the angel of Revelation 17:1, Revelation 17:7, Revelation 17:15 (John‘s guide), but one announcing the doom of Babylon (Rome). As in Revelation 10:1; Revelation 20:1. [source]
Redundant repetition of the pronoun αυτον auton after the relative ον hon as in Revelation 7:5; Revelation 3:8. Εδυνατο Edunato imperfect indicative and αριτμησαι arithmēsai first aorist active infinitive of αριτμεω arithmeō old verb, in N.T. only here, Matthew 10:30; Luke 12:7. See Revelation 5:9 (also Revelation 11:9; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 14:10; Revelation 17:15) for the list of words after εκ ek (the spiritual Israel carried on all over the world), “a polyglott cosmopolitan crowd” (Swete). [source]