“Wherefore didst thou marvel?”
The full verse · Revelation 17:7 · KJV
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Asked by
Angel: one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, who carried John into the wilderness to show him the judgment of the great whore (Revelation 17:1, 3)
Asked to
John: the servant to whom the Revelation was given (Revelation 1:1), astonished at the vision of the woman on the scarlet beast
The Scene
In the wilderness John sees a woman in purple and scarlet, decked with gold, sitting on a scarlet beast and "drunken with the blood of the saints"; he says, "when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration" (Revelation 17:3-6).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJohn was stunned by what he saw. Barnes says he "was astonished at her appearance; at her apparel, and at the things which were so significantly symbolized by her." The angel's question is not a scolding. Gill says it "is not said by way of reproof, as questions of this kind sometimes are." Barnes says it was "designed to show him that the cause of his surprise would be removed or lessened, for that he would proceed so to explain this." The question invites John to move from amazement to understanding.
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe angel answers by explaining: "I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her" (Revelation 17:7). The beast "was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition" (Revelation 17:8). The seven heads are seven mountains and seven kings (Revelation 17:9-10). The ten horns are ten kings who "shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them" (Revelation 17:12-14). The waters are "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15), and the woman "is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:18).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Admiration" in the KJV of Revelation 17:6 is old English for wonder. The Greek reads ethaumasa thauma mega, literally "I wondered with great wonder." The angel's question uses the same verb, thaumazo, to marvel. It appears again in Revelation 17:8, where earth's dwellers "shall wonder" at the beast, and in Revelation 13:3, where "all the world wondered after the beast."
A "mystery" (mysterion) is a secret. Barnes says the angel would explain "the hidden meaning that is couched under it." Commentators differ on what the woman stands for. Barnes ("as I suppose, papal Rome") and Gill ("Rome Papal") both identify her with Rome, and Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary reads the seven mountains as "the seven hills on which Rome stands." The text itself calls her "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth" (Revelation 17:18).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe angel does not leave John staring. Earth's dwellers will "wonder" at the beast (Revelation 17:8), and all the world "wondered after the beast" (Revelation 13:3). John is given something better: an explanation. Here God, through His angel, does not leave the meaning hidden from His servant. He opens it.
The explanation ends with the Lamb. The kings who serve the beast "shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Revelation 17:14). Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says, "Christ must reign till all enemies be put under his feet." What looked dazzling and powerful is shown to be temporary.
Look Closer
Why does the angel ask John why he marveled?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, when something in this world stuns or overwhelms me, what do You want me to understand about it that I cannot yet see?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- John marveled at what he saw, and the angel asked him why. What tends to capture your wonder more than it should?
- When has understanding something more clearly taken away its power to frighten or impress you?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
It is natural to be stunned by evil that looks rich, powerful, and beautiful. John was. The angel did not shame him for it. He helped him see clearly.
When something overwhelms you, don't stop at amazement. Bring it to God and to His Word, and ask what it really is. In Revelation 17, the explanation showed that the beast "goeth into perdition" and that "the Lamb shall overcome" (Revelation 17:11, 14).
This doesn't mean wonder is wrong. The difference is where it leads. The world's wonder led to following the beast (Revelation 13:3). John's wonder led to a question and an answer from God's messenger.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
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