Section 18:1–24
Announcements/Messages about Babylon
In this section, three heavenly beings each announce something about Babylon. The first announcement is that the city is destroyed. Her riches and prosperity have been taken away.
The second announcement is that God’s people should leave Babylon before God destroys her. It also describes how kings and others mourn over the destroyed city.
The third announcement is that Babylon will never be built again.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
An angel announced that Babylon was destroyed, and some groups are sad
-or-
Announcements about the destruction of Babylon
-or-
Various people talk about Babylon
Paragraph 18:1–3
18:1a
After this I saw: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as this is literally “these (things).” It refers to what John had already seen. This clause introduces a new scene in heaven. For example:
After ⌊I saw⌋ those things, I saw
heaven: Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives.
18:1b
authority: Here the word authority refers to having the right and power to control or rule over someone or something. For example:
right to rule/govern
-or-
power to control
These verses do not say what the angel had authority over. Some languages must say what the angel has authority over. If that is true in your language, refer generally to what the angel might have authority over. For example:
authority ⌊over things⌋
18:1c
and the earth was illuminated by his glory: This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:
his splendor brightened the whole earth (Good News Translation)
-or-
his glory made the earth bright (New Century Version)
illuminated: Here this word refers to the angel’s splendor shining on the earth.
glory: The Greek word here is often translated as “splendor” (as the New Jerusalem Bible has here). Other ways to translate this word are:
radiance
-or-
glorious light
See how you translated this word in 1:6 or 15:8.
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