Babylon Study • Connected to God’s Image and the Ten Commandments
Revelation identifies the woman as a great city. It also describes her as a mother. To understand Babylon, we need to retain both descriptions and examine what is associated with her.
What Is Written on Her Forehead?
John describes a name written on the woman’s forehead:
“BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
— Revelation 17:5, LSB, excerpt
The inscription does more than name Babylon. It places her in a relationship with others.
The Greek μήτηρ — mētēr (G3384), meaning mother, is singular. πορνῶν — pornōn, from πόρνη — pornē (G4204), is plural: harlots. βδελυγμάτων — bdelygmatōn, from βδέλυγμα — bdelygma (G946), is also plural: abominations. Read Revelation 17:5 alongside the Greek text.
One mother is named in relation to multiple harlots and abominations. We should preserve that distinction as we follow the passages.
A Mother—and a City
The angel identifies the woman as the great city exercising kingship over the kings of the earth. Her description as a mother therefore belongs alongside her identification as a city. Read Revelation 17:18.
We are not left to examine her appearance alone. The surrounding account describes relationships, influence, and conduct: kings commit sexual immorality with her, and those dwelling on the earth become drunk with the wine of her immorality. Read Revelation 17:1–6.
The question becomes: What is being received from her, and what does participation with her produce?
The Mystery Is Explained
Verse 5 also uses μυστήριον — mystērion (G3466), mystery. In verse 7, the angel says he will explain the mystery of the woman and the beast carrying her.
The explanation keeps the woman and the beast distinguishable. We must follow those distinctions as the account unfolds. Read Revelation 17:7–18.
Her People—or God’s People Within Her?
Revelation 18 introduces another distinction. A voice from heaven calls God’s people to come out of Babylon so that they do not participate in her sins or receive her plagues. Read Revelation 18:4–5.
People within her are still addressed as belonging to God. Their presence within Babylon does not make them interchangeable with the woman herself. Yet the call requires a response: they must separate from participation in her sins.
As we examine Babylon’s motherhood, influence, and works, we must also examine what we receive, support, and participate in.
Threads to Follow
The cup and the wine: What does Babylon give others to drink?
Motherhood and children: Compare Babylon’s description with Jerusalem above, identified as our mother in Galatians 4:26.
The name Babylon: Follow the earlier passages before returning to the building and name-making in Genesis 11.
The books were opened…
🌿 By Maria Emilia
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