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Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) and a name was written on her forehead. The name was a mystery: ‘Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and the Abominations of the Earth.’![]()
OET-LV and on the forehead of_her was a_name having_been_written:
Mystery Babulōn/(Bāⱱel?
) the great, the mother of_the prostitutes, and of_the abominations of_the earth.
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SR-GNT καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, “Μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ Μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν, καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.” ‡
(kai epi to metōpon autaʸs onoma gegrammenon, “Mustaʸrion Babulōn haʸ Megalaʸ, haʸ maʸtaʸr tōn pornōn, kai tōn bdelugmatōn taʸs gaʸs.”)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT and on her forehead had been written a name, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.
UST And there was a name in writing on her forehead. The name had a secret meaning. That name was: The Great Babylon, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the Immoral Things in the World.
BSB And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:
¶ BABYLON THE GREAT,
¶ THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
¶ AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
MSB (Same as BSB above)
BLB And upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery: Babylon the Great, the mother of the prostitutes, and of the abominations of the earth.
AICNT And [[on the earth and]][fn] on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.”
17:5, on the earth and: Included in ℵ(01).
OEB while on her forehead was inscribed a name that had a hidden meaning: “Babylon the Great, mother of all prostitutes, source of all obscenities on earth.”
WEBBE And on her forehead a name was written, “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: “Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.”
LSV and on her forehead was a name written: “SECRET, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE WHORES, AND THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”
FBV A name of mystery[fn] was written on her forehead: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and of the World's Obscene Things.
17:5 “Mystery”: having a hidden meaning; now revealed.
TCNT A mysterious name was written on her forehead: “Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.”
T4T This name, that has a hidden/secret meaning, was written on her forehead: “This woman is Babylon, the very evil city! She acts like the mother of the prostitutes on the earth. She teaches them to act immorally and to worship idols.”
LEB And on her forehead a name was written, a mystery: “Babylon the great, the mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.”
BBE And on her brow was a name, SECRET, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE EVIL WOMEN AND OF THE UNCLEAN THINGS OF THE EARTH.
Moff and on her forehead a name was written by way of symbol, "Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of all abominations on earth."
Wymth And on her forehead was a name written: "I am a symbol of great Babylon, the mother of the harlots and of the abominations of the earth."
ASV and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
DRA And on her forehead a name was written: A mystery; Babylon the great, the mother of the fornications, and the abominations of the earth.
YLT and upon her forehead was a name written: 'Secret, Babylon the Great, the Mother of the Whores, and the Abominations of the earth.'
Drby and upon her forehead a name written, Mystery, great Babylon, the mother of the harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.
RV and upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF THE HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
SLT And upon her forehead a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Wbstr And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
KJB-1769 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
KJB-1611 And vpon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of [fn]Harlots, And Abominations Of The Earth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)
17:5 Or, fornications.
Bshps And in her forehead was a name written, a misterie, great Babylon, the mother of whoredome & abhominations of the earth.
(And in her forehead was a name written, a mystery, great Babylon, the mother of whoredom/prostitution and abomination/disgusting_things/disgusting_things of the earth.)
Gnva And in her forehead was a name written, A mysterie, that great Babylon, that mother of whoredomes, and abominations of the earth.
(And in her forehead was a name written, A mystery, that great Babylon, that mother of whoredoms/prostitutions, and abomination/disgusting_things/disgusting_things of the earth. )
Cvdl And in her forhed was a name wrytte, a mistery; greate Babilon the mother of whordome, and abominacios of the earth.
(And in her forhed was a name written, a mystery; great Babylon the mother of whoredom/prostitution, and abominacios of the earth.)
TNT And in her forhed was a name wrytten a mistery gret Babylon the mother of whordome and abominacions of the erth.
(And in her forhed was a name written a mystery great Babylon the mother of whoredom/prostitution and abominacions of the earth. )
Wycl And a name writun in the forheed of hir, Mysterie, Babiloyn the greet, modir of fornycaciouns, and of abhomynaciouns of erthe.
(And a name written in the forehead of her, Mysterie, Babiloyn the great, mother of fornications, and of abomination/disgusting_things/disgusting_things of earth.)
Luth und an ihrer Stirn geschrieben den Namen, das Geheimnis: Die große Babylon, die Mutter der Hurerei und aller Greuel auf Erden.
(and at/to of_their/her forehead written the name(s), the secret/mystery: The large Babylon, the mother the/of_the fornication and all abomination/disgusting_thing on/in/to earth/land/ground.)
ClVg Et in fronte ejus nomen scriptum: Mysterium: Babylon magna, mater fornicationum, et abominationum terræ.[fn]
(And in/into/on forehead his name written: Mysterium: Babylon big, mother fornication, and abomiof_nations of_the_earth/land. )
17.5 Et in fronte. Quamvis sit ita habilis ad decipiendum, tamen, o fideles, ne desperetis, quia habet in fronte, id est in manifesto, signum quod rudibus est mysterium istud quo dat exemplum faciendi peccata, pro quibus terreni a salute fidelium repellentur.
17.5 And in/into/on fronte. Although be so/thus habilis to decipiendum, nevertheless, o faithful, not despairis, because has in/into/on fronte, that it_is in/into/on manifesto, sign/signal that rudibus it_is mystery this where gives exemplum facendi sins, for to_whom earthly from salute faithful repellentur.
UGNT καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, Μυστήριον Βαβυλὼν ἡ Μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν, καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.
(kai epi to metōpon autaʸs onoma gegrammenon, Mustaʸrion Babulōn haʸ Megalaʸ, haʸ maʸtaʸr tōn pornōn, kai tōn bdelugmatōn taʸs gaʸs.)
SBL-GNT καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.
(kai epi to metōpon autaʸs onoma gegrammenon, mustaʸrion, Babulōn haʸ megalaʸ, haʸ maʸtaʸr tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelugmatōn taʸs gaʸs.)
RP-GNT καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον, Μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.
(kai epi to metōpon autaʸs onoma gegrammenon, Mustaʸrion, Babulōn haʸ megalaʸ, haʸ maʸtaʸr tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelugmatōn taʸs gaʸs.)
TC-GNT καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον· Μυστήριον, Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη, ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς.
(kai epi to metōpon autaʸs onoma gegrammenon; Mustaʸrion, Babulōn haʸ megalaʸ, haʸ maʸtaʸr tōn pornōn kai tōn bdelugmatōn taʸs gaʸs. )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).
17:5 Using code language, John was probably referring to Rome (see 17:9) as Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes. Babylon was a symbol of the idolatries and demonic obscenities of the world. As Mother, she had produced offspring who copied her character. Rome, like Babylon, prostituted herself to false gods and led other nations into adultery and idolatry.
In this section, John saw a woman sitting on a red beast. The woman had the symbolic name “Babylon.” An angel referred to her as a prostitute. The red beast had seven heads and ten horns. The beast worked together with her, but later he destroyed her.
Other examples of headings for this section are:
The great/famous prostitute with the symbolic name Babylon was destroyed
The red beast turned against the woman Babylon and destroyed her
And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH: The BSB and some English versions write this title with all capital letters. Other English versions capitalize the first letter of each word. Write this title as a name or title in your language.
And on her forehead a mysterious name was written:
On her forehead these mysterious words were written:
A name/title with hidden/secret meaning was on her forehead:
And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: There are two ways to interpret how the Greek word that the BSB translates as mysterious is used:
It describes the name or title on her forehead. The name was mysterious or secret. For example:
on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, (NASB) (BSB, RSV, GNT, NJB, NIV11, NASB, NABRE, NLT, CEV, NET, REB, NCV, ESV)
It is itself part of the name or title. For example:
upon her forehead [was] a name written, MYSTERY (KJV) (NIV, GW, KJV)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).Aune (page 936) says, “Since the angel offers to explain ‘the mystery of the woman’ in v7, it is probable that the term…is not a part of what is written on the woman’s forehead.” Beale (page 858) also supports interpretation (1). Other ways to translate this interpretation are:
On her forehead a mysterious name was written: (CEV)
On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: (NET)
On her forehead was written a name that has a secret meaning: (GNT)
on her forehead a mysterious name was written: The Greek grammar indicates that the writing was already there when John saw the woman. The clause is passive. Some languages must use an active or intransitive clause. For example:
someone had written a name on her forehead
On her forehead were these words:
A name/title was on her forehead:
If you translate following the last two examples, your translation should imply that the title was written.
mysterious: The Greek word that the BSB translates as mysterious refers to truth or knowledge that people have not discovered on their own. Someone else reveals it to them.
The name is told in 17:5b–c. So the mystery is probably that this particular name had not been told before. It is not explained here. People will have to read the name and try to understand its meaning. Other ways to translate this word are:
a name of mystery: (RSV)
a name that has a secret meaning: (GNT)
Also see how you translated this word in 1:20.
BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
The Great Babylon, the Mother of Prostitutes
The Famous Babylon, The Originator/Source of All Prostitutes,
BABYLON: The name of this woman is BABYLON. It is used in the same way in 14:8 and 16:19.
THE GREAT: This word means “important” or “well-known” here. It does not indicate that Babylon was good or noble in any way. See how you translated this word in 16:19 or possibly 17:1.
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES: This phrase indicates figuratively that the woman is the origin of all those who do prostitution. Here prostitution refers figuratively to worshiping idols and being unfaithful to God.
In some languages a literal translation would not clearly indicate the figurative meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:
Translate literally and explain its meaning in a footnote. For example:
This phrase indicates figuratively that Babylon began the practices/ways of idolatry. She encouraged others to be unfaithful to God.
Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
The Originator of Prostitutes
PROSTITUTES: Here this word implies seduction, immorality, greed, and immoral selling practices, as well as other shameful deeds. See how you translated this word in 17:1.
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
and the Mother of the Detestable Deeds/Things of the Earth.
and the Originator/Source of All the Obscene/Filthy Practices/Things Around the World.
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH: The word “mother” is implied from 17:5b but not repeated here. The woman began the ABOMINATIONS and other people followed her in those sins. In some languages it is more natural to repeat the meaning of the word “mother” here. For example:
Mother of the Abominations of the Earth
Originator of the Abominations of the Earth
ABOMINATIONS: This word refers to deeds that are detestable or very awful. The word refers figuratively to the woman’s sinful life and deeds. Other ways to translate this word are:
Obscenities (NLT)
detestable things (NET)
See how you translated this word in 17:4 (“abominations”).
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῆς & γεγραμμένον
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: καί ἐπί τό μέτωπον αὐτῆς ὄνομα γεγραμμένον Μυστήριον Βαβυλών ἡ Μεγάλη ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καί τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς)
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [someone had written on her forehead]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys
ὄνομα & Μυστήριον
˓a˒_name & Mystery
This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words together. The word mystery tells what kind of name was written on the woman’s forehead. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [a mysterious name] or [a name that had a symbolic meaning]
Note 3 topic: translate-names
ὄνομα & Μυστήριον
˓a˒_name & Mystery
Some interpreters consider the word mystery to be part of the name of this woman. Alternate translation: [a name: Mystery,]