Paragraph 17:9–11

17:9a

This calls for a mind with wisdom: The Greek clause is literally “Here is the mind which has wisdom” (as in the New American Standard Bible and King James Version). It urges readers to be wise regarding the symbolic meanings of the woman and the beast. The angel explained some of the symbolic meanings in 17:9–18. The reader will need wisdom to understand what the angel explained. Other ways to translate this clause are:

A mind with wisdom is needed here.
-or-
This takes/requires a mind having wisdom.
-or-
In this situation a wise mind is needed. (God’s Word)

wisdom: The word wisdom means “the ability to understand events and know what should be done.” See how you translated this word in 5:12 or 13:18.

17:9b

The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits: The phrase seven mountains on which the woman sits explains the symbolic meaning of the seven heads. But the phrase seven mountains on which the woman sits is also symbolic itself. The city of Rome is located on seven hills. But Rome might be symbolic of a powerful country or empire. It might be symbolic of the human government controlled by the beast. You should translate the literal meaning of this phrase.

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